Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Appearance, Materiality, and Sensory Imagery

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SSAT Upper Level Verbal › Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Appearance, Materiality, and Sensory Imagery

Questions 1 - 10
1

Select the word or phrase whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.

BLOATED.

Swollen

Skinny

Forlorn

Diminished

Effervescent

Explanation

If something is “bloated” it is fat and swollen. For clarification, "effervescent" means bubbly and energetic; "forlorn" means to feel sad and pitiful; "diminished" means made smaller.

2

Synonyms: Select the one word or phrase whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.

PULCHRITUDE

Beauty

Exit

Conception

Nightmare

Removal

Explanation

"Pulchritude" means beauty, so "beauty" is the correct answer. None of the other answers are close in meaning to "pulchritude": "exit" means departure; "conception" means start; "nightmare" means bad dream; and "removal" means elimination.

3

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

DISTENDED

Swollen

Leery

Enthralled

Emaciated

Abstruse

Explanation

The adjective "distended" means enlarged due to pressure, swollen, bloated. Additionally, "leery" means wary, cautious and careful; "enthralled" means captivated by, deeply interested in and attracted to; "abstruse" means esoteric, arcane, hard to understand; "emaciated" means extremely skinny, very thin and skeletal.

4

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

WIZENED

Shriveled

Rotund

Outlandish

Puerile

Geriatric

Explanation

"Wizened" means "shriveled," age-worn, and wrinkled, and is often used to describe elderly people or things. It is not, however, a direct synonym for "geriatric" (elderly). "Puerile' means juvenile, immature. "Outlandish" means bizarre or strange. "Rotund" is a synonym for "plump."

5

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

CREPUSCULAR

Twilight

Rotund

Burnished

Ordinary

Dulcet

Explanation

"Crepuscular" describes the "twilight" or dusk. "Dulcet" means sweet-sounding or mellifluous. "Ordinary" means average or normal. "Burnished" means polished or shined by careful rubbing, and "rotund" is a synonym for "plump."

6

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

ARID

Dry

Commendable

Malleable

Shocking

Weak

Explanation

Arid means extremely dry.

7

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

POLISHED

Glossy

Tarnished

Scratched

Dull

Bruised

Explanation

"Polished" is a synonym for "glossy" and refers to the shining appearance of an item. The other answer choices are antonyms of the word "polished."

8

Select the word or phrase whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.

ALGID.

Feverish and cold

Hot and bothered

Amiable and outgoing

Reserved and timid

Happy and serene

Explanation

The term, “algid,” is used to describe an episode experienced during a fever where the individual feels cold and clammy. The best answer is “feverish and cold.” For clarification, "amiable" means friendly; "timid" means shy; "serene" means peaceful.

9

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

TOUCHABLE

Tangible

Tangled

Triangular

Tantalizing

Edible

Explanation

"Touchable" and "tangible" are synonyms referring to items that have a physical presence. The other words do not have meanings that are related to "touchable."

10

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

OROTUND

Sonorous

Feisty

Querulous

Sordid

Pulchritudinous

Explanation

"Orotund" is a synonym for "sonorous," pleasant-sounding. "Pulchritudinous" describes visual beauty. "Sordid" means filthy, and "querulous" means irritable, cranky. "Feisty" is another word for spunky, spirited.

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