SSAT Elementary Level Verbal : Antonyms

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #31 : Antonyms

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Hungry is to full as malicious is to __________.

Possible Answers:

disappointing

surprising

hateful

excited

affectionate

Correct answer:

affectionate

Explanation:

"Hungry" and "full" are antonyms of one another because they have opposite meanings, so to solve this analogy, you need to determine the best available antonym of “malicious.” “Malicious” means is spiteful or done out of hatred, so the best antonym is "affectionate," a word that means fond or done out of fondness for someone.

Example Question #32 : Antonyms

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Pleasure is to pain as __________.

Possible Answers:

glitter is to decorate

kindness is to meanness

thief is to steal

tree is to plant

wool is to hat

Correct answer:

kindness is to meanness

Explanation:

"Pleasure" and "pain" are opposites, just as "kindness" and "meanness" are opposites, so "kindness is to meanness" is the correct answer. None of the other answer choices consist of words that are opposites, so none of them can be the correct answer.

Example Question #33 : Antonyms

Complete this analogy.

Backward is to forward as __________.

Possible Answers:

small is to little

protect is to defend

never is to always

famished is to hungry

wish is to desire

Correct answer:

never is to always

Explanation:

“Backward” and “forward” are opposites, or antonyms, so we need to pick out an answer choice that also consists of a pair of antonyms. While “famished is to hungry” and “never is to always” might each look like a potentially correct answer, “famished” is an adjective that means “extremely hungry,” so “famished” and “hungry” are actually synonyms, not antonyms, so “famished is to hungry” cannot be the correct answer; however, “never” and “always” are opposites, just like “backward” and “forward” are opposites, so “never is to always” is the correct answer.

Example Question #34 : Antonyms

Dog is to bite as bee is to

Possible Answers:

none of the other answers.

sting

smart

hive

ache

Correct answer:

sting

Explanation:

Both sets are antonyms.  

Example Question #35 : Antonyms

Complete this analogy.

Dynamic is to static as hearty is to __________.

Possible Answers:

brave 

feeble 

terse 

dominant

alert 

Correct answer:

feeble 

Explanation:

“Dynamic” means moving and “static” means standing still or not moving. These two words are opposites of one another, which means that to solve this analogy, you need to determine which of these words is the opposite of “hearty.” “Hearty” means loud, lively, and happy, so the best antonym is “feeble,” which means weak and pathetic. To provide further help, “dominant” means leading and in charge; “terse” means brief; and “alert” means watchful.

Example Question #36 : Antonyms

Complete this analogy.

Urban is to rural as __________.

Possible Answers:

sorry is to regretful

finger is to hand

left is to right

tennis is to racket

glass is to shatter

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 #38 : Antonyms

Complete this analogy.

Appearance is to disappearance as champion is to __________.

Possible Answers:

win

match

loser

disappear

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 #39 : Antonyms

Complete this analogy.

Rare is to common as fun is to __________.

Possible Answers:

pleasant

boring

unique

everyday

unusual

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 #40 : Antonyms

Complete this analogy.

Continuous is to broken as distribute is to __________.

Possible Answers:

interrupted

papers

collect

seize

give

Correct answer:

collect

Explanation:

Both sets of words are antonyms. 

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