All SSAT Middle Level Verbal Resources
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.
shoe
table
wood
hat
metal
table
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 __________.
electricity
narratives
water
cold
guidance
electricity
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.
shoes
clocks
paintings
furniture
weapons
shoes
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.
cliff
iceberg
cloud
forest
house
cliff
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 __________.
telescope
huge
garrulous
astronomy
macroscope
telescope
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 __________.
travel
supplant
automobile
rescue
machine
travel
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 __________.
handle
painted
paint
painting
painter
painted
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 __________.
sail
air
ice
box
quilt
quilt
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 __________.
travel
maintain
machine
automobile
technology
travel
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 __________.
as bat is to baseball
comb is to hair
wire is to chain-link fence
pen is to writer
feather is to bird
comb is to hair
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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