SSAT Elementary Level Verbal : Analogies

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #511 : Analogies

The following questions ask you to find relationships between words. For each question, select the answer choice that best completes the meaning of the sentence.

Gram is to weight as

Possible Answers:

goat is to milk

meter is to height

coin is to bill

bread is to cheese

laugh is to cry

Correct answer:

meter is to height

Explanation:

A "gram" is a measure of "weight," just as a "meter" is a measure of "height."

Example Question #512 : Analogies

Yesterday is to past as today is to . . .

Possible Answers:

yearly

yesterday

tomorrow

future

present

Correct answer:

present

Explanation:

Since "yesterday" means "the day before yesterday," it is referring to a day in the past. We need to pick out a word that temporally describes "today." Since "present" means "existing or occurring now," and "today" means "this present day," "present" is the correct answer, because just as yesterday is thought of as being in the past, today is thought of as being in the present.

Example Question #513 : Analogies

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Twelve is to dozen as two is to __________.

Possible Answers:

several 

a couple 

none 

a few 

many 

Correct answer:

a couple 

Explanation:

"Dozen" is a noun that means a group of twelve, so you need to pick out an answer choice that is a word that means a group of two "Couple" is a noun that can mean a group of two, so "couple" is the correct answer.

Example Question #514 : Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Compass is to direction as watch is to __________.

Possible Answers:

month

clocktower

race

time

foot

Correct answer:

time

Explanation:

Since a compass is a device that displays directions, we need to pick out an answer that represents what a watch displays or measures. While "month" may look like the correct answer because it is a unit of time, it is too specific to be the right answer, as watches measure units smaller than months. Since watches display the time like compasses display direction, the correct answer is "time."

Example Question #5 : Measurement

Complete this analogy.

Century is to one hundred as decade is to __________.

Possible Answers:

days 

one thousand 

years 

twenty 

ten 

Correct answer:

ten 

Explanation:

There are one hundred years in a century, as you might infer from the word's use of the prefix "cent-," which means hundred; just think of how a "cent," or a penny, is one-onehundredth of a dollar. So, to solve this analogy, you need to pick out an answer choice that describes how many years there are in a decade. There are ten years in a decade, which you might infer from the word's use of the prefix "dec-," which means ten and appears in other words like "decagon" (a ten-sided shape).

Example Question #515 : Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Triangle is to three as __________.

Possible Answers:

square is to four

hexagon is to three

metal is to iron

pentagon is to one

diamond is to two

Correct answer:

square is to four

Explanation:

A triangle is a shape that has three sides, so we need to pick out an answer choice in which the first word is a shape and the second word is a number conveying the number of sides that shape has. While all of the potential answer choices except for “metal is to iron” fall into this pattern, only “square is to four” correctly matches the number of sides to the shape indicated. Because a square has four sides just like a triangle has three sides, “square is to four” is the correct answer.

Example Question #516 : Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Weight is to pound as amount of fluid is to ___________.

Possible Answers:

gallon

size

meter

height

yard

Correct answer:

gallon

Explanation:

You can measure weight in pounds, so to solve the analogy, you need to pick out an answer choice that describes a unit of measurement that you can use to measure an amount of liquid. Both "meters" and "yards" measure length or distance, and "height" and "size" aren't units of measurement at all. You can measure an amount of liquid in "gallons," so "gallon" is the correct answer.

Example Question #517 : Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Clock is to time as thermometer is to __________.

Possible Answers:

cold

watch 

temperature 

hot 

wall

Correct answer:

temperature 

Explanation:

A clock is used to measure time, so to solve this analogy, you need to pick out an answer choice that describes what a thermometer measures. A thermometer is used to measure “temperature,” so "temperature" is the correct answer.

Example Question #9 : Measurement

Complete this analogy.

Bean is to coffee as __________.

Possible Answers:

broom is to handle

leaf is to tea

frosting is to cake

dream is to sleep

sick is to nauseous

Correct answer:

leaf is to tea

Explanation:

Coffee is made from beans, of which a bean is the single unit, so we need to pick out an answer choice in which the first word is a single unit of the substance from which the second word is made. "Frosting is to cake" might look like a good answer choice, but cake is not made from frosting. Though frosting can be a part of a cake, you can also have a cake without frosting, so cake can't be made from frosting. So, "frosting is to cake" cannot be the correct answer. Because tea is made from leaves and "leaf" is the singular unit of "leaves," "leaf is to tea" is the correct answer.

Example Question #1 : Measurement

Complete this analogy.

Drop is to rain as flake is to __________.

Possible Answers:

cloud

snow

hail

dew

ice

Correct answer:

snow

Explanation:

Snow is something that falls in flakes, just as rain is something that falls in drops.

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