SSAT Middle Level Verbal : Example and Category

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #21 : Part/Whole, Part/Part, Example/Category, And Cause/Effect

Xylophone is to instrument as __________.

Possible Answers:

lock is to key

wax is to candle

game is to chess

pear is to fruit

cloud is to sky

Correct answer:

pear is to fruit

Explanation:

A xylophone is an example of an instrument, so we need to pick out an answer choice that consists of two nouns, where the first is an example of the second. While “pear is to fruit” and “game is to chess” might each look like a potentially correct answer, “game” is not an example of a “chess,” so “game is to chess” cannot be the correct answer. A pear is an example of a fruit, however, just as a xylophone is an example of an instrument, so “pear is to fruit” is the correct answer.

Example Question #22 : Part/Whole, Part/Part, Example/Category, And Cause/Effect

Analogies: Complete this analogy. 

Scull is to boat as hamlet is to __________.

Possible Answers:

Lake 

Carriage 

Mountain 

Town 

Forest 

Correct answer:

Town 

Explanation:

A scull is a small boat, so to solve this analogy you have to determine which of the answer choices is a bigger version of a hamlet. A hamlet is a small community, like a village, so the correct answer is “town.”

Example Question #1 : Example And Category

Complete this analogy.

Virtue is to honesty as vice is to __________.

Possible Answers:

consideration

mendacity 

generosity 

kindness 

intelligence 

Correct answer:

mendacity 

Explanation:

A "virtue" is a good or righteous attribute in a person, and a "vice" is the opposite, a negative or bad attribute in a person. "Honesty" is a example of a virtue, so to solve this analogy you have to determine which of these answer choices is an example of a vice. "Mendacity" means dishonesty and is the best example of a vice that is available.

Example Question #2 : Example And Category

Complete this analogy.

Vermillion is to red as lavender is to ­__________.

Possible Answers:

dark 

light 

hue 

purple 

shade 

Correct answer:

purple 

Explanation:

"Vermillion" is a shade of red, so to solve this analogy you have to determine into which color lavender can be categorized. The correct answer is “purple.” For clarification, "shade" and "hue" are synonyms of one another.

Example Question #1 : Example And Category

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Crimson is to red as teal is to ­­­__________.

Possible Answers:

Hue 

Color 

Pink

Blue 

Shade 

Correct answer:

Blue 

Explanation:

Crimson is a shade of red, so to solve this analogy, you have to determine a color of which teal is a shade. Teal is a bluish-green color, so "blue" is the correct answer.

Example Question #3 : Example And Category

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Dalmatian is to dog as lynx is to __________.

Possible Answers:

Cat

Fish 

Tree

Elephant 

Lion 

Correct answer:

Cat

Explanation:

A "Dalmatian" is a type of "dog," so to solve this analogy, you have to determine what type of animal a "lynx" is. A lynx is a type of wild cat, so "cat" is the correct answer. While "lion" might look like a potentially correct answer because, like a lynx, a lion is a type of wild cat, "lion" cannot be the correct choice for this very reason. If the model relationship in the analogy were "Dalmation is to dachshund," then "lion" would be the correct answer, but because the second word of the model relationship is "dog," the category into which "dalmation" fits, "cat," the category into which "lynx" fits, is the correct answer.

Example Question #2 : Example And Category

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Judaism is to religion as socialism is to __________.

Possible Answers:

capitalism 

practical 

religious 

government 

democracy 

Correct answer:

government 

Explanation:

Judaism is a type of religion, so to solve this analogy, you have to determine what category socialism falls into. The correct answer is “government,” as socialism is a political system of communal ownership.

Example Question #3 : Example And Category

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Cockatoo is to bird as __________.

Possible Answers:

frog is to amphibian

plant is to animal

whale is to fish

sky is to bird

mammal is to dolphin

Correct answer:

frog is to amphibian

Explanation:

The relationship between "cockatoo" and "bird" is that a cockatoo is a type of bird. Likewise, a "frog" is a type of "amphibian." One choice that may seem similar is "whale is to fish," but whales are not fish; they are mammals. Therefore, there is no relationship between "whale" and "fish." The choice "mammal is to dolphin" shares the same relationship as a "dolphin" is a type of mammal, but the order of the words is category to example instead of example to category, as it is worded in the question. Therefore, "mammal is to dolphin" is an inappropriate choice. The relationship between "bird" and "sky" is that birds fly in the sky. The relationship between "plant" and "animal" is unclear. 

Example Question #4 : Example And Category

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Scarlet is to red as cerulean is to __________.

Possible Answers:

orange 

yellow 

black 

blue 

green 

Correct answer:

blue 

Explanation:

“Scarlet” is a type or shade of red, or a bright red color. “Cerulean” is a type or shade of blue specifically meaning of the color blue of the sky.

Example Question #7 : Example And Category

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Mouse is to rodent as possum is to __________.

Possible Answers:

marsupial

pest

squirrel

cat

soup

Correct answer:

marsupial

Explanation:

“Mice” belong to the group “rodent,” which include gnawing animals that have constantly growing incisors. A “possum” belongs to the group “marsupial,” which include animals that carry their babies in a pouch over the stomach. To further help you, a "pest" is something that is a nuissance.

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