Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Authenticity, Understanding, and Importance - ISEE Middle Level Verbal Reasoning

"Authentic" means genuine and real, so "real" is the correct answer. To help you, "peculiar" means unusual and is an antonym of "ordinary."

A "phony" is someone who falsely pretends to be someone they are not or have attributes they do not have. So, "fake" is the correct answer. To help you, "feral" means wild, "wily" means cunning and sneaky, "frank" means honest, and "eager" means excited to do something.

You will likely have heard this word used in math to describe two lines that run alongside one another. "Parallel" means similar, the same as, or equivalent. To further help you, "different" and "varied" are loose antonyms of parallel; "gargantuan" means monstrously big; "excess" means too much or more than enough.

If something is pivotal, it means that it is important. For example, the last regular football game of a season is pivotal in determining whether the team will play in the semifinals.

The word "tacit" means understood without being directly expressed. "Understood" is the best choice, as it is a part of the definition of the word "tacit." Considering the rest of the choices, "exalt" is a verb that means praise, "tame" means calm when used as a verb and domesticated when used as an adjective,and "benevolent" means kind.

The word "overt" means obvious. "Blatant" is the best choice because like "overt," it also means obvious.

"Perplexing" means confusing, so "confused" is the correct answer. For example, a perplexing puzzle is one that is difficult to solve, and therefore confusing.

"Tentative" means unsure or uncertain. For example, one might write, "Gina had tentative plans to visit her mother that evening, as she was still waiting to hear whether her mother wanted to spend time with her." So, "uncertain" is the correct answer.

Something that is "covert" is hidden, or more specifically, hidden from the general public. For example, some police officers will walk around public places in a covert manner so that they can more easily find unsuspecting criminals without being identified as police officers. So, "hidden" is the correct answer.

The word "salient" comes from a Latin word meaning to leap. If someone makes a salient point, it's as if that point is leaping out at you, leading to its meaning of prominent or relevant. Don't be deceived by false cognates, such as "saline" (salty), or "sale" (discounted).

"Incontrovertible" is an adjective that means "not able to be denied or disputed," so we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "undeniable." "Unbelievable," while beginning with a negative prefix like both "incontrovertible" ("in-") and "undeniable" ("un-") do, actually means "not able to be believed; unlikely to be true," so it is an antonym of "incontrovertible" and "undeniable." "Irrefutable," however, is an adjective that means "impossible to deny or disprove," and because "irrefutable" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "incontrovertible," "irrefutable" is the correct answer.

"Erroneous" is an adjective that means "wrong; incorrect," so we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "wrong." "Correct," then, cannot be the correct answer, because "correct" is an antonym of "erroneous," not a synonym. "Mistaken," however, is an adjective that means either "wrong in one's opinion or judgment" or especially of a belief, "based on or resulting from a misunderstanding or faulty judgment." Because "mistaken" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "erroneous," "mistaken" is the correct answer.

"Tangential" is an adjective that means either "diverging from a previous course or line; erratic," or "hardly touching a matter; peripheral." So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "erratic" or "peripheral." "Essential" cannot be the correct answer, then, because "essential" means "absolutely necessary; extremely important," making it an antonym of "tangential," not a synonym. "Nonessential," however, is an adjective that means "not absolutely necessary," and because "nonessential" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "tangential," "nonessential" is the correct answer.

"Paltry" means having little meaning, importance, or worth or very small or meager. "Insignificant" is the only choice that has a definition similar to that of "paltry."

"Ambiguous" is an adjective that means unclear, open to interpretation, or vague. For example, one might say, "By avoiding specific details, she kept her story rather ambiguous."

If you are not too sure about something, you might be "dubious" about it, as "dubious" means expressing doubt or hesitation. Considering the potential answer choices, "abrupt" means stark or sudden, "certain" means absolutely sure, "superfluous" means extraneous, and "fragile" means breakable. So, none of these answer choices can be correct because none of them are close in meaning to "dubious." "Doubtful," however, is an adjective that means uncertain, and because "doubtful" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "dubious," "doubtful" is the correct answer.

"Wrought" means made, which is similar in meaning to "fabricated," while the rest of the terms are not close in meaning to "wrought." "Deposed" means removed from a position of power while "dissected" is defined as to take apart in order to analyze, and often refers to the bodies of creatures. "Cracked" and "halved" are more straightforward in meaning, but still not appropriate synonyms.

The word "demonstrative" means serving the purpose of showing and explaining. The best choice is "show" as it is a part of the definition of "demonstrative."

"Salient" means significant or noteworthy. To help you, "irrelevant" means not important and is an antonym of "salient." To further help you, "unstable" means not balanced, mentally unbalanced, prone to experiencing problems of a psychiatric nature, or volatile; circumstantial means accidental or owed to circumstance; and "exquisite" means perfect, divine, or gorgeous.