All HSPT Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #18 : Changes In Intensity
Difficult is to herculean as small is to __________.
remarkable
little
minute
comprehensible
simple
minute
You likely have some exposure to the mythological character, Hercules (or Heracles), who in Greek mythology performed great deeds of strength. In English, to say something is “herculean” means that it is extremely difficult—as were his great labors. Thus, “herculean” stands as an intensified form of “difficult.” Your generalized bridge sentence would be, “As herculean things are very difficult, so X things are very small.” If something is minute, it is very small. Do not confuse this with the word for the division of time. The word is related to words like “miniscule” and “miniature,” each implying some degree of “smallness.”
Example Question #19 : Changes In Intensity
Neat is to immaculate as noisy is to __________.
heard
audible
sensible
sounding
raucous
raucous
Something immaculate is very clean. Roman Catholics speak of “Immaculate Mary,” meaning thereby to attribute absolute purity from sin to Mary, the mother of Jesus. The bridge sentence for our analogy could be formulated as, “As something very neat is called immaculate, so too is something very noisy called X.” Something raucous is disturbing and loud. Often, one will speak of “raucous partying,” implying by that “loud partying.” In general, something is “raucous” if it is loud and unsettling. For this reason, it fits the analogy, meaning well enough “very noisy.”
Example Question #20 : Changes In Intensity
Gory is to bloody as saturated is to __________.
chained
overwhelming
fatty
clogging
wet
wet
Something is gory when it is covered with blood, often shed because of violence. Thus, “bloody” is either a synonym or at least a characteristic of something that is “gory.” When something is “saturated,” it is completely filled. This word is most frequently used to mean “completely filled with water,” like a sponge that is fully saturated. The word is used in scientific expressions like “saturated fats” because these compounds are completely full of a particular kind of bond—they are saturated with them.
Example Question #21 : Changes In Intensity
Spiteful is to hurt as blazing is to __________.
heat
kindling
brush
fireplace
cooking
heat
Something spiteful is nasty, as in spiteful speech that is meant to “tear down” someone else. Such actions cause hurt and pain, generally psychological but still real. Thus, the analogy could be written, “As something spiteful causes hurt, so does something blazing cause X.” A blaze is a strong fire, which can at least be said to produce heat. While this is not the most advanced vocabulary, it is the only option that describes an effect of something blazing.
Example Question #22 : Changes In Intensity
Choose the word that best completes each comparison.
Lucky is to fortuitous as drab is to __________.
fortunate
radiant
costly
curtains
dreary
dreary
"Lucky" and "fortuitous" mean roughly the same thing, just as "drab" is another word for "dreary."
Example Question #22 : Changes In Intensity
Choose the word that best completes each comparison.
Adroit is to skillful as illustrative is to __________.
insane
rueful
horrid
explanatory
unknown
explanatory
"Adroit" is another word for "skillful;" similarly "illustrative" and "explanatory" mean roughly the same thing.
Example Question #24 : Changes In Intensity
Choose the answer that best completes the comparison.
Combustible is to explosive as pliable is to __________.
flexible
playful
uncertain
stiff
rigid
flexible
"Combustible" and "explosive" mean the same thing; just as "pliable" and "flexible" are synonyms.
Example Question #23 : Changes In Intensity
Immoral is to iniquitous as possible is to __________.
turpitude
desirable
viable
probable
feasible
probable
Someone who is “iniquitous” is very immoral or wicked. Therefore, our bridge sentence is, “Just as something iniquitous is very immoral, so too is something X very possible.” Among the options provided, “probable” is the only word providing a sense of being “very possible.” The options “feasible” and “viable,” while they do connote that something is indeed a possible option, do not connote the sense of being “very possible.”
Example Question #26 : Changes In Intensity
Choose the answer that best completes the comparison.
Relaxed is to carefree as stressed is to __________.
burdened
unknown
forceful
galvanized
layered
burdened
"Relaxed" and "carefree" are both synonyms, just as "stressed" and "burdened" have a similar meaning.
Example Question #24 : Changes In Intensity
Choose the best answer that completes the comparison.
Dessicated is to dry as drenched is to __________.
water
precipitation
swamp
desert
wet
wet
"Dessicated" and "dry" are synonyms, just as "drenched" and "wet" have the same meaning.