Antonyms Tips

Antonym questions test knowledge of vocabulary more directly than do any of the other verbal question types, the purpose of the antonym questions is to measure not merely the strength of your vocabulary but also the ability to reason from a given concept to its opposite. Antonyms may require only two thing, one, general knowledge of the word, or, second, they may require you to make fine distinctions among answer choices
Antonyms are generally confined to nouns, verbs, and adjectives; answer choices may be single words or phrases.

Some tips to remember in answering antonyms:

1. Remember that you are looking or the word that is the most nearly opposite to the given word; you are not looking for a synonym. Since many words do not have have a precise opposite, you must look for the answer choice that expresses a concept most nearly opposite to that of the given word.

2. In some cases more than one of the answer choices may appear at first to be opposite to the given word. Questions that require yo to make fine distinctions among two or more answer choices are best handled by defining more precisely or in greater detail the meaning of the given word.

3. It is often useful, in weighing answer choices, to make up a sentence using the given word or words. Substituting the answer choices in the phrase or sentence and seeing which best "fits," in that it reverses the meaning or tone of the sentence or phrase, may help you determine the best answer.

4. Remember that a particular word may have more than one meaning.

5. Use your knowledge of root, prefix, and suffix meanings to help you determine the meanings of words with which you are not entirely familiar.

GRE Requirements according to field of study

AGRICULTURE

TOEFL213

GRE Required Writing sample for PhD Applicants

ARCHITECTURE

TOEFL 213

GRE Required; emphasis on quantitativescorePortfolio. Sometimes interview

AREA STUDIES

TOEFL213+

GRE Required Writing sample for PhD Applicants

ART HISTORY

TOEFL250+

GRE Required Writing and/or work sample; depends on specialization

BIOLOGY

TOEFL230+

GRE Required with combined verbal &quantitative score 1500GRE Biology subject exam (Required for PhD applicants,recommended for Master`s). Writing sample for PhD

BUSINESS

TOEFL213+

GMAT required with score of 550+; 4+ years workexperience; university application completed by student withheavy emphasis on essay questions; sometimes interview; workstyleresume; often early deadlines

CHEMISTRY

TOEFL 213+

GRE Required with combined verbal &quantitative score 1200; minimun of700 on quantitativeGRE Chemestry subject exam with score of 700+

COMMUNICATIONS

TOEFL250+

GRE Required with verbal minimumscore of 500Writing sample required; sometimes TSE exam

COMPUTER SCIENCE

TOEFL250+

GRE Required with combined verbal &quantitative score 1200; quantitativescore should be in 85%GRE Computer Science subject exam

DANCE

TOEFL213+

GRE RequiredWriting sample: will vary by specialization and specificuniversity requirements but, in general, a video of soloperformance with brief written descrption is the minimum.

ECONOMICS

TOEFL 213+

GRE Required with combined verbal &quantitative score 1200 forcompetitive programsWriting sample is often required

EDUCATION

TOEFL 213+

GRE Required with combined verbal &quantitative score 1100. All PhD and all degrees in Education administration require awriting sample; TSE recommended for those seeking a teachingassistantship; prior teaching experience

ENGINEERING

TOEFL230+

GRE Required with combined verbal &quantitative score 1200+; emphasison quantitative scoreWork experience is helpful

ENGLISH

TOEFL250+

GRE Required with verbal score weighed heavily GRE literature in English subject exam and writing sample

FILM/CINEMA

TOEFL213

GRE RequiredWritten work sample; sometimes original screen play; someprograms require a video (not to exceed 30 minutes);professional resume; generally early application

FINE ARTS

TOEFL 213

GRE RequiredPortfolio required- Slides presented in plastic holder sheets;work-style resume

FOOD SCIENCE

TOEFL 213

GRE Required

GEOGRAPHY

TOEFL213+

GRE Required; Writing Sample

GEOCIENCES

TOEFL213+

GRE RequiredDepending on specialization GRE Chemestry, Mathematics,and/or Physics Subject may be required

HISTORY

TOEFL 230+

GRE Required Writing Sample required, especially for Ph.D.INT.

