Cause and Effect

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SSAT Middle Level Verbal › Cause and Effect

Questions 1 - 10
1

Complete this analogy.

Failure is to displeasing as affection is to __________.

comforting

confusing

annoying

creative

lifeless

Explanation

It is a quality of "failure" that it is "displeasing" (upsetting, not pleasing). So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these is a quality of "affection" (love, fondness, caring and liking). The correct answer is that it would usually be "comforting."

2

Complete this analogy.

Iterate is to redundant as interrupt is to __________.

rude

shy

playful

angry

crafty

Explanation

“Iterate” is a verb that means “perform or utter repeatedly,” and “redundant” an adjective that means either “not or no longer needed or useful,” or when referring to words or data, “able to be left out without loss of meaning.” So, if one iterates too much, one might be perceived as being redundant. So, we need to pick out an answer choice that describes how one might be perceived if one interrupts too much. “Interrupt” is a verb that means “stop the continuous progress” or “to stop someone speaking by saying or doing something.” So, one might logically be perceived as being “rude” (“offensively impolite or ill-mannered”) if one interrupts the conversations of others too much. So, because if one interrupts too much one might be perceived as rude, just as if iterates too much one might be perceived as redundant, “rude” is the correct answer.

3

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Accelerate is to faster as decelerate is to __________.

slower

fast

brake

car

crash

Explanation

When you "accelerate," you go faster, and and when you "decelerate," you go slower. This question simply requires you to ignore the distracting references to words associated with acceleration and focus on the relationship between the four words.

4

Complete this analogy.

Amity is to friends as rivalry is to __________.

competitors

coworkers

bitter

teammates

sports

Explanation

"Amity" is a word that means a feeling of friendship, so just as friends feel amity, we need to pick out a word that represents the people who might feel rivalry toward one another. While "competitors" and "teammates" are all words representing people, "competitors" is the best answer, because "competitor" is synonymous with rival, so competitors feel rivalry toward one another.

5

Hush is to quiet as __________.

cheer up is to happy

sad is to depressed

anchor is to boat

slither is to snake

confused is to understand

Explanation

“Hush” is a verb that means “make (someone) be quiet or stop talking,” so if you hush someone, you want them to be quiet. So, we need to pick out an answer choice in which the first word is a verb that describes an action one would take if one wanted someone else to have the quality that the second word, an adjective, describes. While “sad is to depressed” and “cheer up is to happy” might each look like a potentially correct answer, “sad” is not a verb, and we need the first word to be a verb in the answer choice that we select. So, “sad is to depressed” cannot be the correct answer; however, when one cheers up someone, one expects that person to feel happy, just as when one hushes someone, one wants them to be quiet, so “cheer up is to happy” is the correct answer.

6

Complete this analogy.

Grin is to happiness as grimace is to __________.

disgust

alarm

delight

surprise

confusion

Explanation

A grimace is most similar to a frown, but indicates a high level of distaste or disgust. As one smiles or grins when he/she feels happiness, one might grimace when he/she feels disgust. Delight is another emotion that would be signaled facially with a grin. All the other emotions could be signaled with facial expressions, but they would not be a grimace.

7

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Winter is to frostbite as summer is to __________.

Heatstroke

Saturated

Emaciated

Whiplash

Fortitude

Explanation

"Frostbite" is something negative that can afflict an individual in the height of "winter," so to solve this analogy, you have to determine which of the answer choices can afflict someone during "summer." The correct answer is “heatstroke.” For clarification, "saturated" means soaked, "emaciated" means very skinny and unhealthy, "whiplash" is a type of injury to the neck generally sustained in a car crash or some other collision, and "fortitude" means strength.

8

Complete this analogy.

Sick is to doctor as lonely is to __________.

friend

ecstatic

lonesome

healthy

defame

Explanation

When you are suffering with sickness you go to a doctor, so to solve this analogy you have to determine to whom you go when you are suffering from loneliness. The correct answer is “friend.” For clarification, "lonesome" means lonely; "defame" means speak negatively about, slander; "ecstatic" means very happy.

9

Complete this analogy.

Delighted is to revel as sullen is to __________________.

brood

gesticulate

boast

obey

cajole

Explanation

When one is delighted, he/she often revels, or acts in a merry way. The correct answer will demonstrate a similar relationship between mood and action. When one is "sullen," meaning sad and gloomy, he/she might often "broods," or agonizes.

10

Complete this analogy.

Evaporation is to sunlight as __________.

ring is to phonecall

desk is to wood

eye is to nose

car is to drive

carp is to fish

Explanation

The relationship in "evaporation is to sunlight" is effect to cause. Evaporation is caused by sunlight warming water. The best choice is "ring is to phonecall" as a phonecall will cause a telephone to ring. None of the other choices share this relationship of effect and cause and are inappropriate. One that might seem similar is "car is to drive", but this is not a cause and effect. "Driving" is what you do with a car. In other words, "driving" is the car's use.

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