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What you should be able to do
- Identify words nearest in meaning to a given word
- Identify words most nearly opposite in meaning
- Use context to distinguish shades of meaning
Study notes
UTME lexis questions ask for the word nearest in meaning (synonym) or most nearly opposite (antonym) to a given word. Read the word carefully and think of its plain meaning before looking at the options, because distractors are often related but not exact. For antonyms, beware options that are merely different rather than opposite. Building vocabulary by reading widely is the reliable long-term method; in the exam, use word roots and the sentence context (when given) to narrow the choices.
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Source: JAMB UTME English (Use of English) syllabus. Type: official. Last checked: 2026-09-17. Practice questions are original Belmadeng material.