Question

Pick the odd one out:

• A. wisdom; folly
• B. friendship; enmity
• C. often; seldom
• D. loyalty; treachery
• E. devotion; loathing

Hint:

When solving “odd one out” based on antonyms, check if the relationship is perfectly reciprocal. A true antonym directly reverses the meaning, while a conceptual opposite (like wisdom vs folly) may only suggest absence.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Recall the task.
We are to identify which pair is not a strict antonym pair.

Step 2: Examine each option.
- (A)

wisdom; folly: Wisdom = knowledge, good sense, judgment. Folly = foolishness, lack of sense. While they are conceptually opposite, they are not strict antonyms in dictionary sense. Folly is absence of wisdom, but not an exact opposite. This makes them the odd one.
- (B)

friendship; enmity: Clear antonyms (friendship vs hostility).
- (C)

often; seldom: Temporal frequency antonyms (frequent vs rare).
- (D)

loyalty; treachery: Strong opposites (faithfulness vs betrayal).
- (E)

devotion; loathing: Emotional opposites (love vs hatred).


Step 3: Conclude.
Since four options are strict antonyms, but “wisdom and folly” represent a quality vs. lack of quality (not perfect antonyms), option (A) is the odd one out. \[ \boxed{\text{wisdom; folly (A)}} \]