Verbal Classifications - HSPT Language Skills

The related words here are perhaps a bit perplexing, for they include a mixture of contradictory terms. On the one hand, you have “agreement” and “consensus,” while on the other you are presented with “dispute” and “contention.” A consensus is a form of agreement, and contention is strife and disagreement; however, note that all of these words do share the notion of indicating things pertaining to agreement or lack thereof. In contrast to this, a legislature is at best the place where such agreement and disagreement occur. It does not indicate such agreement or disagreement itself.

The words that are related all pertain to being intelligent and insightful. To be “perspicacious” is to “see through” to the truth of some matter. (It comes from “per,” meaning “through,” and the Latin root for “to see”—as found in “spectator” and “spectacular”). To be penetrating is not merely to push through a boundary; it likewise can mean “mentally penetrating”—seeing the truth of a matter, getting to “the heart of the matter.” Someone who is “acute” is keenly perceptive or “sharp” (in the sense of intelligence). Only “dull” is different from all of these words.

At first glance, the related words likely seem to be all unrelated. What has humility to do with haughtiness? Likewise, to be "irate" is to be extremely angry, while to be "pusillanimous" is to be timid and weak-willed. Note that all of these are psychological character traits of some sort. In contrast to this group, the word “towering” might describe someone’s physical or social stature; however, it does not describe a psychological condition in the manner that the other words do.

Each of these related words pertains to some form of loud speech or being outspoken. Something is presented stridently when it is done so in a harsh, forceful way. Someone is vociferous when they speak in a vehement or loud manner. Vocal can mean “outspoken” as in “a vocal supporter.” Even “forceful” is related to these other words, insofar as it pertains to being vehement. The only word that does not match these senses is “understated.”

All of the words given here pertain to being small to some degree or another; however, note that the related set of words all indicate the state of being very small. The word “miniscule” is related to “miniature,” and it means “very small.” To be “minute” likewise means to be very small—do not confuse it with its use regarding the measurement of time. In contrast with all of the related words, “small” is a much weaker description of smallness.

Note that all of the words here are related to the notion of being large—but not to the same degree. The set of incorrect options all describe the state of being very large. This is obvious in the case of “gigantic” and “enormous.” The words “gargantuan” and “colossal” have entered English through literary and mythical connections. Having at one time (in slightly different forms) named large creatures or statues, these words now mean “extremely large.” In contrast with all of these “very large” words, “large” is small!

All of these words pertain to being overweight but not to the same degree. Among the set of related words, the one that you might not know is “corpulent.” It means “fat” and is related to the same root word that is found in the English words “corpse” and “corpuscle.” The root word means “body,” so someone who is “corpulent” has “a lot of body;” however, someone who is “obese” is extremely overweight. This difference of degree separates this word from the others.

This whole set of words is related to being clean, however, not to the same degree. To be “sterile” is to be completely free of any dirt or potentially infectious material. Even something “sanitary” (clean and generally safe with regard to health) is not necessarily as clean as something that is completely sterile; therefore, “sterile” is the word least related to the others.

All of the related words pertain to some kind of undulating motion—that is, to the motion that we find in waves. Something that is “billowing” is wave like (as though produced by waves of emitted substance—like smoke, etc). Ripples on the surface of water are little waves. The word “swing” does describe a motion but not necessarily the kind of motion found in waves. Swinging is a back and forth motion, not a rising and falling, wave-like motion.

All of the related words pertain to some kind of exchange between two parties—whether in an agreeable fashion or in disagreement. While debates and (particularly) disputes can be contentious and argumentative, they are still a type of active exchange between parties. A “questionnaire” is really a passive type of data interchange. Certainly, someone writes a questionnaire and gives it to the people who will answer it; however, there is no “back and forth” when someone receives a questionnaire (as there is in the case of all of our related words).

The set of related words here all include some notion of forcefulness in communication. While “announcement” merely indicates the fact that someone has promulgated some kind of information in a formal manner. A bombast is a speech that is made in an inflated form of speech, attempting to impress others. Blustering is an aggressive form of speaking. To rant is to speak in a passionate, often wild manner. Finally, to fulminate is to speak in protest in a strong manner. All of these words are far more forceful than the much more bland “announcement.”

All of these words describe some sort of ornamentation or jewelry. Do not be tricked into thinking that either decoration or ornament differs from the group. All five are actually somehow related to being a small item of decorative purposes—whether on a person or merely on a shelf. The real difference that sets “trinket” apart from the other words is the fact that a trinket is a small and often cheap ornament. This word alone indicates such inexpensiveness.

All of these options describe types of long clothing, neither pertaining to men or women necessarily. A gown, robe, or cloak could all be worn by either a man or by a women; however, note that all of the incorrect options do describe clothing that completely covers the body. Even a cloak, though an outer garment, completely covers the legs (generally, at least). It is different from a cap, which is often shorter and more decorative. In contrast to these options, a “skirt” merely “begins at the waist.” It is thus more limited in its coverage.

"Shade," "shutters," "curtains," and "blinds" are all different types of coverings for windows. "Window" does not fit with this group of words because it is the object that is covered, not a covering.

Although all of these words are types of drinks, "lemonade" does not fit with the rest for multiple reasons. First, all four other drinks are usually served hot and lemonade is usually served cold or lukewarm. Secondly, black tea, coffee, hot chocolate and espresso all contain caffeine and lemonade does not. Third, lemonade is usually yellow in color. Black tea, coffee, hot chocolate and espresso are usually dark brown or black in color.

"Base," "diamond," "mound," and "park" are all words associated with baseball. There are four bases that players run to that make the shape of a diamond. The pitcher stands on a mound, and games are played at a ballpark. When a batter hits a home run, they are said to have it the ball "out of the park." A pineapple does not have anything to do with baseball or even sports at all.

A spider belongs to the arachnid family. Whales, squirrels, horses and rabbits are all mammals.

A "calculator" is a machine that makes mathematical calculations. A watch, sundial, clock and hourglass are all instruments that can be used to measure time.

Although all of these words are a type of vegetable, "beets" are red. All of the other vegetables listed are green.

All of these words are a type of sport. This means we have to think about what makes each sport unique. In this case, "football" is the only sport on the list that does not use a round ball.