All SSAT Upper Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Other Analogies
Complete this analogy
Undulation is to wave as meander is to __________.
Ocean
Current
River
Circuit
Lake
River
Undulation describes the movement of a wave so to solve this analogy you have to identify what the word meander is typically used to describe the movement of. Meander means to follow an indirect route with a series of twists and turns. This most accurately describes the movement of a river.
Example Question #635 : Analogies: Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship
Complete this analogy.
Infuriating is to angry as nauseating is to __________.
sickly
passionate
profound
healthy
amorous
sickly
Something you find "infuriating" (to make furious) is also likely to make you "angry." To solve this answer you have to determine which answer choice is similar in meaning to "nauseating," which means to have been made nauseous, so the correct answer is “sickly.” For clarification, "amorous" means expressing or feeling deep love; "profound" means deep and meaningful; "passionate" means possessing great desire.
Example Question #636 : Analogies: Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship
Ventriloquism is to sound as __________.
boring is to asleep
mirage is to sight
sweet is to taste
tactile is to touch
painting is to color
mirage is to sight
“Ventriloquism” is a noun that means “the art of projecting your voice so that it seems to come from another source.” So, ventriloquism is a kind of illusion that has to do with sound, and we need to pick out an answer choice in which the first word is a kind of illusion or trick and the second word is the sense that that illusion is associated with. While “sweet is to taste,” “tactile is to touch,” and “mirage is to sight” might each look like a potentially correct answer, neither “tactile” nor “sweet” are nouns that refer to illusions, so neither “tactile is to touch” nor “sweet is to taste” can be the correct answer. A “mirage,” however, is “an optical illusion caused by atmospheric conditions.” So, because mirages are a type of illusion associated with sight just as ventriloquism is a type of illusion associated with sound, “mirage is to sight” is the correct answer.
Example Question #637 : Analogies: Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship
Complete this analogy.
Rustic is to country as cosmopolitan is to __________.
tribe
village
hamlet
city
desert island
city
A quality typically associated with the country is to be rustic. Rustic means a plain and simple lifestyle. To solve this analogy you have to determine what time of community is best described as cosmopolitan. Cosmopolitan means culturally diverse and the correct answer is therefore “city.”
Example Question #6 : Other Analogies
November is to January as __________.
January is to September
December is to October
February is to July
March is to September
May is to July
May is to July
January is either two months after November or ten months before it. The only answer choice that has two months with the same relationship, in the correct order, is "May is to July."
Example Question #641 : Analogies: Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship
Surgeon is scalpel as __________.
baseball bat is to baseball player
tutu is to ballerina
handcuffs are police officer
barber is to razor
samurai is to sword
barber is to razor
The relationship here is one of utility. Surgeons use scalpels. There are a few answer choices that fit this relationship. Baseball bat is to baseball player could work, because baseball players use baseball bats, but they don't really use baseball bats in the same way that surgeons use scalpels. Surgeons use scalpels for cutting. That leaves us with "Samurai is to sword" and "Barber is to razor." The best choice is "Barber is to razor," because barbers use razors to help people. Samurais use them to hurt people, even if they are doing it to protect others.
Example Question #4 : Other Analogies
Horse is to zebra as __________.
whale is to dolphin
wolf is to hyena
monkey is to ape
cat is to tiger
dog is to Dalmatian
cat is to tiger
A zebra is a horse-like animal with a striped coat; a tiger is a cat-like animal with a striped coat.
Example Question #641 : Analogies: Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship
Recommendation is to law as __________.
counselor is to judge
prescription is to enforcement
suggest is to order
advice is to legal
rights are to Constitution
suggest is to order
A recommendation is something someone would suggest that you do (but do not require), while a law is something you are ordered to do.
Example Question #6 : Other Analogies
Harp is to trumpet as __________.
arpeggio is to taps
guitar is to flute
string is to brass
heaven is to hell
halo is to cornet
string is to brass
The harp is a string instrument, and the trumpet is a brass instrument. "Guitar is to flute" is a tempting choice, but the flute is a woodwind.
Example Question #643 : Analogies: Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship
Crate is to square as __________.
orange is to circle
globe is to sphere
box is to cube
triangle is to pyramid
three is to two
orange is to circle
A crate is a rectangular solid: a three-dimensional object that may be made out squares, a two-dimensional shape. Of the available choices, only the orange is a three-dimensional object, roughly spherical, matched with the corresponding 2D shape (a circle). "Triangle is to pyramid" gets the relationship backwards, moving from a two-dimensional to a three-dimensional object.
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All SSAT Upper Level Verbal Resources