RELATIONS/POLITICALSCIENCE

TOEFL250

GRE RequiredUndergraduate coursework in Economics. Most programswould like to see at least 2 years of relevant work experience(particularly for IR programs). Some competitive programs arebeginning to request the TSE

JOURNALISM

TOEFL 250+

GRE Required Writing Sample required

LAW

TOEFL250+

Work experience is desired; Need to have very articulate study objective.

LIBRARY/INFORMATION SC.

TOEFL 213+

GRE RequiredTOEFL & GRE Requirements by Field of Study

LINGUISTICS

TOEFL 250+

GRE Required; Verbal score should be in90th percentileWriting sample required; TSE required for teachingassistantships

MATHEMATICS

TOEFL 213+

GRE Required with a minimun of 700 onquantitative sectionGRE Math Subject exam

MUSIC

TOEFL 213+

GRE RequiredLive audition or tape/video required-varies by program. May berequired to complete university music exam

NATURAL RESOURCES

TOEFL 213+

GRE Required with combined verbal &quantitative score 1200 - emphasison quantitativeWriting /work sample, e,g. Thesis abstract; focus is on the kindof research that student have done

NURSING/HEALTH SCIENCE

TOEFL 213+

GRE Required with emphasis onquantitative scoreGRE Biology and/or Chemestry subject exams

PHILOSOPHY

TOEFL250+

GRE Required Writing sample

PHYSICS/ASTRONOMY

TOEFL 250+

GRE Required with combined verbal &quantitative score 1300GRE Physics Subject exam. TSE for assistantships

PSYCHOLOGY

TOEFL 250+

GRE Required with high scores in allsections GRE Psychology Subject exam. Early deadlines

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

TOEFL230+

GRE RequiredMid-career programs will require 5-10 years or relevant workexperience. TSE may be required

PUBLIC HEALTH

TOEFL213+

GRE Required

SOCIAL WORK

TOEFL 213+

GRE Required Writing sample; resume; phone interview

SOCIOLOGY

TOEFL 213+

GRE Required Writing sampleTESOL 237+ Required Writing sample; prior teaching; TSE recommended

THEATER

TOEFL 213+

GRE Required Work sample-Video or portfolio, depending on specialization

THEOLOGY

TOEFL 213+

GRE Required Writing sample

TRANSLATION/INTERPRETATION

TOEFL250+

GRE Required Translation writing sample

URBAN REGIONAL PLANNING

TOEFL250+

GRE Required. Portfolio if specialization is in architecture; sometimes writingsample

VET. MEDICINE

TOEFL 213+

GRE Required

WOMEN´S STUDIES

TOEFL237

GRE Required; Writing sample

Analogy Strategy - 1

Analogy questions test the ability to recognize the relationship thatexists between the words in a word pair and to recognize when twoword pairs display parallel relationships. To answer an analogyquestion, you must formulate the relationship between the words inthe given word pair and then must identify the answer choice containing words that are related to one another in most nearly the sameway. Some examples of relationships that might be found in analogyquestions are relationships of kind, size, spatial contiguity,or degree.Some approaches that may be helpful in answering analogyquestions:

1. Before looking at the answer choices, try to establish a preciserelationship between the words in the given pair. It is usuallyhelpful to express that relationship in a phrase or sentence. Next,look for the answer choice with the pair of words whose relationshipis closest to that of the given pair and can be expressed in asimilar fashion.

2. Occasionally, more than one of the answer choices may seem atfirst to express a relationship similar to that of the given pair. Tryto state the relationship more precisely or identify some aspect ofthe relationship between the given pair of words that is paralleledin only one choice pair.

3. Remember that a single word can have several different meanings.Check to be sure you have not overlooked a possible secondmeaning for one of the words.

4. Never decide on the best answer without reading all the answerchoices.

5. Practice recognizing and formulating relationships between wordpairs.