How To Do Antonym Tests

1. Identifying the general meaning
In case of many words you can easily guess the general meaning of the word. Another way to guess the meaning of the word is through breaking down the word into its roots.
RESTIVE
A) patient
B) rigorous
C) deceptive
D) active
E) cautious
The word, restive, is tricky, because it sounds like it has something to do with rest. Therefore, D) active would be the best antonym. However, this is a trick. Restive actually means restless. So, the correct answer is patient, a good antonym for restless.
For instance, ‘Ornithology’ may be split into ‘ornis’ which means ‘birds’ and ‘logos’ which means ‘study’ thus establishing that it is the study of birds.

2. Notice positively and negatively charged answer choices.
It is possible to associate a negative or positive charge with almost any given word. Try to discern whether each word in the following list has a positive (+), negative (-), or neutral (=) charge. Choose the best synonym.

MALIGNED
A) beneficent
B) magnanimous
C) downtrodden
D) destitute
E) elegant
In the example, we are trying to find the best synonym for the word maligned. So, we should begin by ascertaining its charge. The prefix, "mal" is typically used in negatively charged words. Therefore, the answer will likely have a positive charge. Let's go through the list to see how each word is charged.
A) beneficent (+)
B) magnanimous (+)
C) downtrodden (-)
D) destitute (-)
E) elegant (=)
After labelling each, we are left with two words that are positively charged: beneficent and magnanimous. Know the meaning of any answer choices, you have narrowed your choices down to two and are left with a 50% change of answering correctly. This technique can help answer a question with several words that you are unsure about.

3. Eliminate answer choices that are close synonyms. 
Spotting synonyms within the answer choices can be valuable because it allows you to narrow your viable answer choices. If two of the answers have very similar meanings, then the correct answer is too ambiguous. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate these choices.
See if you can eliminate two answer choices from the following example. 

FOMENT
A) mitigate
B) engender
C) check
D) mollify
E) satiate T

The words mitigate and mollify are close synonyms. The both mean "to reduce or soften in pain or intensity, to make less severe." This leaves only three remaining viable answer choices.

4. Try to associate the word with a familiar context. 
They get included in many proverbial phrases. Note the following examples: "Gail force winds," "The Village Advocate," "Test your mettle", "Road to Perdition", "Patience is a virtue", "Abject poverty", "He made it through unscathed".
Synonyms when used in the same sentence at the same place, ideally do not change the entire meaning of the sentence. For example, “It was Sahil’s hesitation that was the cause of all trouble” can be replaced by “It was Sahil’s reluctance that was the cause of all trouble” as ‘hesitation’ and ‘reluctance’ are similar in meaning. So try to make a sentence and try to eliminate answer options.

5. Use your knowledge of Romance Languages. 
The roots of many words have similar meanings in foreign languages. For example, the Spanish word malo means bad. This is a common root for many negatively charged words: maligned malignant malapropos malediction malevolent malicious malefaction In addition, the Spanish word bueno means good.
Benediction beneficial beneficent benevolent benefactor benign But, be careful. Sometimes questions will attempt to trick the test taker by including roots in words that belie their true meaning: bellicose restive noisome credulous fulsome adulterate craven precipitate prosaic

6. Keep an eye out for easily confusable words and homophones.
These are words that sound alike but may be spelled differently. For instance, ‘bare’ and ‘bear’. These cannot be used interchangeably. Try remembering the context in which you read the word first. This will help clear any confusion.