Analogies

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SSAT Upper Level Verbal › Analogies

Questions 1 - 10
1

Complete this analogy.

Epilogue is to book as                               .

coda is to song

chapter is to division

ritual is to dance

typewriter is to novel

soap is to dishwasher

Explanation

An "epilogue" is a part of a book that appears at the end. The correct answer will demonstrate a relationship of part and whole. A "coda" is a musical segment that appears at the end of a song.

2

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

GLIB

Flippant

Silly

Unsure

Weak

Fortified

Explanation

"Glib"means speaking a lot but in an insincere and flippant way, so "flippant," meaning facetious and rude, is the correct answer.

3

Complete this analogy.

Fickle is to capricious as flabbergasted is to                     .

Astounded

Defaced

Prosaic

Inherent

Understood

Explanation

Fickle and capricious are synonyms that both mean unpredictable, changeable, and impulsive. So to solve this analogy you have to determine which of these answer choices is the best synonym for flabbergasted. Flabbergasted means shocked or astounded. For clarification, defaced means ruined, tarnished; inherent means innate, inbuilt; prosaic means mundane.

4

Complete this analogy.

Fickle is to capricious as flabbergasted is to                     .

Astounded

Defaced

Prosaic

Inherent

Understood

Explanation

Fickle and capricious are synonyms that both mean unpredictable, changeable, and impulsive. So to solve this analogy you have to determine which of these answer choices is the best synonym for flabbergasted. Flabbergasted means shocked or astounded. For clarification, defaced means ruined, tarnished; inherent means innate, inbuilt; prosaic means mundane.

5

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

FRIVOLOUS

Carefree

Advantageous

Lonely

Stingy

Philanthropic

Explanation

"Frivolous" means carefree or flighty. "Advantageous" and "beneficial" are synonyms, as are "charitable" and "philanthropic." "Stingy" means cheap or miserly. "Lonely" means alone, solitary.

6

Complete this analogy.

Prevaricator is to evasive as                              is to seraphic.

angel

mountain

demon

convict

sailor

Explanation

A "prevaricator" is someone who frequently lies and tries to talk their way around the truth. A quality of a "prevaricator" is to be "evasive" (seek to conceal the truth through avoiding talking about). So, to solve this analogy you have to determine which of these could be described as "seraphic." Well, "seraphic" means beatific, angelic, blissful. So, the correct answer is "angel."

7

Complete this analogy.

Coven is to                              as guild is to tradesmen.

witches

teachers

animals

scientists

hikers

Explanation

A group of "tradesmen" is called a "guild." So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these, when taken as a group, is called a "coven." The correct answer is that a "coven" is a group of "witches."

8

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

TANTAMOUNT

Equivalent

Indifferent

Divergent

Vile

Distinguished

Explanation

"Tantamount" is an adjective that means "equal in seriousness to; virtually the same as," so we need to pick out another word that means "equal." While "indifferent" may look like a good answer choice because it looks like "in-" ("not") and "different," "indifferent" actually doesn't mean "not different," but instead means "having no particular interest or sympathy; unconcerned," or "neither good nor bad; mediocre," so it's not the word we're looking for. "Equivalent," however, means "equal in value, amount, function, or meaning," and because it is the answer choice closest in meaning to "tantamount," it is the correct answer.

9

Complete this analogy.

Hertz is to frequency as watt is to                                 .

power

force

distance

time

depth

Explanation

"Hertz" is a unit of measurement, used to measure the "frequency" of waves. So, to solve this analogy you need to determine what a "watt" is used to measure. The correct answer is that a "watt" is a unit of measurement, used to measure "power," particularly the "power" in an electrical circuit.

10

Complete this analogy.

Pragmatic is to idealistic as                     .

dolorous is to ecstatic

serene is to calm

likely is to probable

lacking is to insufficient

symptom is to disease

Explanation

“Pragmatic” is an adjective that means sensible and prudent while “idealistic” is an adjective that means unrealistic in one's goals. So, “pragmatic” and “idealistic” are antonyms, and we need to pick out an answer choice that also consists of a pair of antonyms. While “dolorous is to ecstatic” and “serene is to calm” might both look like a potentially correct answer, “serene” is an adjective that means peaceful, making it a synonym, not an antonym, of “calm.” So, “serene is to calm” cannot be the correct answer. “Dolorous,” however, is an adjective that means sorrowful, while “ecstatic” is an adjective that can mean extremely happy. Because “dolorous” is an antonym of “ecstatic” just as “pragmatic” is an antonym of “idealistic,” “dolorous is to ecstatic” is the correct answer.

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