SSAT Middle Level Verbal : Analogies

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SSAT Middle Level Verbal

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Example Questions

Example Question #191 : Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Evaporation is to sunlight as __________.

Possible Answers:

eye is to nose

desk is to wood

ring is to phonecall

carp is to fish

car is to drive

Correct answer:

ring is to phonecall

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.

Example Question #6 : Cause And Effect

Complete this analogy.

Pacify is to calm as provoke is to __________.

Possible Answers:

angry

asleep

overjoyed

wistful

distracted

Correct answer:

angry

Explanation:

Since "pacify" is a verb that means "to cause someone who is angry or upset to become calm or quiet," if you pacify someone, they become calm. So, we need to pick out a word that describes the emotional state of a person after they are provoked. While all of the answer choices represent emotional states, since "provoke" means "to cause a person or animal to become angry or violent," "angry" is the correct answer. 

Example Question #192 : Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Iterate is to redundant as interrupt is to __________.

Possible Answers:

playful

shy

angry

rude

crafty

Correct answer:

rude

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.

Example Question #192 : Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Sick is to doctor as lonely is to __________

Possible Answers:

defame 

friend 

lonesome 

healthy 

ecstatic

Correct answer:

friend 

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.

Example Question #8 : Cause And Effect

Complete this analogy.

Sneeze is to ill as snore is to __________.

Possible Answers:

nighttime

sleeping

pillow

tired

nose

Correct answer:

sleeping

Explanation:

Someone who is ill might sneeze, so we need to pick out another word that represents the state of someone who might snore. While "tired" and "sleeping" might both look like good options, one only snores if they are sleeping, not if they are tired, so "sleeping" is the correct answer.

Example Question #9 : Cause And Effect

Complete this analogy.

Amity is to friends as rivalry is to __________.

Possible Answers:

teammates

coworkers

sports

competitors

bitter

Correct answer:

competitors

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.

Example Question #11 : Cause And Effect

Complete this analogy.

Rain is to flood as heat is to __________.

Possible Answers:

fire

fireplace

hot

inundation

dry

Correct answer:

fire

Explanation:

Because floods can be caused by too much rain, we're looking for a word that describes something that can be caused by too much heat. While "inundation" may look like a good answer, "inundation" is a noun meaning "flood," so it can't be the correct answer. "Fire" and "dry" may both look like good answers, but "dry" can't be the correct answer because it is an adjective and there were no adjectives in our model pair of words. Since too much heat can cause a fire, just like too much rain can cause a flood, "fire" is the correct answer.

Example Question #12 : Cause And Effect

Complete this analogy.

Grin is to happiness as grimace is to __________.

Possible Answers:

surprise 

alarm 

confusion 

delight 

disgust 

Correct answer:

disgust 

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.

Example Question #13 : Cause And Effect

Complete this analogy.

Molten is to liquid as evaporated is to __________.

Possible Answers:

gas

matter

atom

fluid

solid

Correct answer:

gas

Explanation:

"Molten" means turned into "liquid" using heat. So, to solve this analogy you need to determine what it is that "evaporation" does. The correct answer is that to be "evaporated" is to be turned into "gas" using heat. Additionally, "fluid" is another word for "liquid"; an "atom" is a basic unit of matter, what everything is made of.

Example Question #14 : Cause And Effect

Complete this analogy.

Failure is to displeasing as affection is to __________.

Possible Answers:

creative

comforting

confusing

lifeless

annoying

Correct answer:

comforting

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."

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