All SSAT Middle Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #41 : Suffixes
Analogies: Complete this analogy.
Hippophile is to horses as Grecophile is to __________.
giraffes
gold
gardening
Greece
monsters
Greece
A “hippophile” is a lover of horses. The prefix "hippo-" is taken from Greek and means related to horses. To solve this analogy, you have to determine what a “Grecophile” is loves. The correct answer is “Greece.” The prefix "Greco-" means related to Greece or the Greek people.
Example Question #11 : Suffixes From Greek
Analogies: Complete this analogy.
Psychology is to mind as geology is to __________.
rocks
current events
ocean currents
literature
people
rocks
The suffix "-ology" means the study of and the prefix “psych-” means related to the mind, so “psychology” is the study of the human mind. To solve this analogy, you have to determine of what “geology” is the study. The correct answer is "rocks," because the prefix "geo-" means related to the Earth or things that come from the Earth, like rocks, making "geology" the study of rocks and minerals and the physical history of the Earth.
Example Question #14 : Suffixes From Greek
Analogies: Complete this analogy.
Dermatology is to skin as optometry is to __________.
heart
hair
eyes
hands
brain
eyes
The prefix derma- means related to skin, so “dermatology” is medicine focused around skin-treatment. To solve this analogy you need to determine which part of the body is covered by “optometry.” The prefix opt- means to do with sight or looking so “optometry” is medicine focused around eyesight or “eyes.”
Example Question #43 : Suffixes
Analogies: Complete this analogy.
Luddite is to technophobe as memoir is to __________.
narrative
technophile
account
antagonist
protagonist
account
A “luddite” is a name given to someone who is fearful or distrusting of new technology. The prefix techno- means related to technology, and the suffix -phobe means someone who fears. So a “technophobe” means the same thing as a “luddite.” To solve this analogy you need to determine the best available synonym for “memoir.” The prefix mem- is related to memory, recalling the past so a “memoir” is an account of what took place in one person’s past. As such, it is closest in meaning to an “account.” You might have picked “narrative;” however that more closely means story and suggests fiction, whereas an “account” is a telling of something that has happened. To provide further help, a “technophile” loves new technology; a “protagonist” is a hero and an “antagonist” is a villain, observe the relationship between the prefixes pro- and anti-.
Example Question #12 : Suffixes From Greek
Analogies: Complete this analogy.
Astronomy is to space as gastronomy is to __________.
air
atmosphere
volcanoes
earth
food
food
The suffix -onomy usually means the study of, and the prefix astro- means related to space, so “astronomy” is the study of space. To solve this analogy you need to determine what “gastronomy” is the study of. The prefix gastro- means related to food or digestion, so “gastronomy” is the study of food.
Example Question #52 : Determining Meaning From Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots
Analogies: Complete this analogy.
Autocracy is to dictator as oligarchy is to __________.
representatives
aristocrats
monarchs
democrats
technocrats
aristocrats
An “autocracy” is a government ruled by one man, a government ruled by a dictator. A “dictator” is someone who has absolute control over a group of people. The prefix auto- usually means self, and so an “autocracy” is rule by one-self. The prefix dic- means say, command, so a “dictator” is someone who says and commands the rules of a country. To solve this analogy you have to determine what system of government an “oligarchy” is, and also who would be likely to run the government. The prefix olig- means few, or little, so an “oligarchy” is rule by a select wealthy few. This tells us that an “oligarchy” is ruled by “aristocrats.” If it was not yet clear, the suffixes -crat and -cracy mean rule, power. To provide further help, a “monarch” is a king or queen; a “representative” is someone tasked with representing the will of the people in government; a “technocrat” is someone who rules through technology.
Example Question #13 : Suffixes From Greek
Analogies: Complete this analogy.
Anthropology is to man as climatology is to __________.
Climbing
Viruses
Amphibians
Climate
Hormones
Climate
The root "anthro-" means related to mankind and the suffix "-ology" means the study of, so “anthropology” is the study of man. To solve this analogy, you have to determine what “climatology” is the study of. The correct answer is "climate." None of the other answer choices make sense in the blank as they have nothing to do with climate.
Example Question #14 : Suffixes From Greek
Complete this analogy.
Pressure is to barometer as temperature is to __________.
micrometer
odometer
audiometer
thermometer
altimeter
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 #112 : Analogies
Complete this analogy.
Anglophile is to England as Grecophile is to __________.
German
English
Greek
Greece
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 #111 : Analogies
Complete this analogy.
Bibliophile is to books as zoophile is to ___________.
animals
parties
circuses
monkeys
humans
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.
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