EduTest Year 9-10 vocabulary relationships: 12 word-pair questions

Quick answer. Each question gives a pair of words and asks for a second pair with the same relationship, kept in the same direction. This page has one worked model and twelve original questions in four groups of three: same behaviour with a different attitude, degree, what a person habitually does, and opposites. Every solution names the relationship and says what the wrong options do instead.

EduTest's parents page lists Verbal Reasoning as one of its five sections, a multiple-choice section of 30 minutes (EduTest parents page). This set is for a student sitting for Year 9 or Year 10 entry. It is skill practice, written to a secondary reading level; it does not claim to match any EduTest question, and EduTest does not publish a target vocabulary level.

Why is connotation the difficult part?

At this level most options are real words that a student knows. Students usually know the words. They lose the mark by choosing a word with the right meaning and the wrong attitude, or the right attitude in the wrong direction. Two checks catch both.

1. Meaning. Do the two words in the pair describe the same thing, a stronger or weaker version of it, or its opposite?
2. Attitude. Does the writer approve, disapprove or stay neutral? Carry that across.

Model: same behaviour, different attitude

Frugal is to miserly as assertive is to:

A. timid B. polite C. confident D. bossy

1. Build the bridge. Both words describe the same behaviour, being careful with money. Frugal approves of it; miserly disapproves.
2. Keep the direction. Approving word first, disapproving word second.
3. Carry it across. Assertive describes stating what you want firmly, and it approves. The disapproving word for the same behaviour is bossy. Answer: D.
4. Test the tempting options. Confident is approving, so it is a neighbour, not the disapproving partner. Timid is the opposite behaviour. Polite is about manners, not firmness.

The twelve questions

Say the bridge sentence for the first pair, including the attitude, before you look at the options.

Group 1: the same behaviour, a different attitude

Question 1. Slender is to gaunt as curious is to:

A. inquisitive B. indifferent C. nosy D. informed

Question 2. Determined is to obstinate as cautious is to:

A. careful B. fearless C. wise D. timid

Question 3. Discreet is to secretive as frank is to:

A. candid B. quiet C. brusque D. truthful

Group 2: degree

Question 4. Disapprove is to condemn as dislike is to:

A. tolerate B. despise C. ignore D. regret

Question 5. Pleased is to elated as concerned is to:

A. elated B. relieved C. alarmed D. indifferent

Question 6. Catastrophe is to mishap as deluge is to:

A. torrent B. flood C. puddle D. drizzle

Group 3: what a person habitually does

Question 7. Sceptic is to doubt as optimist is to:

A. hope B. dream C. pretend D. trust

Question 8. Miser is to hoard as spendthrift is to:

A. earn B. squander C. borrow D. save

Question 9. Tyrant is to oppress as mediator is to:

A. judge B. punish C. argue D. reconcile

Group 4: opposites

Question 10. Benevolent is to malicious as generous is to:

A. selfish B. kind C. wealthy D. grateful

Question 11. Lucid is to muddled as concise is to:

A. accurate B. rambling C. brief D. detailed

Question 12. Hostile is to amicable as reluctant is to:

A. unwilling B. hesitant C. eager D. resentful

Solutions with connotation notes

Question 1: C, nosy. Bridge: slender and gaunt both describe a thin body; slender approves, gaunt suggests unhealthy thinness. Direction: approving to disapproving. Curious approves; the disapproving word for the same habit is nosy. Connotation: inquisitive has the same neutral-to-positive tone as curious, so it is a synonym, not the second step. Indifferent is the opposite habit. Informed is the result of being curious, not a tone.

Question 2: D, timid. Bridge: determined approves of sticking to a course; obstinate disapproves of the same thing. Cautious approves of avoiding risk; timid disapproves of the same thing. Connotation: careful matches the approving tone of cautious, so it is a neighbour. Fearless is the opposite behaviour. Wise is a judgement, not a tone.

Question 3: C, brusque. Bridge: discreet approves of keeping things to yourself; secretive disapproves. Frank approves of saying things plainly; brusque disapproves of saying them with no regard for feelings. Connotation: candid and truthful are approving synonyms of frank. Quiet is about volume, not directness.

