Ada gave her husband a look that made words superfluous?

Analyze the question: You are asked for the word opposite in meaning to "superfluous" (the underlined word).

Explain the concept: "Superfluous" means more than is needed; excess; unnecessary. Its antonyms are words like necessary, essential, needed, insufficient, scanty.

Solution, checking each option:

• A. redundant means unnecessary or excess. This is a synonym, so it is wrong.
• B. spurious means fake or false. It is unrelated to "superfluous", so it is wrong.
• C. unnecessary is also a synonym, so it is wrong.
• D. scanty means insufficient, meagre, barely enough. This is the opposite of "more than enough", so it fits best.

In the sentence, the look made words superfluous, meaning words were more than needed. The opposite idea is that there is too little, which is "scanty".

Note that the ideal antonym would be "necessary" or "essential", but it isn't among the options. Of the four given, only D is not a synonym, and it contrasts in the sense of excess versus insufficiency.

Correct answer: D. scanty

Exam tip: In "opposite in meaning" questions, first eliminate the synonyms. Here A and C both mean the same as "superfluous", so they cannot be the opposite. Then pick the option that conveys the reverse idea. Remember: superfluous = too much; scanty = too little.