Category Membership Analogies - SSAT Upper Level Verbal

  1. Watercolor is to painting as marble is to
    Answer: sculpture Watercolor is a specific medium of painting, just as marble is a specific medium of sculpture. Both demonstrate category membership where particular materials or techniques belong to broader artistic practice categories. Statue is what marble becomes, quarry is where marble originates, and chisel is used to work marble, but sculpture is the art form category.
  2. Sparrow is to bird as rose is to
    Answer: flower This is a category membership analogy. A sparrow is a specific type of bird, just as a rose is a specific type of flower. Both show the relationship of a specific member to its broader category. Garden is a location where roses grow, petal is a part of a rose, and thorn is a protective structure on roses, but none represent the category that rose belongs to.
  3. Granite is to rock as cotton is to
    Answer: fiber Granite is a specific type of rock, just as cotton is a specific type of fiber. Both show category membership where particular materials belong to broader material classifications. Fabric is what cotton can be woven into, plant is what cotton grows on, and clothing is what cotton fabric becomes, but fiber is the material category.
  4. Algebra is to mathematics as biology is to
    Answer: science Algebra is a branch of mathematics, just as biology is a branch of science. This demonstrates category membership where specific academic disciplines belong to broader fields of study. Laboratory is where biology is studied, organism is what biology studies, and research is how biology advances, but science is the broader academic category.
  5. Microscope is to tool as hurricane is to
    Answer: weather A microscope is a specific type of tool, just as a hurricane is a specific type of weather phenomenon. Both show the relationship between a particular item and its broader category. Wind is a component of hurricanes, damage is what hurricanes cause, and coast is where hurricanes often make landfall, but weather is the meteorological category.
  6. Trilogy is to series as duet is to
    Answer: ensemble A trilogy is a specific type of series (three-part), just as a duet is a specific type of ensemble (two-person). Both show category membership where particular numerical configurations belong to broader organizational categories. Harmony is what duets create, concert is where duets perform, and singer is who performs in duets, but ensemble is the group category.
  7. Tennis is to sport as novel is to
    Answer: literature Tennis is a specific type of sport, just as a novel is a specific type of literature. This analogy shows category membership relationships. Author is the person who writes novels, chapter is a part of a novel, and library is where novels are stored, but literature is the broader category that novels belong to.
  8. Haiku is to verse as fable is to
    Answer: story A haiku is a specific form of verse, just as a fable is a specific type of story. This demonstrates category membership in literary forms where particular formats belong to broader narrative categories. Moral is the message of fables, animal characters often appear in fables, and lesson is what fables teach, but story is the literary category.
  9. Trumpet is to brass as violin is to
    Answer: string A trumpet belongs to the brass family of instruments, just as a violin belongs to the string family of instruments. This shows category membership within musical instrument classifications. Orchestra is where both might be played, bow is used to play the violin, and music is what both create, but string is the instrument family category.
  10. Oak is to tree as salmon is to
    Answer: fish An oak is a specific type of tree, just as salmon is a specific type of fish. This demonstrates category membership where the first term is a member of the category represented by the second term. River and ocean are habitats where salmon live, while scale is a body part of salmon, but none represent the broader biological category.
  11. Democracy is to government as capitalism is to
    Answer: economy Democracy is a specific type of government system, just as capitalism is a specific type of economic system. Both represent particular forms within their broader categories. Business operates within capitalism, market is a component of capitalism, and profit is a goal of capitalism, but economy is the overarching system category.
  12. Violin is to instrument as emerald is to
    Answer: gemstone A violin is a specific type of musical instrument, just as an emerald is a specific type of gemstone. Both show the relationship between a particular item and its category. Jewelry is what emeralds are often made into, necklace is one type of jewelry that might contain emeralds, and mineral is too broad a scientific classification.
  13. Mango is to fruit as spinach is to
    Answer: vegetable A mango is a specific type of fruit, just as spinach is a specific type of vegetable. Both demonstrate category membership within food classification systems based on botanical and culinary categories. Salad is what spinach goes into, nutrition is what spinach provides, and garden is where spinach grows, but vegetable is the food category.
  14. Anthology is to literature as compilation is to
    Answer: music An anthology is a specific type of literature collection, just as a compilation is a specific type of music collection. Both show category membership where particular formats belong to broader media categories. Editor creates anthologies, collection describes what both are, and recording is how music compilations are made, but music is the media category.
  15. Cheddar is to cheese as mahogany is to
    Answer: wood Cheddar is a specific variety of cheese, just as mahogany is a specific type of wood. Both demonstrate category membership where a particular item belongs to a broader category. Furniture is what mahogany might be made into, forest is where mahogany trees grow, and table is a specific piece of furniture, but wood is the material category.
  16. Hamburger is to food as convertible is to
    Answer: vehicle A hamburger is a specific type of food, just as a convertible is a specific type of vehicle. Both demonstrate category membership where particular items belong to broader functional categories. Driving is what you do with convertibles, roof is the convertible's distinguishing feature, and engine powers the convertible, but vehicle is the transportation category.
  17. Basketball is to team sport as chess is to
    Answer: board game Basketball is a specific type of team sport, just as chess is a specific type of board game. Both demonstrate category membership within recreational activity classifications. Strategy game describes chess's nature but is less specific, tournament play is how chess is organized competitively, and competition is the nature of chess, but board game is the precise category classification.
  18. Penguin is to bird as whale is to
    Answer: mammal A penguin is a specific type of bird, just as a whale is a specific type of mammal. This demonstrates biological category membership where particular species belong to broader taxonomic classifications. Ocean is where whales live, blubber is their insulation, and migration is their behavior, but mammal is the biological category.
  19. Sonnet is to poem as waltz is to
    Answer: dance A sonnet is a specific form of poem, just as a waltz is a specific type of dance. This shows the category membership relationship between a particular variety and its broader classification. Ballroom is where waltzes are performed, music accompanies the waltz, and partner is needed for dancing, but dance is the category.
  20. Limerick is to poetry as mystery is to
    Answer: fiction A limerick is a specific form of poetry, just as mystery is a specific genre of fiction. This analogy demonstrates category membership in literary classifications. Detective is a character type in mysteries, clue is an element within mysteries, and suspense is a technique used in mysteries, but fiction is the broader literary category.

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