SSAT Elementary Level Verbal : Analogies

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SSAT Elementary Level Verbal

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Example Questions

Example Question #171 : Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Value is to worth as vacant is to __________.

Possible Answers:

full

loss

empty

money

investment

Correct answer:

empty

Explanation:

“Value” is a synonym of “worth;” both words have the same meaning, so to solve this analogy you have to determine the best synonym for “vacant,” which means not in use, available, empty. The correct answer is therefore “empty.”

Example Question #172 : Analogies

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Cunning is to clever as sly is to __________.

Possible Answers:

accidental

bored

tiny

loud

sneaky

Correct answer:

sneaky

Explanation:

"Sly" means the same as thing as "sneaky," just as "cunning" means the same as "clever," so "sneaky" is the correct answer.

Example Question #173 : Analogies

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Crusade is to campaign as infinite is to __________.

Possible Answers:

life 

quality 

resurrected

finite 

forever

Correct answer:

forever

Explanation:

A “crusade” is a major effort to change something or one of several medieval religious wars where Europeans tried to retake the Holy Land from Muslims. A “campaign” is similar to a "crusade" in that it is a connected series of operations designed to bring about a particular result that often relates to war. “Infinite” means lasting forever; it is the opposite of “finite,” which means lasting for a certain period of time. So, since you need to look for a word that means the same as “infinite,” the correct answer is “forever.” To help you, “resurrected” means brought back to life after being dead.  

Example Question #174 : Analogies

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Difficult is to challenging as __________.

Possible Answers:

hamburger is to bun

seagull is to beach

flour is to cake

chicken is to rooster

gullible is to naive

Correct answer:

gullible is to naive

Explanation:

"Difficult" and "challenging" are synonyms because they have very similar meanings. So, to solve the analogy, you need to pick out an answer choice that consists of two words that mean the same thing. "Gullible" and "naive" both mean easy to fool, so "gullible is to naive" is the correct answer.

Example Question #175 : Analogies

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Vex is to anger as __________.

Possible Answers:

cheery is to gleeful

stalemate is to chess

dally is to hurry

bird is to nest

chest is to key

Correct answer:

cheery is to gleeful

Explanation:

"Vex" means make angry, just as "anger" can be used to mean make angry. So, the two words are synonyms because they mean the same thing, and to solve the analogy, you need to pick out an answer choice that also consists of a pair of synonyms. "Cheery" and "gleeful" both mean happy, so "cheery is to gleeful" is the correct answer.

Example Question #176 : Analogies

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Brave is to bold as pariah is to __________.

Possible Answers:

careful

carefree

curry

carry

outcast

Correct answer:

outcast

Explanation:

You likely know that “brave” and “bold” mean roughly the same thing. A “pariah” is a person who is rejected by other people. A “pariah” is generally someone who is cast out by society or an “outcast.” To further help you, to “curry” means to seek to gain favor by flattery or attention.

Example Question #177 : Analogies

The following questions ask you to find relationships between words. Select the answer choice that best completes the meaning of the sentence.

Big is to tall as __________.

Possible Answers:

white is to black

ball is to cup

hard is to tough

soft is to sharp

dog is to pup

Correct answer:

hard is to tough

Explanation:

Big and tall have similar meanings, just as hard and tough do.

Example Question #178 : Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Monarch is to king as __________.

Possible Answers:

cold is to snow

tale is to story

duchess is to duke

road is to car

baker is to bread

Correct answer:

tale is to story

Explanation:

"Monarch" is a noun meaning " a sovereign head of state, especially a king, queen, or emperor," so "monarch" and "king" are synonyms. That means we need to pick out a pair of words that are also synonyms. While "duchess is to duke" may look like a potentially correct answer, "duchess" means "the wife or widow of a duke," or "a woman holding a rank equivalent to duke in her own right," so the two words are not synonyms; however, the word "tale" means "a fictitious or true narrative or story, especially one that is imaginatively recounted" or "a lie"; since its first meaning is the same as that of "story," the two words are synonyms, just like "monarch is to king," and "tale is to story" is the correct answer.

Example Question #179 : Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Aroma is to smell as fragment is to __________.

Possible Answers:

hear

sound 

whole

piece 

fragrance 

Correct answer:

piece 

Explanation:

"Aroma" is a synonym of "smell" because they mean the same thing, so to solve this analogy, you need to pick out the answer choice that is closest in meaning to "fragment." Both "fragment" and "piece" refer to a portion of a whole. So, a slice of cake is a "fragment" or "piece" of the whole cake. So, "fragment" is a synonym of "piece," and "piece" is the correct answer. To help you, "fragrance" means the smell of something.

Example Question #180 : Analogies

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Sanitary is to clean as fallible is to __________.

Possible Answers:

jarring

trendy

boring

colorful

imperfect

Correct answer:

imperfect

Explanation:

"Sanitary" means free of germs or contaminants, so "sanitary" and "clean" are synonyms because they mean the same thing. So, to solve this analogy, you need to pick out an answer choice that means the same thing as "fallible." "Fallible" means able to fail or make mistakes, so the answer choice closest in meaning to "fallible" is "imperfect," which means not perfect or able to make mistakes. None of the other answer choices are close in meaning to "fallible."

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