All SSAT Elementary Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Measurement
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
laugh is to cry
goat is to milk
meter is to height
bread is to cheese
coin is to bill
meter is to height
A "gram" is a measure of "weight," just as a "meter" is a measure of "height."
Example Question #2 : Measurement
Yesterday is to past as today is to . . .
present
yearly
tomorrow
future
yesterday
present
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 #3 : Measurement
Analogies: Complete this analogy.
Twelve is to dozen as two is to __________.
a few
none
several
a couple
many
a couple
"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 #4 : Measurement
Complete this analogy.
Compass is to direction as watch is to __________.
clocktower
foot
race
month
time
time
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 __________.
days
one thousand
years
twenty
ten
ten
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 #1 : Measurement
Complete this analogy.
Triangle is to three as __________.
hexagon is to three
diamond is to two
square is to four
pentagon is to one
metal is to iron
square is to four
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 #7 : Measurement
Complete this analogy.
Weight is to pound as amount of fluid is to ___________.
gallon
height
yard
size
meter
gallon
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 #8 : Measurement
Complete this analogy.
Clock is to time as thermometer is to __________.
watch
wall
hot
cold
temperature
temperature
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 __________.
broom is to handle
leaf is to tea
frosting is to cake
dream is to sleep
sick is to nauseous
leaf is to tea
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 __________.
cloud
snow
hail
dew
ice
snow
Snow is something that falls in flakes, just as rain is something that falls in drops.
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