Changes in Intensity

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SSAT Upper Level Verbal › Changes in Intensity

Questions 1 - 10
1

Complete this analogy.

Breeze is to gale as trickle is to __________.

torrent

gust

drizzle

wind

weather

Explanation

A "breeze" is a light wind and a "gale" is a very strong and powerful wind. So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these is a more intense version of a "trickle." Well, a "trickle" is a slow-moving stream of water. So, the correct answer is "torrent," which means a very powerful and fast-moving stream of water. Additionally, "gust" refers to a sudden and powerful flow of wind; "drizzle" means (of rain) to fall slowly and weakly.

2

Complete this analogy.

Hound is to pursue as _______________.

badger is to harass

efface is to approach

bug is to defeat

faze is to mollify

rat is to edge

Explanation

To "hound" means to pursue relentlessly. ("The criminal was hounded across the country by law enforcement and finally captured.")

Is to "badger" to harass relentlessly? Yes, by definition, that’s exactly what it means. ("James badgered me every day for a week until I paid him the five dollars I owed him.") So, "badger is to harass" is the correct answer.

Does "efface" mean to approach relentlessly? No. To "efface" means to erase or to make seem insignificant. It has nothing to do with approaching someone or something.

Does “to bug” mean to defeat relentlessly? Nope. To "bug" is to annoy.

Is “to faze” to mollify relentlessly? No. To "faze" means “to disturb or unsettle” someone, whereas"mollify" means to reduce the anger of someone. They are basically antonyms, so they have a connection, but it isn’t the connection that the stem words have.

Lastly, "rat" does not mean to edge relentlessly.

3

Complete this analogy.

Small is to infinitesimal as large is to __________.

gargantuan

humiliating

abstruse

obtuse

illicit

Explanation

"Infinitesimal" means very small, tiny. So, to solve this analogy you are looking for the answer choice that means very large, giant. The correct answer is therefore "gargantuan." Additionally, "illicit" means illegal, against the rules; "humiliating" means embarrassing, causing shame; "abstruse" means hard to understand; "obtuse" means stupid.

4

Complete this analogy.

Dislike is to abhor as __________.

respect is to revere

storm is to drizzle

snow is to blizzard

like is to loathe

shout is to yell

Explanation

The relationship of "dislike" to "abhor" is a relationship of intensification. To "abhor" someone is to dislike them to a very high degree—to hate them. The only relationships of intensification amongst the answer choices are "respect is to revere," "storm is to drizzle," and "snow is to blizzard." We can rule "storm is to drizzle" out, because the words are in the wrong order. That leaves us with two choices. "Respect is to revere" is the best choice because it is a relationship of intensification of a feeling that one can have for another person.

5

Complete this analogy.

Pungent is to smell as __________ is to sound.

deafening

harmonious

melodic

chorus

aspirant

Explanation

The word "pungent" means strong smelling. "Pungent" is a particularly intense word that relates to smell. So, to solve this analogy you are looking for an answer that is a particularly intense word that relates to sound. The correct answer is "deafening" which means very loud. Additionally, "harmonious" and "melodious" both mean pleasant sounding; an "aspirant" is someone with goals, someone who aspires to something in particular.

6

Complete the analogy.

Illustrious is to impressive as ___________ is to offensive.

abhorrent

malicious

luminous

graceful

dissecting

Explanation

This analogy uses adjectives that decrease in intensity. "Illustrious" contains the root "lustr" meaning shine. It is being compared to "impressive." While something "impressive" is "nice," we attribute more value to things that "shine." Take for example, gold or jewels. Following this relationship, we want a word that has the same basic meaning as "offensive" but with more intensity or strength.

Of the choices, only "abhorrent" is correct. All the words in the analogy are adjectives, meaning the answer must also be one. Additionally, "abhorrent" contains the prefix "ab" (away) and the root "horrere" (horror, tremble at). Put together, these mean something that is so horrible, we turn away in hate and disgust.

Malicious (adj), root word "mal" (bad, evil). While something "evil" could be "offensive," it is not directly related in meaning to "offensive."

Luminous (adj), root word "lum" (light). This word is related to "illustrious," not "offensive."

Graceful (adj), means full of grace, smooth of disposition and well-mannered. Again, this is the opposite of "offensive."

Dissecting (verb), refers to the act of cutting (a body) into two for study. While some might find the act offensive, it is subject to personal opinion, and is not an adjective.

7

Complete this analogy.

Proud is to supercilious as __________.

happy is to ecstatic

exhausted is to tired

sad is to furious

brush is to hair

core is to apple

Explanation

Someone who is supercilious ("behaving or looking as though one thinks one is superior to others") is extremely proud, so we need to pick out a pair of words in which the second word is an adjective meaning an extreme amount of the first adjective. While "happy is to ecstatic," "exhausted is to tired," and "sad is to furious" all look like potentially correct answers, only "happy is to ecstatic" and "sad is to furious" have their words in the correct order, and "sad is to furious" does not match up - someone who is furious is very angry, not very sad. So, the correct answer is "happy is to ecstatic."

8

Complete this analogy.

__________ is to trickle as hurtle is to meander.

Cascade

Loft

Galvanize

Bolster

Orate

Explanation

To begin with to "meander" is to move slowly, in an indirect fashion. And, to "hurtle" is to move very quickly, in a chaotic fashion. Both words relate to movement, but "hurtle" is a much more intense form of "meander." So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these is a much more intense form of "trickle." To "trickle" means (of a liquid) to fall in very small quantities. So, the correct answer is "cascade" which means to fall rapidly. Additionally, "orate" means speak in public; "galvanize" means motivate, inspire to action; "bolster" means support, reinforce; "loft" means throw up high.

9

Complete this analogy.

Saccharine is to sweet as nosy is to __________.

interested

willful

neighbor

prying

attention

Explanation

Since "saccharine" means overly sweet or sappy, we're looking for an adjective for which "nosy" describes the overabundance of that quality. Of the adjectives listed, "interested," "willful," and "prying," "willful" is not clearly related to "nosy," so we can ignore it as a possible choice. In choosing between "interested" and "prying," "interested" is the better choice, as "prying" has negative connotations and is closer to being a synonym of "nosy" than is "interested," which retains the positive connotations like "sweet" does when compared to "saccharine."

10

Complete this analogy.

Gale is to wind as _____________.

downpour is to rain

roof is to house

pane is to window

sleet is to winter

humidity is to atmosphere

Explanation

A "gale" is a very strong wind. A "downpour" is a very heavy rainfall. This question asks you to identify a change, in this case an increase, in intensity.

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