SSAT Elementary Level Verbal › Changes in Intensity
Complete the analogy.
Wet is to soaked as _______________.
dry is to arid
yellow is to green
ocean is to beach
car is to carwash
desert is to barren
What is the relationship between the given words? "Wet" and "soaked" are synonyms of increasing intensity, so the answer must be two synonyms of increasing intensity. "Arid" is a more intense version of dry, so that must be the correct answer.
Complete this analogy.
Blue is to navy as red is to __________.
burgundy
pink
purple
scarlet
orange
"Navy" is a darker version of the color blue, therefore the answer must be a darker version of the color red. That immediately eliminates "purple" and "orange." "Pink" is a lighter shade of red, so it is eliminated. "Scarlet" is a bright red, but it is not dark. The best choice is "burgundy," which is a dark shade of red.
Complete the analogy.
Wet is to drenched as __________.
upset is to angry
dry is to desert
page is to book
tornado is to wind
step is to stair
"Drenched" is a more intense version of "wet," just as "angry" is a more intense version of "upset." A "page" is a part of a "book" and a "step" is a part of a "stair," so those can be eliminated since they don't fit the type of analogy. While a "desert" is very "dry," it is not a more intense version of the same word. If "tornado" and "wind" were reversed and read "wind is to tornado," this analogy would work. As it is written, however, it is the opposite of the first pair.
Complete the analogy.
Clean is to spotless as ______________.
dirty is to filthy
trashcan is to trash
mop is to floor
laundry is to washer
pen is to writing
To complete the analogy, you must determine the relationship between the first two words. "Clean" and "spotless" are synonyms of increasing intensity, so the answer must be two synonyms of increasing intensity. "Filthy" is a more intense version of dirty, so that must be the correct answer.
Analogies: Complete this analogy.
Cry is to sob as walk is to __________.
run
sit
pause
work
joke
To "sob" is to cry intensely, to cry for a long time. "Sob" is therefore a more intense version of the word "cry." To solve this analogy you need to consider which one of these words represents a more intense version of "walk," and the correct answer is obviously "run."
Complete this analogy.
Big is to gigantic as __________.
small is to minuscule
hardy is to weak
shiny is to dull
weekend is to Saturday
progressive is to regressive
Since "gigantic" means "of very great size or extent; huge or enormous," we can think of it as meaning "really big." So, we need to pick out an answer choice in which the first word is an adjective, and the second word is an adjective that is a more extreme version of the first one. While "hardy is to weak" may look like a potentially correct answer, "hardy" actually means "robust; capable of enduring difficult conditions," so "hardy" is actually an opposite of "weak," and we're looking for two words with similar meanings. Since "minuscule" means "extremely small; tiny," "small is to minuscule" is the correct answer, because just like "gigantic" is a more extreme version of "big," "minuscule" is a more extreme version of "small."
Complete this analogy.
Mild is to extreme as __________.
average is to large
median is to mean
rose is to red
temperature is to thermometer
horses are to pasture
This analogy compares degrees of magnitude, with the first term being "mild," meaning low in intensity or gentle. The second term is "extreme," which can mean intense. The only answer choice that follows this pattern is "average is to large."
Complete this analogy.
Flurries are to blizzard as __________.
drizzle is to downpour
sprinkling is to barren
pound is to ounce
insertion is to deletion
clouds are to sun
Both "flurries" and "blizzard" describe amounts of snow that falls, with "flurries" being another word for snowflakes, and thus a little snow, and "blizzard" being a large snowstorm, so a lot of snow. So, we need to look for an answer choice with the first word describing a small amount of something and the second word describing a larger amount of something. Thus, the best answer choice is "drizzle is to downpour," because a "drizzle" describes a small amount of rain, while a downpour describes an episode of very heavy rain.
Complete this analogy.
Dim is to dark as __________.
cool is to cold
black is to night
white is to light
wet is to water
calm is to serene
"Dark" is a more extreme degree of dim. "Cold" is a more extreme degree of cool.
Complete this analogy.
Pink is to red as __________.
warm is to hot
reptile is to mammal
origin is to birth
meal is to dessert
hard is to soft
This analogy compares two terms where one is the more extreme form of the other. Red is higher than pink on a "gradient of redness," although the color pink exhibits characteristics of "redness." Likewise, hot is higher than warm on a "gradient of temperature," although the concept of warmth entails characteristics of heat.