SSAT Elementary Level Verbal : Abilities
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SSAT Elementary Level Verbal
All SSAT Elementary Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Abilities
Complete this analogy.
Thief is to steal as __________.
charity is to donate
musician is to instrument
room is to house
hawk is to talon
chef is to cook
chef is to cook
A thief is someone who steals, so to solve this analogy, we need to pick out an answer choice in which the second word is a verb that the first word, a noun, does. While "donate is to charity" and "chef is to cook" may both look like correct answer choices, a "charity" does not "donate"—people donate to charities. While "chef" and "cook" can be seen as synonyms, "cook" can also be used as a verb meaning to prepare food. So, because chefs cook just as thieves steal, "chef is to cook" is the correct answer.
Example Question #1 : Abilities
Complete this analogy.
Play is to game as eat is to __________.
meal
nap
drink
hungry
lose
meal
A “game” is something that you “play,” so to solve this analogy, you need to determine which of these answer choices is something that you “eat.” The correct answer is a “meal.”
Example Question #2 : Abilities
Complete this analogy.
Boxer is to fighting as vocalist is to __________.
dancing
speaking
laughing
singing
defending
singing
“Fighting” is an action associated with “boxers,” so to solve this analogy, you need to determine which answer choice is associated with a “vocalist.” Well, a “vocalist” is someone who sings, so the correct answer is “singing.”
Example Question #3 : Abilities
Complete this analogy.
Butterfly is to flutter as spider is to __________.
spin
fly
scary
crawl
swim
crawl
"Flutter" means flap your wings and hover in the air or fly around. Fluttering is something that butterflies do to move around, so to solve this analogy, you have to determine which of these words is something that spiders do to move around. The correct answer is therefore "crawl." While spiders do "spin" webs, they do not "spin" to move around—"crawl" better describes how they move around.
Example Question #4 : Abilities
Complete the analogy.
Kangaroo is to jump as __________.
lemonade is to drink
baby is to child
lawnmower is to cut
drive is to car
ride is to bike
lawnmower is to cut
One ability of kangaroos is to jump. Since "kangaroo" is first and the ability is second, the answer needs to follow the same format. "Lemonade" is a type of "drink" and "baby" is a type of "child," so these answers can be eliminated. While a car can be driven and a biken can be riden, the order is incorrect. The only answer that fits is that a "lawnmower" can "cut."
Example Question #5 : Abilities
Complete this analogy.
Bark is to dog as __________ is to wolf.
puppy
pack
hunt
howl
cat
howl
"Bark" is the sound made by a "dog," so to solve this analogy you simply need to determine what sound a "wolf" makes. The correct answer is "howl." When solving analogies your first step is always to figure out the relationship between the words in the question - in this case the relationship was the sound a "dog" makes is a "bark," what is the sound a wolf makes?
Example Question #6 : Abilities
Complete this analogy.
Feather is to fly as fin is to __________.
fish
swim
breathe
walk
bird
swim
A "feather" is used by birds to help them to "fly." So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which action is helped by the use of a "fin." Well, a "fin" is part of the body of a fish that is used to help fish to "swim."
Example Question #7 : Abilities
Complete this analogy.
Sleep is to indoors as __________ is to outdoors.
night
moon
bed
sail
sun
sail
"Sleep" is an action that one generally undertakes "indoors." So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these is an action usually done "outdoors." The correct answer is to "sail." Although the "sun" and "moon" are both "outdoors," they are objects not actions.
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All SSAT Elementary Level Verbal Resources
