Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: CONVENTIONAL
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This antonym question deals with a word that describes a person's attitude toward social rules and established customs. NONCONFORMIST is a commonly tested word in competitive exams and reading comprehension passages, especially in contexts about culture, society, and art. A correct answer requires understanding that a nonconformist is someone who does not follow established patterns or accepted standards. The opposite will be a person or quality that favours following traditional norms and accepted practices.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
A nonconformist is someone who refuses to conform to prevailing ideas, customs, or norms. They often choose an independent or rebellious path. The antonym must represent someone who accepts and follows established conventions. CONVENTIONAL fits this requirement because it describes behaviour or beliefs that follow what is generally done or believed. PRACTICAL relates to usefulness, FASHIONABLE relates to style trends, and NOMAD describes wandering people; none of these inherently addresses conformity to social norms.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that NONCONFORMIST refers to a person who does not accept or follow established customs, traditions, or standards.
Step 2: Examine CONVENTIONAL, which means based on or in accordance with what is generally done or believed, and thus describes following accepted norms.
Step 3: Examine PRACTICAL, which deals with usefulness, realistic thinking, and effective action, not specifically with conformity or nonconformity.
Step 4: Examine FASHIONABLE, which describes something that is currently popular or in style, again not necessarily about attitude towards rules.
Step 5: Examine NOMAD, describing a person who moves from place to place and does not have a permanent home, which is about lifestyle, not conformity.
Step 6: Recognise that only CONVENTIONAL expresses the idea of following established traditions, making it a true opposite of NONCONFORMIST.
Step 7: Conclude that CONVENTIONAL is the correct antonym.
Verification / Alternative check:
Consider contrasting sentences: She is a nonconformist artist who breaks all traditional rules and She is a conventional artist who follows classical styles. These two descriptions clearly oppose each other. Using PRACTICAL instead of CONVENTIONAL does not create the same opposition. A person can be both practical and nonconformist or both practical and conventional. Similarly, being fashionable or a nomad does not directly address attitude to social norms. Therefore, CONVENTIONAL is the only choice that fits as a direct opposite in meaning.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
PRACTICAL is wrong because it relates to effectiveness and realism, not to whether one follows or challenges social norms. FASHIONABLE is wrong because many nonconformists can become fashionable once their style becomes popular, so the two words are not opposites. NOMAD is wrong because it describes a wandering lifestyle and does not inherently involve rebellion against social conventions. None of these options targets the core idea of conforming to traditions, which is central to the required antonym.
Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes pick PRACTICAL or FASHIONABLE because these words feel positive and they may misinterpret NONCONFORMIST as simply negative or impractical. However, nonconformity is not about competence but about attitude to norms. The safest strategy is to mentally rephrase NONCONFORMIST as someone who does not follow established customs, and then look for a word that means follows established customs, which leads directly to CONVENTIONAL.
Final Answer:
The word that is opposite in meaning to NONCONFORMIST is CONVENTIONAL.
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