Question 4: B, despise. Bridge: condemn is a stronger form of disapprove. Direction: mild to strong, in the same direction of feeling. Despise is a stronger form of dislike. Connotation: tolerate is weaker and slightly accepting. Ignore is a response, not a feeling. Regret is about your own actions.

Question 5: C, alarmed. Bridge: elated is a stronger form of pleased. Alarmed is a stronger form of concerned, on the same unhappy side. Connotation: elated is the trap: it is strong, but it sits on the happy side. Relieved is the end of a worry. Indifferent is no feeling at all.

Question 6: D, drizzle. Bridge: a mishap is a mild version of a catastrophe. Direction: strong to mild. A drizzle is a mild version of a deluge. Connotation: flood is nearly the same strength as deluge, so it keeps the level and loses the step down. Torrent is as strong or stronger, so it runs the wrong way. Puddle is a thing left behind, not a degree.

Question 7: A, hope. Bridge: a sceptic habitually doubts; the verb is the sceptic's habit of mind. An optimist habitually hopes. Connotation: trust is the trap: it is positive, but it is about other people, not about how events will turn out. Dream is a pastime. Pretend is deliberate.

Question 8: B, squander. Bridge: a miser hoards money, keeping more than is needed. Direction: person to habitual action. A spendthrift squanders it, spending more than is wise. Connotation: both nouns and both verbs are disapproving. Save is the approving cousin of hoard, so it has the right topic and the wrong attitude. Earn and borrow are about getting money, not using it.

Question 9: D, reconcile. Bridge: a tyrant oppresses; a mediator reconciles, bringing two sides back together. Connotation: judge is the trap: a mediator does not decide who is right. Punish belongs with the tyrant. Argue is what the two sides do.

Question 10: A, selfish. Bridge: benevolent means wishing others well; malicious means wishing them harm. They are opposites. Generous gives freely; the opposite is selfish. Connotation: kind is a synonym, not an opposite. Grateful is about receiving, not giving. Wealthy is about money, not giving.

Question 11: B, rambling. Bridge: lucid writing is clear; muddled writing is confused. Concise writing is short and to the point; the opposite is rambling. Connotation: brief is a synonym. Detailed is not the opposite of concise, since a concise piece can still be detailed. Accurate is about truth, not length.

Question 12: C, eager. Bridge: hostile means unfriendly; amicable means friendly. They are opposites. Reluctant means unwilling; the opposite is eager. Connotation: unwilling is a synonym. Hesitant is a milder synonym. Resentful is a feeling afterwards, not an opposite.

What mistakes should we look for?

Question	Wrong option	What the student probably did
1	A, inquisitive	Chose a synonym with the same tone instead of the opposite tone
2	A, careful	Kept the approving tone of the first word
3	A, candid	Kept the approving tone of the first word
4	A, tolerate	Went down in strength instead of up
5	A, elated	Used the strength of the first pair and the wrong side of feeling
6	B, flood	Chose a word at the same strength and did not step down
6	A, torrent	Went up in strength instead of down
8	D, save	Matched the topic (money) and missed the disapproving tone
9	A, judge	Matched the setting (a dispute) and missed what a mediator does
10	B, kind	Chose a synonym instead of an opposite
11	C, brief	Chose a synonym instead of an opposite
12	A, unwilling	Chose a synonym instead of an opposite

Can my child write their own?

Pick one adjective that approves, such as thrifty, loyal or ambitious. Write the disapproving word for the same behaviour, then ask someone to find a matching pair for it from a new approving word.

Self-check: say the bridge sentence for the first pair, tone included, then for the second pair. If the tone changes in the second pair, the pair does not match.

What to do next

• Try the matching free pack: free mock tests. A free account is needed to open the pack.
• Read the EduTest practice resources guide for where vocabulary practice sits among the four practice areas.
• Read the EduTest exam format guide for how the sections fit together.
• Younger sibling preparing for Year 7 entry? Try the Year 7 verbal analogies set.

Written by James Rush, Braintree Coaching Australia. Every answer was solved a second time without the answer key before publication. A named teacher review has not yet been recorded for this set; a few word-pair choices may be arguable to a reader who weighs the options differently. If you find an error, please tell us. Last updated 15 October 2026.