All SSAT Middle Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #5 : Cause And Effect
Complete this analogy.
Pacify is to calm as provoke is to __________.
angry
wistful
asleep
distracted
overjoyed
angry
Since "pacify" is a verb that means "to cause someone who is angry or upset to become calm or quiet," if you pacify someone, they become calm. So, we need to pick out a word that describes the emotional state of a person after they are provoked. While all of the answer choices represent emotional states, since "provoke" means "to cause a person or animal to become angry or violent," "angry" is the correct answer.
Example Question #6 : Cause And Effect
Complete this analogy.
Iterate is to redundant as interrupt is to __________.
rude
playful
crafty
shy
angry
rude
“Iterate” is a verb that means “perform or utter repeatedly,” and “redundant” an adjective that means either “not or no longer needed or useful,” or when referring to words or data, “able to be left out without loss of meaning.” So, if one iterates too much, one might be perceived as being redundant. So, we need to pick out an answer choice that describes how one might be perceived if one interrupts too much. “Interrupt” is a verb that means “stop the continuous progress” or “to stop someone speaking by saying or doing something.” So, one might logically be perceived as being “rude” (“offensively impolite or ill-mannered”) if one interrupts the conversations of others too much. So, because if one interrupts too much one might be perceived as rude, just as if iterates too much one might be perceived as redundant, “rude” is the correct answer.
Example Question #71 : Part/Whole, Part/Part, Example/Category, And Cause/Effect
Complete this analogy.
Sick is to doctor as lonely is to __________.
healthy
defame
friend
lonesome
ecstatic
friend
When you are suffering with sickness you go to a doctor, so to solve this analogy you have to determine to whom you go when you are suffering from loneliness. The correct answer is “friend.” For clarification, "lonesome" means lonely; "defame" means speak negatively about, slander; "ecstatic" means very happy.
Example Question #72 : Part/Whole, Part/Part, Example/Category, And Cause/Effect
Complete this analogy.
Sneeze is to ill as snore is to __________.
sleeping
pillow
nighttime
tired
nose
sleeping
Someone who is ill might sneeze, so we need to pick out another word that represents the state of someone who might snore. While "tired" and "sleeping" might both look like good options, one only snores if they are sleeping, not if they are tired, so "sleeping" is the correct answer.
Example Question #73 : Part/Whole, Part/Part, Example/Category, And Cause/Effect
Complete this analogy.
Amity is to friends as rivalry is to __________.
teammates
coworkers
bitter
sports
competitors
competitors
"Amity" is a word that means a feeling of friendship, so just as friends feel amity, we need to pick out a word that represents the people who might feel rivalry toward one another. While "competitors" and "teammates" are all words representing people, "competitors" is the best answer, because "competitor" is synonymous with rival, so competitors feel rivalry toward one another.
Example Question #74 : Part/Whole, Part/Part, Example/Category, And Cause/Effect
Complete this analogy.
Rain is to flood as heat is to __________.
fireplace
dry
fire
hot
inundation
fire
Because floods can be caused by too much rain, we're looking for a word that describes something that can be caused by too much heat. While "inundation" may look like a good answer, "inundation" is a noun meaning "flood," so it can't be the correct answer. "Fire" and "dry" may both look like good answers, but "dry" can't be the correct answer because it is an adjective and there were no adjectives in our model pair of words. Since too much heat can cause a fire, just like too much rain can cause a flood, "fire" is the correct answer.
Example Question #71 : Part/Whole, Part/Part, Example/Category, And Cause/Effect
Complete this analogy.
Grin is to happiness as grimace is to __________.
delight
disgust
surprise
confusion
alarm
disgust
A grimace is most similar to a frown, but indicates a high level of distaste or disgust. As one smiles or grins when he/she feels happiness, one might grimace when he/she feels disgust. Delight is another emotion that would be signaled facially with a grin. All the other emotions could be signaled with facial expressions, but they would not be a grimace.
Example Question #71 : Part/Whole, Part/Part, Example/Category, And Cause/Effect
Complete this analogy.
Molten is to liquid as evaporated is to __________.
atom
solid
gas
fluid
matter
gas
"Molten" means turned into "liquid" using heat. So, to solve this analogy you need to determine what it is that "evaporation" does. The correct answer is that to be "evaporated" is to be turned into "gas" using heat. Additionally, "fluid" is another word for "liquid"; an "atom" is a basic unit of matter, what everything is made of.
Example Question #75 : Part/Whole, Part/Part, Example/Category, And Cause/Effect
Complete this analogy.
Failure is to displeasing as affection is to __________.
confusing
comforting
lifeless
annoying
creative
comforting
It is a quality of "failure" that it is "displeasing" (upsetting, not pleasing). So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these is a quality of "affection" (love, fondness, caring and liking). The correct answer is that it would usually be "comforting."
Example Question #71 : Part/Whole, Part/Part, Example/Category, And Cause/Effect
Complete the analogy.
Study is to honor roll as _____________.
rain is to flooding
car is to drive
barista is to coffee shop
branch is to tree
coat is to winter
rain is to flooding
The correct answer is "rain is to flooding."
This analogy shows a cause/effect relationship. Studying is the cause of being on the honor roll (effect). Rain is the cause of flooding (effect).
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