SSAT Middle Level Verbal › Action and Object Acted Upon
Complete this analogy.
Commute is to work as matriculate is to __________.
college
park
beach
market
gym
"Commute" is a verb that means to go to "work," to journey to or from "work." So, which of these places do you go to if you are "matriculating?" The correct answer is that "matriculate" means go to college, enroll at college.
Complete this analogy.
Barber is to hair as lumberjack is to __________________.
tree
harvest
axe
wetland
mill
A barber cuts hair, so the correct answer would demonstrate a similar relationship. Just as a barber cuts hair, a lumberjack cuts trees.
Complete this analogy.
Boulevard is to __________ as canal is to sailing.
driving
flying
playing
eating
laughing
A "canal" is a man-made body of water that connects two or more natural bodies of water. "Canals" are used for "sailing." So, to solve this analogy you need to determine what it is that a "boulevard" is used for. A "boulevard" is a wide avenue in a city that is lined with trees. "Boulevards" are therefore used for "driving."
Complete this analogy.
Swing is to bat as dribble is to __________.
basketball
baseball
plate
goal
kick
One uses a bat by swinging it, so we need to pick out an answer choice that conveys the object that one uses by dribbling it. While all of the answer choices might look like they could be potentially correct because each is a noun that relates to a sport, “dribble,” when used as a verb, can mean “to take a ball forward past opponents with slight touches,” usually when used to describe soccer, field hockey, and basketball. So, because “dribble” refers to how one might interact with a basketball, just as “swing” refers to how one might interact with a bat, “basketball” is the correct answer.
Complete this analogy:
Chainsaw is to tree as __________.
jackhammer is to cement
saw is to chair
factory is to car
school is to education
axe is to lumberjack
A chainsaw is a tool primarily used to cut down or disassemble a tree. Similarly, a jackhammer is a tool primarily used to break (or disassemble) cement.
None of the other analogies have this relationship:
Lumberjacks use axes, an axe is not a tool used to disassemble a lumberjack. A lumberjack is the profession of cutting down trees for lumber.
School is the location where education takes place. The relationship between school and education is different than chainsaw to tree.
Factories produce cars. While cars may be disassembled at factories, factories are not specifically tools to disassemble cars.
A saw can disassemble a chair, however a saw's primary purpose is not disassembling chairs.
Complete this analogy.
Inscribe is to book as __________ is to mural.
paint
replicate
demolish
mend
perform
To begin with "inscribe" means write, so one "inscribes" a "book." What does one do to a "mural?" Well, a "mural" is a large painting usually on a wall or the side of a building. So, the correct answer is "paint." Additionally, "mend" means fix; "demolish" means destroy, tear down; "replicate" means copy, reproduce.
Analogies: Complete this analogy.
Ship is to sail as plane is to ___________.
Fly
Flew
Pilot
Sink
Founder
One sails a ship, so to solve this analogy, you have to determine what action one can do to a plane to control the direction in which it goes. The correct answer is “fly.” Be wary of words in the incorrect tense, like "flew." For clarification, "founder" means sink and often refers to ships.
Complete this analogy.
Coronation is to __________ as inauguration is to president.
king
pope
friend
despot
captain
An "inauguration" is an event where the "president" is sworn into office. So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these assumes power during a "coronation." Well, a "coronation" is when a "king" or queen is crowned. Additionally, a "despot" is an autocrat, a tyrant, a person who rules a country with absolute power.
Complete this analogy.
Annex is to land as __________ is to idea.
plagiarize
surmount
maim
desist
resume
To take land from another country is to "annex" it. So, to solve this analogy you need to determine what it is called when you take an "idea" from someone else. The correct answer is "plagiarize." To "plagiarize" is to steal someone else's idea or work and claim it as your own. Additionally, "surmount" means overcome, defeat; "maim" means cripple, injure, wound, cause to be wounded; "desist" means stop; "resume" means continue.
Analogies: Complete this analogy.
Money is to spend as food is to __________.
Consume
Mock
Absorb
Elicit
Purify
"Money" is an object and "spend" is an action involving the use of that object. Therefore, to solve this analogy, you have to determine which of the answer choices is an action related to the use of the object "food." The correct answer is “consume.” Consume means to eat or to take in. For clarification, "mock" means ridicule or make fun of, _"_purify" means make pure or clean, and "elicit" means to extract or to obtain.