SSAT Middle Level Verbal : Suffixes

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #3 : Suffixes From Greek

Analogies: Fill in the blank(s) to complete this analogy. 

Chronophobia is to time as panphobia is to __________.

Possible Answers:

sleep 

everything 

space 

breakfast 

nothing 

Correct answer:

everything 

Explanation:

The suffix -phobia means related to a fear, and the prefix chrono- means time so “chronophobia” means fear of time, or fear of the passage of time. To solve this analogy you therefore need to determine what “panphobia” is the fear of. The prefix pan- means everything, everywhere, so the word “panphobia” means fear of everything.

Example Question #4 : Suffixes From Greek

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Ergophobia is to work as arachnophobia is to __________.

Possible Answers:

insects

fire

spiders

loneliness

flying

Correct answer:

spiders

Explanation:

The suffix -phobia means related to fear, and the prefix ergo- means related to work, so “ergophobia” is a fear of work. To solve this analogy you need to determine what “arachnophobia” is the fear of. The prefix arach- means related to spiders, so the correct answer is fear of “spiders.”

Example Question #41 : Suffixes

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Ecclesiophobia is to church as pharmaphobia is to __________

Possible Answers:

Drugs

Knowledge

Politics 

People

Teenagers

Correct answer:

Drugs

Explanation:

The suffix "-phobia" means fear of. The root "ecclesi" means related to Christianity and its church, as seen in “ecclesiastical,” so “ecclesiophobia” is fear of the Christian church. To solve this analogy, you have to determine what "pharmaphobia" is a fear of. You may notice that "pharma" is also contained in the word "pharmacy," which is a place where you purchase drugs. The root "pharma" means related to drugs or medicine, and "pharmaphobia" is the fear of drugs.

Example Question #6 : Suffixes From Greek

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Ergophobia is to work as pyrophobia is to __________

Possible Answers:

Sunlight 

Fire 

Wolves 

Darkness 

Lightning 

Correct answer:

Fire 

Explanation:

The suffix "-phobia" means fear of and the root "ergo" means having to do with work, so the word "ergophobia" means the fear of work. To solve the analogy, you need to pick out the answer choice that is the thing that someone with "pyrophobia" is afraid of. The root "pyro" means having to do with fire, as seen in “pyromaniac” or “pyrotechnic.” Someone who suffers from “pyrophobia” therefore is someone who is afraid of fire, making "fire" the correct answer.

Example Question #7 : Suffixes From Greek

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Anglophone is to English as francophone is to __________

Possible Answers:

Finnish 

Chinese 

telephone 

French 

Spanish 

Correct answer:

French 

Explanation:

The suffix "-phone" means related to language or speaking and the prefix ­"anglo-" means related to England or the English. An “Anglophone” is an English speaker and a “Francophone” is a French speaker. The prefix "franco-" means related to France or the French. So, "French" is the correct answer.

Example Question #101 : Analogies

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Andocentric is to men as geocentric is to __________

Possible Answers:

ocean 

women 

children 

Earth 

sun 

Correct answer:

Earth 

Explanation:

The prefix "ando-" means related to men, so in this instance, the word “andocentric” means having a world view centered around men and masculine ways of viewing things. “Geocentric” means having to do with an astronomical model that centers around the preeminence of the Earth. The prefix "geo-­" means related to the Earth. So, the correct answer is "Earth."

Example Question #51 : Determining Meaning From Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Hippophile is to horses as Grecophile is to __________

Possible Answers:

giraffes

Greece

gold

gardening 

monsters 

Correct answer:

Greece

Explanation:

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 #52 : Determining Meaning From Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Psychology is to mind as geology is to __________

Possible Answers:

literature 

people

ocean currents 

rocks 

current events 

Correct answer:

rocks 

Explanation:

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 #53 : Determining Meaning From Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Dermatology is to skin as optometry is to __________

Possible Answers:

eyes

hair 

brain 

hands 

heart 

Correct answer:

eyes

Explanation:

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 #41 : Suffixes

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Luddite is to technophobe as memoir is to __________.

Possible Answers:

protagonist

narrative

antagonist

technophile

account

Correct answer:

account

Explanation:

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-

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