HSPT Verbal : HSPT Verbal Skills

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for HSPT Verbal

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Example Questions

Example Question #4 : Part/Whole, Part/Part, Example/Category, And Cause/Effect

Pane is to window as phase is to __________.

Possible Answers:

portion

episode

electrical

procedure

temporary

Correct answer:

procedure

Explanation:

The pane of a window is the glass portion that is placed in the window’s frame. It is not the whole window but merely part of it; therefore, you could write a bridge sentence like, “As a pane is part of a window, so a phase is part of a X.” A phase is a portion of some undertaking or procedure. For instance, a project could be said to be in “Phase 1,” “Phase 2,” “Phase 3,” etc, depending on how much of it has been completed thus far. A procedure is like a plan or outline for a project, and it can be broken up into phases.

Example Question #2 : Part And Whole

Nail is to finger as crown is to __________.

Possible Answers:

head

arrogant

regal

aristocratic

ceremony

Correct answer:

head

Explanation:

While not all buildings have domes, all domes are placed upon the tops the buildings that have them. The best way to express this analogy is, “As a dome is on the top of a building, so is a capital on top of X.” While “capital” can mean the main city of nation or state, it likewise can mean the “head” of a column. Think of the columns that you have seen on some buildings. On the ends, there are designed “pedestals” of differing characters. These are the “capitals” on the columns. Just as a dome is on the top of a building, so is a capital on the top of a column. Do not be fooled by the other options that are tempting because of their general relationships to “capital.” None of them work correctly in the analogy.

Example Question #152 : Hspt Verbal Skills

Dome is to building as capital is to __________.

Possible Answers:

city

money

suburb

column

legislature

Correct answer:

column

Explanation:

While not all buildings have domes, all domes are placed upon the tops the buildings that have them. The best way to express this analogy is, “As a dome is on the top of a building, so is a capital on top of X.” While “capital” can mean the main city of nation or state, it likewise can mean the “head” of a column. Think of the columns that you have seen on some buildings. On the ends, there are designed “pedestals” of differing characters. These are the “capitals” on the columns. Just as a dome is on the top of a building, so is a capital on the top of a column. Do not be fooled by the other options that are tempting because of their general relationships to “capital.” None of them work correctly in the analogy.

Example Question #3 : Part And Whole

Peak is to mountain as consummation is to __________.

Possible Answers:

goal

undertaking

nadir

zenith

prime

Correct answer:

undertaking

Explanation:

The peak is the highest point of a mountain, and the consummation is the point of completion of some task or undertaking. While the word “goal” and “zenith” are potential synonyms for the word, the only acceptable option is “undertaking,” for it is an undertaking that reaches its consummation, as a mountain is “completed” by its peak.

Example Question #4 : Part And Whole

Filament is to bulb as graphite is to __________.

Possible Answers:

pencil

writing

scrawl

calligraphy

sharpened

Correct answer:

pencil

Explanation:

A filament is a small fiber, thread, or wire. In the case of a “bulb” it must mean “wire,” particularly if “bulb” is understood as being short for “light bulb” (as it can be). Old-fashioned, incandescent light bulbs use a filament to produce light. Thus, the analogy could be written, “As a filament is used by a bulb to produce light, so is graphite used by X for its regular activity.” Graphite is the substance used in pencils for writing. The only instrument listed among the possible answers is “pencil,” so this is the correct choice.

Example Question #5 : Part And Whole

Choose the best answer that best completes the comparison.

Balcony is to railing as road is to __________.

Possible Answers:

guardrail

railroad

city

car

street

Correct answer:

guardrail

Explanation:

A "balcony" has a "railing" to keep people safe, much like a "road" has a "guardrail" to keep cars and their drivers safe.

Example Question #3 : Part And Whole

Choose the answer that best completes the comparison.

Herd is to cattle as flock is to __________.

Possible Answers:

lions

wolves

seagulls

caribou

mice

Correct answer:

seagulls

Explanation:

A group of "cattle" is called a "herd;" similarly a group of "seagulls" is called a "flock."

Example Question #7 : Part And Whole

Country is to confederation as organelle is to __________.

Possible Answers:

surgery

musical

biological

petite

cell

Correct answer:

cell

Explanation:

A confederation is a type of union of smaller groups, often indicating political entities. In the United States, the “Articles of Confederation” were the first legal constructs by which the states were gathered together into a single united group (at least for certain tasks and undertakings). A confederation can also take place among separate countries, and that is what is indicated in this analogy. Thus, one can translate this analogy as stating, “As a country is a member (or part) of a confederation, so is an organelle part of X.” As you might know from biology, an organelle is one of the small parts of a cell such as a ribosome or mitochondria. The word literally means “little organ.”

Example Question #8 : Part And Whole

Iron is to ore as salt is to __________.

Possible Answers:

preservative

acidic

oxidize

brine

base

Correct answer:

brine

Explanation:

Ore is a type of stone-metal mixture from which metals and minerals can be extracted. The analogy could be written, “As iron can be extracted from its mixed state in ore, so salt can be extracted from its mixed state in X.” Among the options provided, only “brine” describes such a mixture. Brine is water that is saturated with salt. If someone wished, he or she could remove salt from brine as one would remove iron from ore.

Example Question #158 : Hspt Verbal Skills

Choose the best answer that completes the comparison.

Wine is to grapes as beer is to __________.

Possible Answers:

beverage

vineyard

football

summer

grains

Correct answer:

grains

Explanation:

"Wine" is made from fermented "grapes," just as "beer" is made from fermented "grains."

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