HSPT Verbal : Changes in Intensity

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for HSPT Verbal

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Example Questions

Example Question #11 : Changes In Intensity

Sadness is dolor as feeling is to __________.

Possible Answers:

vehemence

reflective

passive

agitation

emotion

Correct answer:

vehemence

Explanation:

Dolor is an emotion of great sadness. Therefore, the analogy represents a stronger form in comparison to a more general term. The bridge sentence could be constructed like, “As dolor is a type of great sadness, so X is a type of great or strong feeling.” When someone “vehemently” does something, he or she does it with great force or passion. Sometimes, we will say, “I vehemently disagree with you,” meaning by this, “I totally disagree with you and believe you are utterly wrong!” The option “vehemence” is thus the best option, as it means “having a strong feeling.”

Example Question #12 : Changes In Intensity

Greed is to avarice as fat is to __________.

Possible Answers:

plump

obese

chunky

storage

hibernation

Correct answer:

obese

Explanation:

Avarice is excessive or extreme greed, so the bridge sentence for this analogy would be something like, “As an avaricious person is excessively greed, so is a(n) X thing excessively fat.” To be obese is to be exceedingly fat. For this reason, this is the best option among the others, which either do not connote excess or are totally unrelated.

Example Question #13 : Changes In Intensity

Old is to ancient as large is to __________.

Possible Answers:

magnificent

impressive

delightful

gargantuan

big

Correct answer:

gargantuan

Explanation:

Something that is ancient is very old. When someone speaks of “ancient times,” he or she means “long ago.” For that reason, we are looking for a word that means “very large.” Although something very large might be “impressive” or “magnificent,” neither of these mean “very large” in a strict sense as does the word “gargantuan,” which is the best option among those given. Big is merely synonymous, not giving the additional sense of “to a great extent.”

Example Question #14 : Changes In Intensity

Happy is to exultant as good is to __________.

Possible Answers:

excellent

joyful

beatific

desirable

fine

Correct answer:

excellent

Explanation:

When someone “exults,” he or she or she expresses great joy. The word “exultant” is the an adjectival form of this verb. We could thus say that someone who is “exultant” is “extremely happy.” Thus, we are looking for a word that means “extremely good.” Among the options, only “excellent” has this sense of “extreme goodness.” Both “desirable” and “fine” are not strong enough to answer to the needed notion of “great” or “extreme.”

Example Question #15 : Changes In Intensity

Inquire is to delve as reflect is to __________.

Possible Answers:

mull

gaze

consider

mirror

stare

Correct answer:

mull

Explanation:

To “inquire” after something is to look into it or to ask questions regarding it. Likely, you know the word “inquiry,” which means a process of formal questioning (perhaps in a legal case, though other options are possible). When someone “delves” into something, he or she “digs” into it very deeply. The word’s first meaning is “to reach into,” though it is often used metaphorically to mean “to dig into” or “excavate.” It likewise can mean “to research very thoroughly.” Thus, our bridge sentence is, “As delving is a form of deep and detailed inquiry, so too is X a deep and detailed form of reflecting (or reflection).” To “mull over” something is not merely to dally and consider it. It means “to think deeply and for a long time over something.” For this reason, it is the best option among those provided.

Example Question #16 : Changes In Intensity

Sufficient is to satiating as draining is to __________.

Possible Answers:

hole

outlet

tired

weary

exhausting

Correct answer:

exhausting

Explanation:

When we say that something “satisfies,” it fulfills an expected need. Something that is “satiating” completely fills a need, and thus in this analogy could be said to mean “beyond adequate,” in comparison with “adequate,” which is implied by “sufficient.” Thus, our bridge sentence could be constructed, “As something that is satiating is more than sufficient (or sufficient to a great degree), so too is something X draining to a great degree.” Something “exhausts” when it literally drains everything out. It comes form the Latin literally meaning “drawing water out.”

Example Question #17 : Changes In Intensity

Plain is to austere as ornate is to __________.

Possible Answers:

beautiful

baroque

amazing

miraculous

fortuitous

Correct answer:

baroque

Explanation:

Likely, you know the term “austere” as meaning strict or perhaps something like serious or “grave.” While these meanings are acceptable, the word can also mean “extremely plain, without frills or luxuries;” therefore, our analogy is one of increasing intensity. Think of the bridge sentence as being, “Just as something austere is very plain, so also is something X very ornate.” The word “baroque” is not merely the name of a period of history or music but can likewise mean “very elaborate or ornamented.” The word is taken from the ornamented style of the art of the period, though here applied more generally.

Example Question #18 : Changes In Intensity

Difficult is to herculean as small is to __________.

Possible Answers:

remarkable

little

minute

comprehensible

simple

Correct answer:

minute

Explanation:

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 __________.

Possible Answers:

heard

audible

sensible

sounding

raucous

Correct answer:

raucous

Explanation:

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 __________.

Possible Answers:

chained

overwhelming

fatty

clogging

wet

Correct answer:

wet

Explanation:

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.

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