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 #491 : Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship

Complete the analogy:

Mechanic is to car as __________.

Possible Answers:

filmmaker is to movies

driver is to limo

plumber is to toilet

cowboy is to horses

salesman is to car

Correct answer:

plumber is to toilet

Explanation:

Mechanics repair cars. Similarly, "plumbers" fix "toilets."

None of the other analogies have this relationship:

Drivers drive limos but typically do not repair them. Filmmakers make movies. Cowboys ride horses. A salesman sells cars.

Example Question #492 : Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship

Complete the analogy:

Chauffeur is to car as __________.

Possible Answers:

pilot is to plane

oarsman is to steamship

lawyer is to court

painter is to photography

runner is to race

Correct answer:

pilot is to plane

Explanation:

"Chauffeurs" drive "cars" as their occupation. Similarly, "pilots" fly "planes" as their occupation. 

None of the other analogies have this relationship:

A lawyer works in the court, but does not operate the court in the same way that a pilot or a chauffeur operate a plane or a car. Painters paints pictures, while photography is the art of taking pictures with a camera. Runners run races; there are no tools in this analogy. An oarsman rows a boat, but a steamship has no oarsmen as it is steam-powered, thus the oarsman does not operate the steamship as his profession.

Example Question #493 : Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship

Complete this analogy.

Pen is to author as __________.

Possible Answers:

chalk is to teacher

plant is to garden

ornament is to Christmas

hotdog is to bun

mother is to baby

Correct answer:

chalk is to teacher

Explanation:

The correct answer is "chalk is to teacher."

This analogy expresses a user and tool relationship. 

A pen is a tool that an author uses to do his or her job. Therefore, we need to find an identical relationship for the second half of the analogy. 

A teacher uses chalk to perform (specific tasks) his or her job. 

Example Question #494 : Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship

Complete this analogy.

Statistician is to __________ as geologist is to rocks.

Possible Answers:

literature

history

geography

data

romance

Correct answer:

data

Explanation:

A "geologist" is someone who studies rocks, someone who examines rocks. So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these answer choices is studied or examined by a "statistician." A "statistician" is primarily concerned with statistics, or "data." To provide extra help, "data" is facts collected and analyzed.

Example Question #495 : Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship

Complete this analogy.

Mason is to __________ as grocer is to food.

Possible Answers:

money

iron

stone

wood

water

Correct answer:

stone

Explanation:

A "grocer" is someone who sells food, and other household products for a living. So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these is a product made or sold by a "mason." The correct answer is "stone." A "mason" is someone who cuts and shapes stone and marble for a living.

Example Question #496 : Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship

Complete this analogy.

Chiropractic is to __________ as acupuncturist is to needles.

Possible Answers:

sorcery

surgeon

massage

vaccination

hospital

Correct answer:

massage

Explanation:

An "acupuncturist" is someone who uses "needles" to treat a patient. So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these is something at a "chiropractor" might use. Well, a "chiropractor" is someone who treats back problems. So, the correct answer is "massage." Additionally, a "surgeon" is a doctor operates on people; "sorcery" is magic; "vaccination" is inoculation, treating someone with a small amount of a disease to prevent them from contracting a more serious version of the disease.

Example Question #8 : User And Tool

Complete the analogy.

Doctor is to thermometer as __________.

Possible Answers:

screwdriver is to repair

actor is to script

wind is to blow

lion is to prey

singer is to sing

Correct answer:

actor is to script

Explanation:

The correct answer is "actor is to script."

This analogy expresses a user/tool relationship. A doctor uses a thermometer to perform his or her job. An actor uses a script to perform his or her job.

Example Question #9 : User And Tool

Complete this analogy.

Clippers is to barber as _______________.

Possible Answers:

paintbrush is to artist

mattress is to bed

flash is to camera 

computer is to student

picture is to wall

Correct answer:

paintbrush is to artist

Explanation:

The correct answer is "paintbrush is to artist."

This analogy explores the relationship of a tool and the user of the tool. Clippers are used by a barber to perform the task of cutting hair; likewise, a paintbrush is used by an artist to paint.

Example Question #497 : Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Discard is to trash as consume is to __________.

Possible Answers:

emotion 

travel 

sleep 

food 

rebellion

Correct answer:

food 

Explanation:

"Trash" is a noun, and "discard" (which means to throw away) is an action that one typically does with that noun. To complete this analogy, you have to determine which object matches with the action "consume." To "consume" means take in or eat, so the correct answer is “food," because just as one typically discards trash, one typically consumes food.

Example Question #498 : Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship

Complete this analogy.

Teacher is to exam as __________.

Possible Answers:

doctor is to vaccine

patient is to hospital

army is to soldier

quilt is to fabric

pilot is to plane

Correct answer:

doctor is to vaccine

Explanation:

The relationship between "teacher" and "exam" is that a teacher is the person who administers or gives an exam. So, we need to pick out an answer choice in which the first word describes a person who administers or gives the second word. "Doctor is to vaccine" and "Pilot is to plane" may each look like potentially correct answer choices because the first word in each choice is an occupation, but since a pilot does not administer or give a plane, but flies it instead, "pilot is to plane" cannot be the correct answer. Because doctors administer or give vaccines just like teachers administer or give exams, "doctor is to vaccine" is the correct answer.

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