Changes in Intensity

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SSAT Middle Level Verbal › Changes in Intensity

Questions 1 - 10
1

Complete this analogy.

Hamlet is to __________ as pebble is to stone.

town

animal

river

island

mansion

Explanation

A "pebble" is a small rock or stone. So, to solve this analogy you need to figure out which of these a "hamlet" is a small version of. The correct answer is that a "hamlet" is a village, or a small "town."

2

Complete this analogy.

Dinghy is to boat as __________ is to lake.

pond

water

drink

ocean

river

Explanation

A "dinghy" is a small "boat." So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these is a word that describes a small "lake." The correct answer is "pond."

3

Complete this analogy.

Grove is to forest as principality is to __________.

kingdom

prince

woods

palace

foreign

Explanation

A "grove" is the name given to a small "forest," a small wooded area. So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these words could describe a larger "principality." Well, a "principality" is a small, independent nation ruled by a prince. So, the correct answer is "kingdom."

4

Complete this analogy.

Big is to bigger as bad is to __________.

worse

badder

better

worser

None of these are correct

Explanation

The word “bigger” is used to compare something that is “more big” than another something. We cannot say “more big” because it is incorrect use of language, so we say “bigger.” Likewise, we cannot say “more bad” as that too is incorrect use of English. To solve this analogy you have to determine which word is used to describe something that is “more bad.” The correct answer is “worse.” “Badder” is not a word.

5

Complete this analogy.

Enraged is to angry as __________.

ecstatic is to happy

sad is to miserable

vain is to sleepy

waist is to belt

pierce is to spear

Explanation

“Enraged” is an adjective that means “very angry; furious,” so we need to pick out an answer choice that consists of two adjectives describing emotion, with the first one being a more extreme version of the second one. While “sad is to depressed,” “vain is to sleepy,” and “ecstatic is to happy” all consist of two words describing moods or emotions, “sad” is not a more extreme version of “miserable” (“of a person: wretchedly unhappy or uncomfortable”), so “sad is to miserable” has its words in the incorrect order compared to the example and thus cannot be the correct answer. “Vain” is an adjective that means “having or showing an excessively high opinion of one’s appearance, abilities, or worth,” not “very sleepy,” so “vain is to sleepy” cannot be the correct answer either. “Ecstatic,” however, is an adjective that means “feeling or expressing overwhelming happiness or joyful excitement.” Because “ecstatic” means “very happy” just as “enraged” means “very angry,” “ecstatic is to happy” is the correct answer.

6

Complete this analogy.

Knoll is to hill as __________ is to river.

stream

water

cold

ocean

estuary

Explanation

A "knoll" is a small hill. So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these answers means something like small river. The correct answer is therefore "stream." Additionally, an "estuary" is the mouth of a river, the place where a river runs into the ocean.

7

Complete this analogy.

Eating is to feasting as __________.

walking is to running

sprinting is to running

sky is to air

nice is to kind

hopscotch is to game

Explanation

The relationship in "eating is to feasting" is that while "eating" and "feasting" both mean consuming food, the word "feasting" has a more intense meaning that that of "eating." "Eat" means to take in for nourishment while "feast" means to eat a lot, often at great expense. There is an increase in degree between the words "eat" and "feast." The pair that shares this relationship is "walking is to running," so it is therefore the best choice. "Sprinting is to running" has the appropriate relationship but is in the reverse order and shows a decrease in degree, because "sprinting" is a less intense action than is "running".Because of this, it is not the appropriate choice. Considering the other choices, the "sky" is made up of "air", "nice" and "kind" are synonyms, and "hopscotch" is a type of "game."

8

Hungry is to ravenous as __________.

angry is to furious

flu is to fever

thirsty is to guzzle

happy is to satisfied

None of these answers accurately reflect the relationship.

Explanation

“Ravenous” is an adjective that means extremely hungry. Since “hungry” and “ravenous” are synonyms, and “ravenous” has a greater intensity than “hungry,” we’re looking for a pair of words that are synonyms, in which the second word has a higher intensity than the first.

Since “fever” is a symptom of the “flu,” the words have a cause-and-effect relationship. The words aren’t synonyms. We can rule out this choice.

“Guzzle” is a verb that means to eat or drink something greedily. Although “guzzle” has a higher intensity than “thirsty,” the words aren’t synonyms. We can rule out this choice.

“Satisfied” is an adjective that means pleased or content. Though “happy” and “satisfied” have similar meanings, they intensity is about equal, so we can rule out this choice.

“Furious” is an adjective that means extremely angry. It is a synonymous with angry” with a higher intensity.

Of the answer choices, “ANGRY is to FURIOUS” is the best choice.

9

Complete this analogy.

Trounce is to __________ as eradicate is to destroy.

defeat

argue

rectify

cause

mend

Explanation

"Eradicate" means to completely destroy, to 'wipe something out.' It is a more intense version of the word "destroy." So, to solve this analogy you need to determine what "trounce" is a more intense version of. The correct answer is that "trounce" means to rout or to heavily "defeat." Additionally, "rectify" means to repair a situation, to fix a problem; "mend" means to repair a breakage, to fix something that is broken.

10

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Breeze is to hurricane as pretty is to __________.

gorgeous

ugly

happy

average

person

Explanation

The relationship in "breeze is to hurricane" is an increase in degree. A hurricane is made up of much stronger winds than a breeze. The best choice is "gorgeous," as the word means very pretty, showing that same increase in degree. "Ugly" is an antonym of "pretty" and a "person" is someone who might be pretty. The other two choices, "average" and "happy," are completely unrelated to "pretty."

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