Changes in Intensity

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HSPT Language Skills › Changes in Intensity

Questions 1 - 10
1

Choose the answer that best completes the comparison.

Combustible is to explosive as pliable is to __________.

flexible

rigid

stiff

playful

uncertain

Explanation

"Combustible" and "explosive" mean the same thing; just as "pliable" and "flexible" are synonyms.

2

Gory is to bloody as saturated is to __________.

wet

clogging

chained

fatty

overwhelming

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.

3

Choose the word that best completes each comparison.

Lucky is to fortuitous as drab is to __________.

dreary

radiant

curtains

fortunate

costly

Explanation

"Lucky" and "fortuitous" mean roughly the same thing, just as "drab" is another word for "dreary."

4

Sadness is dolor as feeling is to __________.

vehemence

reflective

emotion

agitation

passive

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.”

5

Interested is to engrossed as cut is to __________.

lacerated

scraped

bruised

injured

broken

Explanation

When someone is engrossed in something, he or she has all of his or her attention focused on that thing. Thus, “engrossed” could be said to mean “very interested.” We are therefore looking for a word that increases the intensity of the given word “cut.” Among the options provided, “lacerated” means “being cut very deeply.” This is the best option among those provided, for none of the others express this intensification.

6

Greed is to avarice as fat is to __________.

obese

chunky

plump

storage

hibernation

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.

7

Choose the best answer that completes the comparison.

Dessicated is to dry as drenched is to __________.

wet

desert

swamp

water

precipitation

Explanation

"Dessicated" and "dry" are synonyms, just as "drenched" and "wet" have the same meaning.

8

Choose the best answer that completes the comparison.

Numb is to frostbite as singed is to __________.

burn

skin

oven

truth

elevated

Explanation

"Frostbite" often causes the affected area to be "numb," in the way that a "burn" can cause an area to be "singed."

9

Plain is to austere as ornate is to __________.

baroque

beautiful

amazing

miraculous

fortuitous

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.

10

Choose the answer that best completes the comparison.

Relaxed is to carefree as stressed is to __________.

burdened

unknown

galvanized

forceful

layered

Explanation

"Relaxed" and "carefree" are both synonyms, just as "stressed" and "burdened" have a similar meaning.

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