Home » » » » » » » » » Prefix, Suffix & Antonyms: HSC 12th Board English Vocabulary PYQs

Prefix, Suffix & Antonyms: HSC 12th Board English Vocabulary PYQs

Welcome to a quick and highly scoring section of your 12th Board Exams (HSC / ISC)! In the reading comprehension passages, examiners always test your vocabulary by asking you to form antonyms using Prefixes, change word forms using Suffixes, or find the opposite meaning of a word based on its context. Guessing 'un' or 'dis' for everything will cost you marks! Master our advanced vocabulary cheat sheet below, practice the top 20 Previous Year Questions (PYQs), and challenge yourself with the interactive Self-Test!

🔥 Exam Tip & The Advanced Vocabulary Cheat Sheet:
  • Rule 1 (The 'ir' and 'il' Trap): Words starting with 'r' usually take the prefix 'ir-' (e.g., regular → irregular). Words starting with 'l' usually take 'il-' (e.g., logical → illogical).
  • Rule 2 (The 'im' Trap): Words starting with 'p' or 'm' generally take the prefix 'im-' (e.g., possible → impossible, mature → immature).
  • Rule 3 (Suffixes for Nouns & Adjectives): To make a Noun, add -ment, -ness, -tion, -ity. To make an Adjective, add -ful, -less, -ous, -able.
  • Rule 4 (Contextual Antonyms): Always read the sentence! If the passage says "a light box", the antonym is heavy. If it says "a light room", the antonym is dark. Don't write blind opposites.

Top 20 Board Exam Questions: Prefix, Suffix & Antonyms

Part 1: Forming Antonyms using Prefixes

Apply the matching prefix rules (ir-, il-, im-, un-, dis-, mis-) to form the exact opposite!

  1. Question: Add a suitable prefix to make the antonym of: Relevant (HSC March 2019)
    Answer: Irrelevant (Starts with 'r', so use 'ir-').
  2. Question: Add a suitable prefix to make the antonym of: Logical
    Answer: Illogical (Starts with 'l', so use 'il-').
  3. Question: Add a suitable prefix to make the antonym of: Proper (HSC July 2022)
    Answer: Improper (Starts with 'p', so use 'im-').
  4. Question: Add a suitable prefix to make the antonym of: Understand
    Answer: Misunderstand (Do not use 'ununderstand').
  5. Question: Add a suitable prefix to make the antonym of: Advantage
    Answer: Disadvantage

Part 2: Word Building using Suffixes

Change the root word into a Noun or Adjective by adding the correct tail.

  1. Question: Add a suffix to form a noun: Manage (HSC March 2022)
    Answer: Management
  2. Question: Add a suffix to form an adjective: Danger
    Answer: Dangerous
  3. Question: Add a suffix to form a noun from: Inform (HSC March 2020)
    Answer: Information
  4. Question: Add a suffix to form an adjective meaning 'without care': Care
    Answer: Careless
  5. Question: Add a suffix to form a noun: Achieve
    Answer: Achievement

Part 3: Classic 12th Board Antonyms

These are high-level vocabulary words frequently asked in passage comprehensions.

  1. Question: Give the antonym of: Optimistic (HSC March 2023)
    Answer: Pessimistic (Optimistic = positive thinker, Pessimistic = negative thinker).
  2. Question: Give the antonym of: Ancient
    Answer: Modern (or Contemporary).
  3. Question: Give the antonym of: Abundance
    Answer: Scarcity (Abundance = plenty, Scarcity = shortage).
  4. Question: Give the antonym of: Barren (HSC March 2024 Pattern)
    Answer: Fertile (Used mostly for land/soil).
  5. Question: Give the antonym of: Flexible
    Answer: Rigid (or Inflexible).

Part 4: Contextual Antonyms (Read the sentence!)

Find the antonym of the underlined word based on how it is used in the sentence.

  1. Question: The old man had a very tender heart. (Give the antonym of the underlined word in context)
    Answer: Hard / Cruel (Here, tender means kind/soft-hearted).
  2. Question: The river was too shallow for the big ships to sail.
    Answer: Deep (Shallow means not deep).
  3. Question: He gave a very vague answer to the police.
    Answer: Clear / Specific (Vague means unclear or confusing).
  4. Question: The company imports raw materials from other countries.
    Answer: Finished / Processed (Opposite of raw material is finished goods).
  5. Question: The weather was quite harsh during the winter.
    Answer: Mild / Pleasant (Harsh weather means severe/extreme).

📝 Test Yourself: Guess the Word!

Have you mastered the Prefix, Suffix, and Antonym traps? Try answering these 5 tricky 12th board-level vocabulary questions. Click on "Show Answer" to check your accuracy!

  1. Question: Add a prefix to make the opposite: Patient

    👉 Click here to Show Answer
    Answer: Impatient. (Rule: Words starting with 'p' or 'm' take 'im-').

  2. Question: Add a prefix to make the opposite: Literate

    👉 Click here to Show Answer
    Answer: Illiterate. (Rule: Words starting with 'l' take 'il-').

  3. Question: Find the antonym: The hero of the story was very courageous.

    👉 Click here to Show Answer
    Answer: Cowardly / Timid.

  4. Question: Add a suffix to make it an adjective: Courage

    👉 Click here to Show Answer
    Answer: Courageous.

  5. Question: Find the antonym: His handwriting is legible.

    👉 Click here to Show Answer
    Answer: Illegible. (Meaning: cannot be read).

The secret to scoring full marks in the Vocabulary section is applying phonetic rules for prefixes and reading the full sentence before choosing an antonym. Bookmark this page, practice thoroughly, and secure your marks in the HSC / ISC English reading comprehension section!

Tags: , , , , , , ,