Analogies

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HSPT Language Skills › Analogies

Questions 1 - 10
1

Answer the question by selecting the word that best completes the analogy.

Bitter is to sweet as pungent is to                     .

mild

spicy

acrid

acidic

harsh

Explanation

"Bitter" and "sweet" are antonyms, just as "pungent" and "mild" have opposite meanings.

2

Potable is to contaminant as healthy is to                     .

disease

sanguine

intravenous

salacious

salubrious

Explanation

The word “potable” comes from the Latin word for “to drink” or “drinkable.” This latter sense still is retained in the English, as the word “potable” means either “drinkable” or “safe to drink.” When liquid is potable, it is free of any contamination. Thus, the analogy could be written, “As potable water lacks contaminants, so does something that is healthy lack X.” Among the options provided, only “disease” fits the needed sense of that which is lacking in someone who is healthy.

3

Mentor is to tyro as master is to                     .

apprentice

liege

rule

maestro

untrained

Explanation

A tyro is someone who is inexperienced or a novice in some subject. Such a person would need to be mentored in order to gain adequate proficiency. Thus, the analogy could be written, “As a tyro learns from a mentor, so does X learn from a master.” Among the options provided, only “apprentice” fits this usage. An apprentice is someone who learns a trade from a master tradesman.

4

Ice is to cold as sun is to                     .

bright

sky

morning

daytime

diurnal

Explanation

This analogy is relatively simple, all you have to note is that “cold” describes ice. Thus, you are looking for something that describes the sun. All of the incorrect options are related to the “location” of the sun (i.e. “in” the sky) or when it is in the sky (“morning,” “daytime,” “diurnal”). None of these pertain to a description of the sun itself. Though simple, the best option is “bright.”

5

Complete this analogy.

Water is to ice as magma is to                     .

stone

crust

subterranean

molten

circulating

Explanation

When water cools, it becomes ice; therefore, this analogy requires that which magma becomes when it cools. Magma is the liquid stone that flows under the earth’s crust. When this cools, it becomes stone again. This is the only option that fits among those provided.

6

Dome is to building as capital is to                     .

column

city

suburb

legislature

money

Explanation

While not all buildings have domes, all domes are placed upon the tops the buildings that have them. The best way to express this analogy is, “As a dome is on the top of a building, so is a capital on top of X.” While “capital” can mean the main city of nation or state, it likewise can mean the “head” of a column. Think of the columns that you have seen on some buildings. On the ends, there are designed “pedestals” of differing characters. These are the “capitals” on the columns. Just as a dome is on the top of a building, so is a capital on the top of a column. Do not be fooled by the other options that are tempting because of their general relationships to “capital.” None of them work correctly in the analogy.

7

Peak is to mountain as consummation is to                     .

undertaking

nadir

zenith

goal

prime

Explanation

The peak is the highest point of a mountain, and the consummation is the point of completion of some task or undertaking. While the word “goal” and “zenith” are potential synonyms for the word, the only acceptable option is “undertaking,” for it is an undertaking that reaches its consummation, as a mountain is “completed” by its peak.

8

Choose the best answer that best completes the comparison.

Balcony is to railing as road is to                     .

guardrail

street

car

city

railroad

Explanation

A "balcony" has a "railing" to keep people safe, much like a "road" has a "guardrail" to keep cars and their drivers safe.

9

Fib is to lie as rivulet is to                     .

stream

trickle

drizzle

lake

water

Explanation

A fib is generally a small, insignificant lie; therefore, the bridge sentence for this analogy would be, “Just as a fib is an insignificant or small type of lie, so to a rivulet is a small type of X.” While it might seem too tempting to think a “rivulet” is a small stream, this actually is the case. The “-let” suffix is used to alter its base and express the notion of being “small.” For instance, a “booklet” is literally a small book. (They aren’t just called that by happenstance!) None of the other options capture this relation of “small version to larger or more general type.”

10

Answer the question by selecting the word that best completes the analogy.

Decent is to polite as improper is to                     .

misbehaving

decorous

chaste

worthy

spotless

Explanation

"Decent" and "polite" are synonyms, just as "improper" and "misbehaving" are similar in meaning.

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