Synonyms, Antonyms, and Changes in Intensity

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SSAT Middle Level Verbal › Synonyms, Antonyms, and Changes in Intensity

Questions 1 - 10
1

Complete this analogy.

Impartial is to                      as assertive is to meek.

biased

hospitable

voluminous

ambivalent

noisome

Explanation

"Assertive" means confident, demonstrating confidence in one's own opinions. "Meek" means lacking confidence, shy. These two words are antonyms, so to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these answers has the opposite meaning to "impartial." "Impartial" means objective, not biased, fair. The correct answer is therefore "biased," which means predisposed to preferring one thing over another, subjective. Additionally, "hospitable" means welcoming, able to be lived in; "voluminous" means large; "ambivalent" means not feeling strongly one way or another; "noisome" means possessing an unpleasant smell, smelling very badly.

2

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

KINETIC

Related to movement

Quandary

Related to family

Replicate

Related to food

Explanation

"Kinetic" means related to movement. For clarification, a "quandary" is a difficult situation, and "replicate" means to copy or to reproduce.

3

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

RAVENOUS

Starving

Efficient

Harmful

Deleterious

Harmless

Explanation

To be "ravenous" means to be very hungry, so the correct answer is “starving,” which also means very hungry. For clarification, "deleterious" means harmful, and "efficient" means well-organized.

4

Complete this analogy.

Impartial is to                      as assertive is to meek.

biased

hospitable

voluminous

ambivalent

noisome

Explanation

"Assertive" means confident, demonstrating confidence in one's own opinions. "Meek" means lacking confidence, shy. These two words are antonyms, so to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these answers has the opposite meaning to "impartial." "Impartial" means objective, not biased, fair. The correct answer is therefore "biased," which means predisposed to preferring one thing over another, subjective. Additionally, "hospitable" means welcoming, able to be lived in; "voluminous" means large; "ambivalent" means not feeling strongly one way or another; "noisome" means possessing an unpleasant smell, smelling very badly.

5

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

GRIEVOUSLY

Seriously

Ruddily

Outrageously

Startlingly

Uncommonly

Explanation

"Grievously" means seriously, as in, "he was grievously wounded by the wild boar." "Ruddy" means red, "outrageous" means shockingly bad, and "startling" means surprising. "Uncommonly" and "unusually" are synonyms, but "uncommonly" can also mean remarkably.

6

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

ELABORATELY

Complexly

Daringly

Quantitatively

Numerically

Algebraically

Explanation

Something "elaborate" is complex or complicated. "Daringly" means boldly. "Algebraically," "numerically," and "quantitatively" are all math terms.

7

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."

8

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

DASHINGLY

Stylishly

Unattractively

Patronizingly

Condescendingly

Clumsily

Explanation

"Dashing" means lively, spirited, stylish, or attractive. It is a near antonym of "unattractive." "Clumsy" means awkward or uncoordinated. To "patronize" someone is to treat him or her condescendingly or look down on him or her.

9

Complete this analogy.

Surge is to plummet as                     .

catch is to release

wood is to flammable

dye is to cloth

nail is to trim

test is to cheat

Explanation

"Surge" is a verb that can mean a large and sudden increase while "plummet" is verb that can mean a large and sudden decrease. So, "surge" and "plummet" are antonyms, and we need to pick out an answer choice that consists of a pair of words that are antonyms. Because "catch" and "release" are the only pair of antonyms listed as a possible answer choice, "catch is to release" is the correct answer, because just as "surge" is the opposite of "plummet," "catch" is the opposite of "release."

10

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

TWISTY

Tortuous

Very painful

Yellowed

Infuriating

Edible

Explanation

"Tortuous" and "twisty" both mean winding, full of twists and turns. "Edible" means able to be eaten, "infuriating" means maddening, and "yellowed" means turned yellow (usually because of age). "Painful" is a near synonym for torturous, the word used to describe torture, but that is a different word from tortuous.

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