SSAT Middle Level Verbal : Determining Meaning from Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SSAT Middle Level Verbal
All SSAT Middle Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #12 : Suffixes From Greek
Complete this analogy.
Pressure is to barometer as temperature is to __________.
odometer
altimeter
audiometer
micrometer
thermometer
thermometer
The suffix "-meter" means related to measurement. A “barometer” is an instrument used to measure pressure, since the prefix "bar-" means related to pressure. To solve this analogy, you have to determine which of the answer choices is the name of an instrument that measures temperature. The correct answer is a “thermometer"; if you did not know this, you could use the prefix "thermo-" as a context clue, as "thermo-" means having to do with heat and temperature. To provide further help, an “odometer” is the instrument found in a car that measures how many miles the car has travelled; an “altimeter” is an instrument that measures height; a “micrometer” is a device that measures very small distances; an “audiometer” is a device that measures the loudness of noise.
Example Question #13 : Suffixes From Greek
Complete this analogy.
Anglophile is to England as Grecophile is to __________.
Greece
English
Greek
German
Love
Greece
The suffix -phile means love and the prefix Anglo- means related to England or the English. So Anglophile describes someone who loves the English. To solve this analogy, you have to determine which country a Grecophile loves. You might have guessed, based on the first few letters, that the correct answer is “Greece.” It is Greece, the country, not Greek, the nationality, because the word "England" was used in the first comparison, not "English."
Example Question #21 : Suffixes From Greek
Complete this analogy.
Bibliophile is to books as zoophile is to ___________.
parties
circuses
humans
monkeys
animals
animals
The suffix "-phile" means lover of and the prefix "bibl-" means related to books, so we can see that “bibliophile” means a lover of books. To solve this analogy, you need to determine what a “zoophile” is a lover of. The correct answer is “animals.” The prefix "zoo-" means related to animals, so whenever you see it in a word, it is reasonable to assume that the word will have something to do with animals.
Example Question #22 : Suffixes From Greek
Complete this analogy.
Introvert is to extrovert as underpopulated is to __________.
unpopulated
depopulated
repopulated
populated
overpopulated
overpopulated
“Introvert” and “extrovert” are antonyms; they are complete opposites of each other. We can tell this from their prefixes, "intro-," which means having to do with the inside of something, and "extro-," which means having to do with the outside of something. An “introvert” is someone who keeps to themselves, while an “extrovert” likes to be outgoing. This tells us that we should look for the opposite of “underpopulated.” The opposite of "under-" (not enough) is "over-" (too much), so the answer is “overpopulated.” Similarly, “depopulated” means the opposite of “repopulated” just as “unpopulated” means the opposite of “populated.” To help, a place which is “populated” has people living on or in it; for example New York is populated.
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All SSAT Middle Level Verbal Resources
