All SSAT Elementary Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #11 : Determining Meaning From Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots
Complete this analogy.
Female is to witch as male is to __________.
humanist
judge
wizard
witchcraft
magician
wizard
A “wizard” is a male witch. To provide further help, “witchcraft” is the practice of magic by witches. The suffix "-craft" suggests a type of work or craft. A “humanist” is someone who has great faith in the capabilities of mankind and who thinks rationally about the world.
Example Question #12 : Determining Meaning From Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots
Complete this analogy.
Thermometer is to temperature as ruler is to __________.
light
weight
loudness
length
pressure
length
The suffix "-meter" suggests that the word in question will relate to the measurement of something. The prefix "therm-" or "thermo-" means having to do with heat, temperature, or fire, so a “thermometer” is something used to measure temperature. So, to solve this analogy, you need to pick out an answer choice that describes what a ruler measures. A ruler measures length, so "length" is the correct answer.
Example Question #13 : Determining Meaning From Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots
Complete this analogy.
Herbologist is to plants as __________.
zoologist is to animals
happy is to well
teacher is to pupil
science is to biology
vigorous is to fast
zoologist is to animals
A “herbologist” is a person who studies plants. The suffix "-ology" means the study of something and "-ologist" means a person who studies something. Similarly, a "zoologist" is a person who studies animals. To further help you, "biology” is a branch of science that studies life; “vigorous” and “fast” are synonyms; “happy” and “well" are also synonyms.
Example Question #14 : Determining Meaning From Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots
Complete this analogy.
Manage is to manageable as defend is to __________.
defensible
attack
defender
protect
defensive
defensible
The suffixes "-able" and "-ible" generally mean able to be or able to do, as in the the word “manageable,” which means able to be managed. To solve this analogy, you need to determine which of these answer choices means able to be defended. The correct answer is “defensible."
Example Question #15 : Determining Meaning From Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots
Complete this analogy.
Lengthen is to longer as moisten is to __________.
milder
colder
wetter
drier
hotter
wetter
The suffix "-ten" means to make, so “lengthen” means to make longer and “moisten” means to make wetter.
Example Question #16 : Determining Meaning From Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots
Complete this analogy.
Magic is to magician as history is to __________.
historiography
humanities
scientist
warlock
historian
historian
A “magician” is someone who practices magic, so to solve this analogy, you have to find the word that means someone who studies history, or “historian.” “Magician” and “historian” both have the suffix "-ian," which means type of person. To provide further help, “historiography” is the study of historical practice; a “scientist” is someone who studies science; “humanities” is a broad subject group including history, art, and literature; a “warlock” is a male witch, a wizard.
Example Question #17 : Determining Meaning From Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots
Complete this analogy.
Forward is to backward as up is to __________.
behind
direction
down
movement
straight
down
The suffix "-ward" means having to do with the direction of [adjective or preposition]. Moving "forward" is the opposite of moving "backward," so you need to pick out an answer choice which represents the opposite of "up." "Down" is the opposite of "up," so "down" is the correct answer.
Example Question #1 : Analogies: Determining Meaning From Prefixes
Analogies: Complete this analogy.
Separate is to pull apart as combine is to __________.
set free
put together
agree with
clean up
break away
put together
"Separate" means to divide things or set things or people apart. So, "separate" and "pull apart" are synonyms because they mean the same thing. That means that to solve the analogy, you need to pick out an answer choice that means the same thing as "combine." To "combine" means to put different things together into a single thing. (The prefix "com-" means together.) So, "put together" is the correct answer.
Example Question #1 : Analogies: Determining Meaning From Prefixes
Complete this analogy.
Sense is to nonsense as friendly is to __________.
awesome
unfriendly
nonfriendly
sociable
amiable
unfriendly
The prefix non- negates the meaning of the word that comes after it, so “nonsense” is opposite in meaning to “sense.” Likewise the prefix un- serves a similar purpose, so someone who is “friendly” is opposite to someone who is “unfriendly.” The key to answering this question is to know which prefix is appropriate to use in this individual case. To provide further help, amiable means friendly and sociable.
Example Question #2 : Analogies: Determining Meaning From Prefixes
Complete this analogy.
Submarine is to water as subway is to __________.
carriage
metro
sky
train
ground
ground
The prefix sub- means going under, beneath so a “submarine” is something that travels under water and a “subway” is something that travels underground. The suffix -marine often suggests at a relationship with water.