Analogies - SSAT Upper Level Verbal

A person who is myopic needs glasses. A person who is lame needs crutches.

Captions help deaf people experience the "spoken word" and Braille printing allows blind people to experience the "written word."

A carpenter builds with wood and a mason builds with stone.

The miter is the hat of papal authority, while the crown is the hat of queenly authority. The scepter might also mark the authority of the king, but it's not a hat, so "queen is to crown" is a closer match.

A "carpenter" is someone who shapes wood for a living, so to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these is an object fashioned and shaped by a blacksmith. The correct answer is "iron."

When playing football, the football can be moved by someone throwing it with their hand. Similarly, when playing soccer, the soccer ball can be moved by someone kicking it with their foot.

Sneakers are accessories runners wear to successfully complete their task (running); similarly, masks are accessories scuba divers wear to successfully complete their task (scuba diving).

A "butcher" is someone who works with and sells meat products. So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these describes someone who works with stone. The correct answer is "mason." Additionally, a "blacksmith" works with iron and other metals and a "tycoon" is a businessman, a magnate.

The outer "framework" of an animal's body is its skin, which protects its insides. A similar relationship exists between an orange and its peel, since the peel is the outer part of the fruit which protects the inside.

Since a ceiling represents the topmost part or upper boundary of a room, we're looking for a pair of words in which the first word describes the upper boundary or the topmost part of the second. "Leaves are to trees" may seem like a good answer initially, but leaves are only part of trees—while they can be found at the top of trees, they don't necessarily have to. Similarly, stalactites are found on the ceilings of caves, but they represent only a feature of the ceiling, not the entire boundary. The best answer is "canopy to forest," as the forest represents the topmost part or upper boundary of a forest.

Since kernels are the edible seeds of corn, we need to pick out another set of words in which the second word describes the edible seeds of the plant the first word represents. While many of the answers have to do with vegetables, "sunflower is to sunflower seed" is the best answer, because sunflower seeds are the edible seeds of sunflowers.

Since a keyboard is part of a computer on which letters are printed and people use to write messages, we need to pick out an answer choice in which the first word is part of the second word, and more specifically, a part that involves letters or writing. "Paper is to pen" might be correct if the words were reversed, but as it stands, they are in the wrong order, and while a pen is used to write messages on paper, it is not specifically part of paper; however, since moveable type refers to the part of a printing press on which letters are carved and a printing press can be used to print written works, "moveable type is to printing press" is the correct answer.

Since a yolk is part of an egg, we need to pick out an answer choice in which the first word describes a part of the second word. Either "page is to book" or "finger is to hand" could be the correct answer. Since a yolk is contained within an egg and a page is contained within a book, but a finger is not contained within a hand, "page is to book" is the better answer of the two choices and the correct answer.

The hinge is the part of the door that lets it swing. Similarly, the fulcrum is the part of the lever that lets the lever arm swing.

“Dregs” are defined as either “the remnants of a liquid left in a container; sediment, grounds” or “the most worthless parts of something.” So, the bits left in the bottom of a glass after one drinks tea are called “dregs,” and we need to pick out an answer choice that is a noun conveying what might be left in the bottom of a glass after drinking coffee. While “grounds” and “beans” are both words associated with coffee, coffee is made from beans, but one does not find “beans” in the bottom of one’s empty coffee mug, so “beans” cannot be the correct answer. “Grounds,” however, is a noun that can mean “solid particles, especially of ground coffee, that form a residue; sediment.” So, because tea might leave dregs in the bottom of a glass while coffee might leave grounds in the bottom of a glass, “grounds” is the correct answer.

Sometimes an analogy can be so simple that you will overanalyze it. Do not do so with this question. Icing is merely meant here as the top layer on the cake—nothing further. Thus, the bridge sentence for this analogy could be written, “Just as icing is the top layer on a cake, so froth is the top layer of X.” Froth is the top layer of liquid caused by it being disturbed or sometimes by something like the fermentation of yeast in the liquid.

The wrapper on a piece of candy protects its exterior, so we need to pick out an answer choice that describes what protects the exterior of an orange. While “rind” and “pulp” might each look like a potentially correct answer because each word is associated with oranges, “pulp” means the soft part of a fruit, so it cannot be the correct answer because an orange’s pulp does not protect its exterior; however, “rind” can mean the tough exterior of a fruit. Because orange rind protects its exterior just as a candy’s wrapper protects its exterior, “rind” is the correct answer.

A citizen is a member of a nation and could justly be called a part thereof. Our bridge sentence could thus be written, “As a citizen is a part of a nation, so is a branch a part of a X.” Among the options provided, only “tree” gives the larger thing of which a branch is a part.

The ingredients of a recipe are the parts of which it is comprised; therefore, one could fairly write the bridge sentence, “Just as ingredients are the parts of a recipe, so are bristles part of a X.” Now, “bristle” can mean to become angry, but this comes from the description of an animal that is “bristling,” that is, having its hair stand up out of anger or fear. Bristles are a type of stiff hair that are used in brushes, which would be the best option for the “larger thing” of which the bristles are a part.

A knob is a part of a door; therefore, you could translate this analogy as, “Just as a knob is part of a door, so is a burner a part of a X.” A burner is the heating surface on a stove. This is the only option that functions as a whole of which the burner is a part.