When something is adequate, it fulfills a given need. For instance, someone can say, “Although it was not perfect, the insulated jacket provided adequate protection from the brutal cold, ensuring the survival of its wearer.” This is quite the opposite of “insufficient,” which is used to describe things that do not fill a given role in an adequate manner. One could speak of a house having “insufficient insulation” if the insulation was too thin to provide protection from the winter weather. Thus, we are looking for an antonym. The best antonym for “ill” is “healthy.” “Sickly” and “ailing” are synonyms. The others are not related in any relevant manner.

Someone who is “enlightened” is said to have knowledge about some topic or set of topics. Often, the term is used to describe people or civilizations that are far more advanced than some “unenlightened” group. It is thus the opposite of “uncivilized,” which is used to describe the state of a people who are underdeveloped in culture and thought. Thus, you are looking for an antonym for “isolated.”

The word “coarse” can be used in a physical sense to describe a rough texture, as in “coarse wool” or “coarse stones.” It can also be used in a non-physical sense to describe unrefined manners. Someone is “coarse” if he or she is crude or vulgar. Thus, the words “coarse” and “refined” are antonyms, meaning that you need to look for an antonym for “voluminous.” Something is “voluminous” when it is spacious or ample. Often, you will hear the word used to describe someone who has written many books (a “voluminous author”). This meaning still has general sense of “large in scope or size.” In comparison with something “voluminous,” something “cramped” is quite the opposite. This is the best word among those provided, as it is the only antonym to “voluminous.”

When we console someone, we attempt to give them comfort, hoping to lessen some fear or sadness.  This is the opposite of perturbing that person, which would mean to irritate, annoy, or otherwise unsettle him or her.  This means that the analogy needs to have an antonym for “lucid.”  The word “lucid,” while being related to light, means “being clear and / or understandable.”  For instance, one could say, “The argument was completely lucid, making sense without much additional explanation at all.”  (The sense of light that is implied is that the argument “lets the light of the conclusion shine without being dimmed”).  The best antonym for this would be “unintelligible,” which means the exact opposite of such lucid clarity.

Clearly the words deny and affirm are opposites. When we deny an accusation, we refuse to admit that it is true at all. In contrast, an affirmation is a statement that something is indeed the case. Thus, the analogy is one of antonyms. The opposite of “accept” is “reject.” Though a rather simple answer, it is still the best option.

The word “expose” means “to place outside,” implying that something is put “out in the light,” no longer hidden. This is the opposite of concealing something, which means to hide it, keeping it from detection or notice. Thus, the analogy requires a word opposed to “advance.” Among the options, only one implies some notion of “going backward,” namely “retreat.” All of the other options are either indirectly related to “retreat” (as in one being a coward for retreating), perhaps a type of “financial advance” (as a loan might be called), or relatively unrelated. The only antonym is “retreat.”

When one detests something, he or she greatly hates that thing. Thus the two words are antonyms, meaning that the analogy requires an antonym for “dawdle.” Although the word is a bit informal, it means “to be slow or inefficient.” Options like “saunter” and “amble” perhaps describe ways of dawdling. They do not, however, provide an antonym.  Though the word “hurry” is very simple, it is the best option for this question.

When something is intriguing, it spurs interest and certainly is not boring. One would say, “The topic was so intriguing that Peter could not help but be enthused with trying to consider ever aspect of it.” Thus, this analogy is one of antonyms. The word “jovial” means “cheerful” or “friendly.” All of the wrong answers are meant to trick you into choosing a synonym. The only antonym among those provided is “unfriendly.”

The word “charitable” can mean merely “kindly” but also can describe activities of giving money to helpful causes. Someone who is described as being charitable is likely not to be stingy, which means “cheap” or “unwilling to spend money.” Thus, the analogy could fairly be understood as one of antonyms. The best option for an antonym for “improve” is the relatively simple “decline.” None of the other options has a meaning directly opposed to “improve.”

The word “fidelity” comes from the Latin for “faith” or “faithfulness.” The United States Marines’ motto is “Semper Fidelis,” meaning, “Always Faithful.” Thus, fidelity is means “faithfulness,” and “disloyalty” is an antonym to this. The word “augment” means “to increase.” The word “auction” is actually related to this word. This should make sense, for in an auction the prices increase. (The “g” and hard “c” sounds are very close and sometimes become interchanged). The only acceptable antonym among the potential answers is “decrease,” which is indeed the opposite of “increase.”