SSAT Middle Level Verbal : Determining Meaning from Type of Relationship

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Tool/Use, User/Tool, Actor/Action, Product/Producer, And Subject/Object

Complete this analogy.

Carpenter is to __________ as blacksmith is to sword.

Possible Answers:

shoe

table

wood

hat

metal

Correct answer:

table

Explanation:

A "blacksmith" is someone who shapes iron and other metals for a job. A "sword" is something that is produced by a "blacksmith," so to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these is something that is produced by a "carpenter." Well, a "carpenter" is someone who shapes wood into furniture for a job. So, the correct answer is "table."

Example Question #4 : Tool/Use, User/Tool, Actor/Action, Product/Producer, And Subject/Object

Complete this analogy.

Furnace is to heat as generator is to __________.

Possible Answers:

electricity

narratives

water

cold

guidance

Correct answer:

electricity

Explanation:

The purpose of a "furnace" is to provide "heat." So, to solve this analogy you need to determine what the purpose of a "generator" is. Well, a "generator" generates "electricity," so this is the correct answer.

Example Question #5 : Tool/Use, User/Tool, Actor/Action, Product/Producer, And Subject/Object

Complete this analogy.

Cobbler is to __________ as legislator is to laws.

Possible Answers:

shoes

clocks

paintings

furniture

weapons

Correct answer:

shoes

Explanation:

A "legislator" is someone who works in government and makes "laws." So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these is an item made by a "cobbler." The correct answer is that "cobblers" make "shoes."

Example Question #461 : Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship

Complete this analogy.

Crater is to collision as __________ is to erosion.

Possible Answers:

cliff

iceberg

cloud

forest

house

Correct answer:

cliff

Explanation:

A "crater" is a hole in the ground formed by the impact of a meteor with the surface of a planet. A "crater" is therefore formed by a "collision." So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these is formed by "erosion." Well, "erosion" is the process of wearing something down through constant exposure to wind and water. "Cliffs" are formed by "erosion."

Example Question #1 : Tool And Use

Complete this analogy.

Small is to microscope as big is to ­__________.

Possible Answers:

telescope

huge 

garrulous 

astronomy 

macroscope 

Correct answer:

telescope

Explanation:

A "microscope" is a piece of machinery used to look at the small world, so to solve this analogy you have to identify the name of the machine used to look at the much larger world. The correct answer is “telescope.” The prefix, micro­-, means small, and the prefix, macro­-, means big; however in this instance you use the prefix, tele-, which means at a distance or far away. For clarification, "garrulous" means talkative.

Example Question #1 : Tool And Use

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Bed is to rest as car is to __________.

Possible Answers:

travel 

supplant

automobile

rescue 

machine 

Correct answer:

travel 

Explanation:

A bed is an object which is used to fulfill the action of resting. So, to solve this analogy you have to identify which of these answer choices is an action intended to be undertaken in a car. The correct answer is “travel.” For clarification, "automobile" means car, and "supplant" means to replace.

Example Question #1 : Tool And Use

Complete this analogy.

Shovel is to dug as paintbrush is to __________.

Possible Answers:

handle

painted

paint

painting

painter

Correct answer:

painted

Explanation:

One might use a shovel to dig something, and "dug" is the past tense of "dig," so we need to pick out a word that both a.) is a verb describing what someone might do with a paintbrush and b.) is in the past tense. While "paint," "painter," "painted" and "painting" may all seem like potentially correct answers, "paint" is either a noun or a present-tense verb, "painter" a noun meaning a person who paints, and "painting" a present progressive verb, so the only answer choice that fulfills both our requirements is "painted."

Example Question #462 : Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship

Complete this analogy.

Table is to tablecloth as person is to __________.

Possible Answers:

sail

air

ice

box

quilt

Correct answer:

quilt

Explanation:

A tablecloth covers a table, so we need to pick out an answer choice that describes something that covers and protects a person. While “quilt” and “sail” might each look like a potentially correct answer, because each refers to a piece of cloth, a “sail” is specifically the piece of cloth that catches the wind on a sailboat and propels it and does not necessarily cover and protect a person. A “quilt,” however, is defined as a large sewn covering used on beds made up of many small pieces of cloth joined together over a layer of padding and a back layer of cloth. Just as a tablecloth covers a table, a quilt is made to cover a person, so “quilt” is the correct answer.

Example Question #3 : Tool And Use

Complete this analogy.

Phone is to communicate as car is to __________.

Possible Answers:

travel 

maintain 

machine 

automobile 

technology 

Correct answer:

travel 

Explanation:

A phone allows one to communicate, so to solve this analogy, you have to determine what it is that a car allows one to do. The correct answer is "travel." 

Example Question #4 : Tool And Use

Complete the analogy:

Toothbrush is to mouth as __________.

Possible Answers:

as bat is to baseball

comb is to hair

wire is to chain-link fence

pen is to writer

feather is to bird

Correct answer:

comb is to hair

Explanation:

We use "toothbrushes" in our "mouths." We use "combs" in our "hair." The relationship is tool to body part. None of the other analogies have this relationship.

Bats are used in baseball, but humans do not have baseballs as parts of their body. Chain-link fence is composed of wire, but neither word is related to a body part. Writers use pens but writers are not a body part. Feather is a body part of a bird, but bird is not a part of the human body.

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