HSPT Verbal : Verbal Classifications

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for HSPT Verbal

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Example Questions

Example Question #4 : Verbal Classifications: Adjectives And Adverbs

Which word does not belong with the others?

Possible Answers:

filial

fraternal

genitive

avuncular

parental

Correct answer:

genitive

Explanation:

All of these words that are related pertain to relations in a family. While it is rather easy to see this in “parental,” the others might be a matter of vocabulary knowledge. Something “filial” pertains to a child. A filial relationship is a relationship of a child to a parent. A fraternal relationship is that between brothers. (A fraternity is a “brotherhood”). An “avuncular” relationship is the relationship of an uncle to nieces and nephews. The word “genitive” might be a bit confusing, for it might seem to be the same as “to generate” (as in “to give birth to”). Actually, the word is a matter of grammar indicating the possessive case. In languages like German and Latin, the genitive is used much like we use the –’s to denote that one person owns or is related to something else. (Still the sense of “relation” is not familial, so “genitive” is not related to the other words).

Example Question #2 : Verbal Classifications: Adjectives And Adverbs

Which word does not belong with the others?

Possible Answers:

cavernous

roomy

spacious

open

lengthened

Correct answer:

lengthened

Explanation:

Each of the related words indicates a certain kind of physical “roominess.” That is, they pertain to some three-dimensional (or perhaps two-dimensional) size or measure that is large and open. The problem with the word “lengthened” is that it really only deals with an extension in a single dimension. Even if you lengthen a board of wood, you are referring to the act of making it longer in one direction. Because of this word “lengthened” does not indicate “roominess” as much as it does merely the act of making something longer.

Example Question #2 : Verbal Classifications: Adjectives And Adverbs

Which word does not belong with the others?

Possible Answers:

tepid

ailing

healthy

frail

vigorous

Correct answer:

tepid

Explanation:

All of the related words pertain to health in some way, even if they indicate lack of health. To be vigorous is to be strong and healthy, while to be frail and ailing is to be weak and / or sick. Only “tepid” is not related to this group of words, as it means “lukewarm” or “lacking excitement or enthusiasm.” While this describes a certain state of mind for a person, it is not directly related to health—not even mental health, for someone could be tepid merely because something really is not interesting.

Example Question #81 : Verbal Classifications

Which word does not belong with the others?

Possible Answers:

exhalation

cardiac

pulmonary

lung

alveolar

Correct answer:

cardiac

Explanation:

All of the related words somehow are related to the lungs. In order to see this, it is necessary to know the meanings of pulmonary and alveolar. The alveoli are the tiny “sacks” in the lung that allow for blood and air to interact. The word “pulmonary” means “related to the lungs.” (It is derived from the Latin for “lungs”). These words are not all synonymous with the word “lung,” but they are all related thereto. In contrast, “cardiac” describes something related to the heart.

Example Question #82 : Verbal Classifications

Which word does not belong with the others?

Possible Answers:

outlawed

illegal

miscreant

unaccounted

delinquent

Correct answer:

unaccounted

Explanation:

Each of the related words pertain to illegality in some way. A miscreant is a person who breaks the law—though the term is sometimes used also to describe someone who acts badly in general. A delinquent is a person who commits crimes, usually small ones. Often, you will hear the word combined with “juvenile” as in “juvenile delinquent,” which is used to describe young people who commit minor crimes (like vandalizing with paint or eggs). The word “unaccounted” means “not taken to mind” in some consideration (calculation, etc). This is not related to the other words.

Example Question #83 : Verbal Classifications

Which word does not belong with the others?

Possible Answers:

fiscal

monetary

financial

retail

pecuniary

Correct answer:

retail

Explanation:

All of the related words describe financial matters in a general fashion. The case of “monetary” is a bit more specific, as it deals in particular with things pertaining to the currency of a nation. (The monetary policy of the United States is the policy regarding the value of the US dollar). Pecuniary means “pertaining financial matters.” It comes from the Latin word for cattle, which would have been a form of wealth. The word “retail” at best is related to a type of sales location. Retail sales are made for use (not resale, as in things sold to stores in order to sell them). This is not strictly financial but signifies a type of location at which financial transactions occur.

Example Question #84 : Verbal Classifications

Which word does not belong with the others?

Possible Answers:

gloomy

doleful

mourning

depressed

consoled

Correct answer:

consoled

Explanation:

All of the related words in this question are related to being sad in some way. This is obvious in the case of depressed and gloomy. It is at least a significant possibility in the case of mourning. (Perhaps someone could mourn without being sad, but that seems rare if not impossible). Someone who is doleful is extremely sad. Thus only consoled stands out in this group, as it means “having been comforted.”

Example Question #81 : Verbal Classifications

Which word does not belong with the others?

Possible Answers:

aggressive

dispassionate

belligerent

militant

pugnacious

Correct answer:

dispassionate

Explanation:

The set of related words in this question all are somehow related to the word “aggressive” or at least “fighting.”  Someone who is “belligerent” is aggressive. Belligerence is the act of being very nasty and aggressive, as when someone verbally abuses another person. The word literally means “warlike,” from the Latin for “war.” The expression “antebellum South” literally means “the southern states (in the US) before (ante-) the Civil War (-bellum).” To be pugnacious is to be quarrelsome. It is related to the word “pugilist,” which means “boxer” (as in the type of fist-fighter). Only “dispassionate” describes someone who is not aggressive. A dispassionate person has little or no passions; that is, they are emotionless.

Example Question #86 : Verbal Classifications

Which word does not belong with the others?

Possible Answers:

unfeasible

impractical

academic

dedicated

idealistic

Correct answer:

dedicated

Explanation:

The general notion uniting the related words here is that of not being practical or feasible. This might be hard to see in the case of “academic,” which can of course mean “pertaining to education;” however, one can also say, “That is really an academic question and is not important for what we need to do here and now.” Whether or not such a statement is true, it implies that something is not currently relevant for a practical undertaking. This is another possible meaning for “academic”—as though to say, “That should be handled in the so-called ivory tower of academia.” Only “dedicated” is unrelated to the others, for it does not indicate anything about being practical but merely being devoted. (Someone can be quite dedicated to a purely “academic” affair).

Example Question #82 : Verbal Classifications

Which word does not belong with the others?

Possible Answers:

solid

viscous

thin

gelatinous

runny

Correct answer:

solid

Explanation:

All of the related words pertain to states that a fluid could have. Even something “gelatinous” is like a slow flowing fluid. Something viscous is thick but still fluid. Certainly, thin and runny substances are fluids as well. Often we call them “watery” as if to say, “They run like water.” Something solid, on the other hand, is not a fluid, whatever else might be said. While something “gelatinous” might be thought of as being solid, there is still a qualitative difference between pure solidity and being gelatinous. The latter could at least conceivably be applied to a fluid.

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