SSAT Elementary Level Verbal : Analogies

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #261 : Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Urban is to rural as __________.

Possible Answers:

tennis is to racket

left is to right

finger is to hand

glass is to shatter

sorry is to regretful

Correct answer:

left is to right

Explanation:

Since "urban" means "in, relating to, or characteristic of a city or town," and "rural" means "in, relating to, or characteristic of the countryside rather than the town," the two words are opposites. So, we need to pick out an answer choice which includes two words that are opposites. Two answer choices include two adjectives, "left is to right" and "sorry is to apologetic," and "sorry is to regretful" cannot be the correct answer because "sorry" means the same thing as "regretful." "Left is to right" is the correct answer because just like urban is the opposite of rural, left is an opposite of right.

Example Question #37 : Antonyms

Complete this analogy.

Big is to small as __________.

Possible Answers:

wide is to narrow

young is to old

pink is to white

domestic is to foreign

good is to funny

Correct answer:

wide is to narrow

Explanation:

"Big and small" discuss the size of something, with the larger description first and the smaller one second. The only choice that matches this is "Wide and narrow."

Example Question #262 : Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Appearance is to disappearance as champion is to __________.

Possible Answers:

loser

win

disappear

match

victor

Correct answer:

loser

Explanation:

Appearance is an opposite, or antonym, of disappearance, which you can infer from the negative prefix "dis-" in "disappearance." An "appearance" is an instance of someone or something showing up, while a "disappearance" is an instance of someone vanishing or not being able to be found. So, to solve this analogy, you have to determine the best antonym of "champion." A "champion" is a winner, so the answer choice that is an antonym of "champion" is “loser.” As for the other answers, "vanish" means disappear suddenly, but we need to pick out a noun for the blank, because "champion" is a noun. So, "vanish" cannot be the correct answer. "Victor" means champion, but because "appearance" and "disappearance" are opposites, not synonyms, we need to pick out an opposite, or antonym, for the blank. So, "victor" cannot be the correct answer either. "Match" and "win" are each words that can be used as nouns and can be used to describe competitions which might choose a "champion," but neither word is an opposite of "champion," so neither of them can be the correct answer.

Example Question #263 : Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Rare is to common as fun is to __________.

Possible Answers:

everyday

pleasant

unusual

unique

boring

Correct answer:

boring

Explanation:

"Rare" means difficult to find or not often occuring, and "common" means easy to find or occurring often. So, "rare" and "common" are opposites, or antonyms, and you need to pick out an answer choice that is an antonym, or opposite, of "fun." "Boring" is an opposite of "fun," so "boring" is the correct answer. As for the other answer choices, "pleasant" means enjoyable or nice and isn't the opposite of "fun," "unique" and "unusual" mean the same thing as "rare," and "everyday" means the same thing as "common."

Example Question #261 : Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Continuous is to broken as distribute is to __________.

Possible Answers:

give

papers

seize

collect

interrupted

Correct answer:

collect

Explanation:

Both sets of words are antonyms. 

Example Question #41 : Antonyms

Complete this analogy.

Messy is to organized as awake is to __________.

Possible Answers:

bewildered

asleep

dreary

poignant

tired

Correct answer:

asleep

Explanation:

Since "messy" is the opposite of "organized," we need to pick out an answer choice that is the opposite of "awake." While "asleep" and "tired" may both look like potentially correct answers, "asleep" is the better answer, because the opposite of tired would be a word like "energetic," not "asleep." Since "asleep" is an antonym of "awake," just like "messy" is an antonym of "organized," "asleep" is the correct answer.

Example Question #262 : Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Love is to hate as __________.

Possible Answers:

boy is to man

friend is to enemy

cold is to temperature 

small is to medium

cruel is to weak

Correct answer:

friend is to enemy

Explanation:

"Love" and "hate" are opposites, meaning that they are completely different from each other. An "enemy" is someone with whom there is antagonism, while a "friend" is someone with whom there is a shared closeness. Therefore, a "friend" is the opposite of an "enemy." Hence, "friend is to enemy" is the correct answer.

Example Question #263 : Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Wide is to narrow as brief is to __________.

Possible Answers:

paper

certain

lengthy

slim

large

Correct answer:

lengthy

Explanation:

"Wide" and "narrow" are opposites, or antonyms, so you need to pick out a word that means the opposite of "brief." "Brief" means lasting for a short amount of time, or short when referring to a written work. So, the answer choice that means the opposite of "brief" is "lengthy," which means lasting for a long time, or long when referring to a written work.

Example Question #264 : Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Harsh is to kind as repulsive is to __________.

Possible Answers:

descending

outlawed

sudden

attractive

embarrassing

Correct answer:

attractive

Explanation:

Someone who is "harsh" is not kind, so, to solve this analogy, you have to determine which of these answer choices is the antonym (which means the opposite) of "repulsive." "Repulsive" means disgusting or pushing or driving things away, so the best antonym is "attractive," which mean pretty or appealing.

Example Question #43 : Antonyms

Complete the analogy.

Distracted is to attentive as grimy is to __________.

Possible Answers:

clean

happy

gritty

funny

dirty

Correct answer:

clean

Explanation:

"Distracted" and "attentive" are antonyms. "Grimy" means dirty, and the opposite of dirty is "clean."

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