Vocabulary: antonyms MCQ - Practice Questions with Answers

'Curiosity' means a desire to know, learn, or find out more. Its antonym is 'apathy', which means lack of interest, concern, or enthusiasm. 'Inquisitiveness' is very close to curiosity and therefore works as a synonym, not an opposite. 'Prying' means showing excessive or improper curiosity about other people's affairs. 'Intrusiveness' also suggests unwanted interference or excessive curiosity. Only 'apathy' gives the required opposite sense: indifference instead of interest.

Surplus means an amount that is more than what is needed or available in excess. Deficit is its antonym because it means a shortage or an amount falling below what is required. Smother means to cover, suppress, or suffocate something, so it does not express the opposite of excess. Inhibit means to restrain or prevent an action, which concerns control rather than quantity. Biased means prejudiced or unfairly inclined towards one side, so it is unrelated to the idea of surplus.

'Concerned' in the passage points to being interested, involved, or worried about something. 'Indifferent' is the best opposite because it means having no interest, care, or concern. 'Anxious' is close to one sense of concerned, because both can involve worry. 'Solicitous' means showing care or attention, so it also moves in the same direction as concerned. 'Pertained' means related or belonged to a matter; it is not an antonym of concerned.