SSAT Elementary Level Verbal : Determining Meaning from Type of Relationship

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #33 : Qualities And Features

Complete this analogy.

Employee is to inferior as __________ is to superior.

Possible Answers:

boss

better

medicine

convict

career

Correct answer:

boss

Explanation:

To begin with it is necessary to define "inferior" and "superior." "Inferior" means worse than, in a lower position than and "superior" means better than, in a higher position than. Also, an "employee" is a worker, someone who works for someone else. If an "employee" is "inferior," which of these could be described as "superior?" The correct answer is "boss." Additionally, a "convict" is a prisoner; "medicine" is something given to cure a sick person; a "career" is a job someone does for a large period of their lives, like teaching or nursing or accounting.

Example Question #34 : Qualities And Features

Complete this analogy.

Antler is to deer as __________ is to elephant.

Possible Answers:

hand

mammoth

feathers

tusk

fin

Correct answer:

tusk

Explanation:

An "antler" is a feature of a "deer." It is the name given to the branched horns on a deer's head. So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these is a feature of an "elephant." The correct answer is "tusk."

Example Question #35 : Qualities And Features

Complete this analogy.

Sugar is to sweet as __________.

Possible Answers:

lime is to sour

soft is to hard

bitter is to lemon 

green is to blue

apple is to red

Correct answer:

lime is to sour

Explanation:

Sugar has the characteristic of being sweet. The only option here that has this same relationship is "lime is to sour," as a lime has the characteristic of being sour. 

A tempting wrong answer is "bitter is to lemon." However, it is incorrect because bitter does not have the characteristic of being a lemon.

Example Question #71 : Qualities, Features, Abilities, And Other Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Thief is to steal as __________.

Possible Answers:

musician is to instrument

charity is to donate

hawk is to talon

room is to house

chef is to cook

Correct answer:

chef is to cook

Explanation:

A thief is someone who steals, so to solve this analogy, we need to pick out an answer choice in which the second word is a verb that the first word, a noun, does. While "donate is to charity" and "chef is to cook" may both look like correct answer choices, a "charity" does not "donate"—people donate to charities. While "chef" and "cook" can be seen as synonyms, "cook" can also be used as a verb meaning to prepare food. So, because chefs cook just as thieves steal, "chef is to cook" is the correct answer.

Example Question #1 : Abilities

Complete this analogy.

Play is to game as eat is to __________.

Possible Answers:

lose 

meal 

nap 

hungry 

drink 

Correct answer:

meal 

Explanation:

A “game” is something that you “play,” so to solve this analogy, you need to determine which of these answer choices is something that you “eat.” The correct answer is a “meal.”

Example Question #2 : Abilities

Complete this analogy.

Boxer is to fighting as vocalist is to __________

Possible Answers:

defending 

singing 

laughing 

dancing 

speaking 

Correct answer:

singing 

Explanation:

“Fighting” is an action associated with “boxers,” so to solve this analogy, you need to determine which answer choice is associated with a “vocalist.” Well, a “vocalist” is someone who sings, so the correct answer is “singing.”

Example Question #3 : Abilities

Complete this analogy.

Butterfly is to flutter as spider is to __________.

Possible Answers:

scary

crawl

fly

swim

spin

Correct answer:

crawl

Explanation:

"Flutter" means flap your wings and hover in the air or fly around. Fluttering is something that butterflies do to move around, so to solve this analogy, you have to determine which of these words is something that spiders do to move around. The correct answer is therefore "crawl." While spiders do "spin" webs, they do not "spin" to move around—"crawl" better describes how they move around.

Example Question #4 : Abilities

Complete the analogy.

Kangaroo is to jump as __________.

Possible Answers:

drive is to car

ride is to bike

lemonade is to drink

baby is to child

lawnmower is to cut

Correct answer:

lawnmower is to cut

Explanation:

One ability of kangaroos is to jump. Since "kangaroo" is first and the ability is second, the answer needs to follow the same format. "Lemonade" is a type of "drink" and "baby" is a type of "child," so these answers can be eliminated. While a car can be driven and a biken can be riden, the order is incorrect. The only answer that fits is that a "lawnmower" can "cut."

Example Question #5 : Abilities

Complete this analogy.

Bark is to dog as __________ is to wolf.

Possible Answers:

puppy

hunt

pack

cat

howl

Correct answer:

howl

Explanation:

"Bark" is the sound made by a "dog," so to solve this analogy you simply need to determine what sound a "wolf" makes. The correct answer is "howl." When solving analogies your first step is always to figure out the relationship between the words in the question - in this case the relationship was the sound a "dog" makes is a "bark," what is the sound a wolf makes?

Example Question #6 : Abilities

Complete this analogy.

Feather is to fly as fin is to __________.

Possible Answers:

bird

breathe

walk

fish

swim

Correct answer:

swim

Explanation:

A "feather" is used by birds to help them to "fly." So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which action is helped by the use of a "fin." Well, a "fin" is part of the body of a fish that is used to help fish to "swim."

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