High School Placement Test (HSPT) Practice Test

Disable ads (and more) with a membership for a one time $2.99 payment

Study for the High School Placement Test with our HSPT quiz. Revise with flashcards and multiple choice questions, each offering hints and explanations. Prepare confidently for your exam!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.

Skillful is to clumsy as deft is to:

alert
awkward
dumb
agile

The correct answer is: awkward

The relationship between "skillful" and "clumsy" is one of opposites, where "skillful" indicates proficiency and finesse, while "clumsy" suggests a lack of coordination or skill. To find a similar antonym relationship for "deft," which means quick and skillful in movement or action, we look for a word that conveys the opposite meaning. "Awkward" correctly captures this opposite meaning, as it describes someone who lacks smoothness or grace in movement, similar to how "clumsy" describes a lack of skill. Therefore, the pairing of "deft" and "awkward" stands in the same contrast as "skillful" and "clumsy." This clear contrast in dexterity and gracefulness makes "awkward" the appropriate choice. The other words do not establish the same direct opposition required in this analogy.