SSAT Upper Level Verbal : Qualities, Features, Abilities, and Other Analogies

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

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store

Example Questions

Example Question #722 : Analogies

A yield traffic sign is to three as __________.

Possible Answers:

yellow is to red

green is to go

caution is to five

traffic is to jam

stop is to eight

Correct answer:

stop is to eight

Explanation:

A yield traffic sign has three sides: it's a triangle. A stop traffic sign has eight sides: it's an octagon.

Example Question #723 : Analogies

Design is to clothes as __________.

Possible Answers:

create is to graphics

fashion is to dress

type is to font

style is to hair

runway is to hangar

Correct answer:

style is to hair

Explanation:

Designing is the what you call creating fashionable or attractive clothing, while styling is what you call creating fashionable or attractive haircuts.

Example Question #641 : Analogies: Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship

Mispronunciation is to pronunciation as misnomer is to __________.

Possible Answers:

arrangement

meal

name

volume

spelling

Correct answer:

name

Explanation:

A mispronunciation is an incorrect pronunciation, so we need to pick out an answer choice that describes what is incorrect in the case of a misnomer. While “name” and “spelling” might each look like a potentially correct answer, “misnomer” is a noun that means either “a wrong name” or “an inaccurate use of a name or term,” so “name” is the correct answer.

Example Question #642 : Analogies: Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship

Complete this analogy.

Bourgeois is to middle class as proletarian is to __________.  

Possible Answers:

Royalty 

Working class 

Upper class 

Nobility 

Media 

Correct answer:

Working class 

Explanation:

"Bourgeois" means of or relating to the middle class or capitalist values so to solve this analogy you have to determine which group of people is described by the word “proletarian.” Proletarian means of or relating to the working class.

Example Question #643 : Analogies: Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship

Complete this analogy.

Malaise is to discomfort as lethargy is to __________.

Possible Answers:

Clandestine

Happiness

Exhaustion 

Mirth 

Transient 

Correct answer:

Exhaustion 

Explanation:

Malaise is a feeling of discomfort, so to solve this analogy you have to determine what lethargy is a feeling of. Lethargy is a feeling of exhaustion. For clarification, transient means fleeting or passing; clandestine means secret; mirth is a synonym for happiness.

Example Question #731 : Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Existential is to existence as terrestrial is to __________.

Possible Answers:

Sun 

Land 

Clouds 

Water 

People

Correct answer:

Land 

Explanation:

Existential means relating to existence, so to solve this analogy you have to determine to what terrestrial is related. That should lead you to the correct answer: of or relating to the land.

Example Question #732 : Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Tawdry is to taste as penurious is to __________.

Possible Answers:

Athleticism

Money 

Friends 

Intelligence 

Happiness

Correct answer:

Money 

Explanation:

Tawdry means lacking taste, so to solve this analogy you have to determine what someone who is penurious is lacking. The correct answer is “money.” Penurious means very poor, possessing little property.

Example Question #91 : Qualities, Features, Abilities, And Other Analogies

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Elephant is to monkey as __________.

Possible Answers:

frog is to amphibian

trout is to whale

salmon is to trout

cat is to tabby

giraffe is to grasshopper

Correct answer:

salmon is to trout

Explanation:

The best choice is "salmon is to trout." The relationship between "elephant" and "monkey" is that they are both mammals. Likewise, a salmon and a trout are both fish. Considering the other choices, "trout is to whale" is incorrect because trouts are fish while whales are mammals. "Giraffe is to grasshopper" is incorrect because, again, a giraffe is a mammal while a grasshopper is an insect. The remaining to choices, "frog is to amphibian" and "cat is to tabby" are incorrect because they are both examples of a respective category (frogs are amphibians and a tabby is a kind of cat).

Example Question #92 : Qualities, Features, Abilities, And Other Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Verify is to true as __________.

Possible Answers:

skeleton is to musculature

aspire is to subpar

encourage is to hearten

suspect is to false

forget is to information

Correct answer:

suspect is to false

Explanation:

“Verify” is a verb that means make sure that something is true, so one would logically verify something that is true. That means that we need to pick out an answer choice in which the first word is a verb and the second word an adjective that describes a characteristic of the thing one would apply the first verb to. While “suspect is to false” and “forget is to information” might both look like potentially correct answers, “forget is to information” cannot be the correct answer because “information” is a noun, not an adjective. “Suspect,” however, is a verb that when used as a verb, can mean doubt the truth of, so one would logically suspect something that is false, just as one would logically verify something that is true, so “suspect is to false” is the correct answer.

Example Question #93 : Qualities, Features, Abilities, And Other Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Look-alike is to sight as homophone is to __________.

Possible Answers:

taste

sound

smell

meaning

spelling

Correct answer:

sound

Explanation:

A “look-alike” is defined as someone or something that or who closely resembles another person or thing, so a look-alike resembles someone visually, or through sight. We need to pick out an answer choice that describes what sense or concept a “homophone” is associated with. While “sound,” “spelling,” and “meaning” may each look like a potentially correct answer choice because a “homophone” is a word, “homophone” specifically means one of a pair or group of words that are pronounced in the same way but have different meanings. Homophones sound the same, just as look-alikes are similar in visual appearance, so “sound” is the correct answer.

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors