SSAT Middle Level Verbal : Synonyms: Verbs

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #181 : Synonyms: Verbs

Synonyms: Choose the answer that most closely matches the word in capital letters.

ENVELOP

Possible Answers:

Loop

Discard

Enjoyable

Stationary

Surround

Correct answer:

Surround

Explanation:

"Envelop" means to wrap up or cover. "Surround" is the right choice, as it means to enclose, encompass, or encircle

Example Question #182 : Synonyms: Verbs

Synonyms: Select the word or phrase whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.

LOLL

Possible Answers:

Droop 

Funny 

Lull

Drake 

Drop 

Correct answer:

Droop 

Explanation:

If something “lolls,” then it hangs loosely. This is similar in meaning to “droop,” which means to sag or hang loosely. To clarify the other terms, a "lull" is a period of inactivity; a “drake” is a male duck.

Example Question #183 : Synonyms: Verbs

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

ABATE

Possible Answers:

Concise

Burn

Spin

Power

Diminish

Correct answer:

Diminish

Explanation:

"Abate" means to lessen or make less severe, so "diminish" is the best option. One might write, "When the two children were arguing, the return of their mother immediately abated the situation, as neither wanted to upset her with their yelling."

Example Question #184 : Synonyms: Verbs

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

MINCE

Possible Answers:

Prevent

Amalgamate

Yelp

Dice

Return

Correct answer:

Dice

Explanation:

“Mince” is a verb that is often used to refer to meat and means grind up into small pieces, but it can also mean walk too fastidiously with tiny steps; so, we need to pick out a verb that means something like make into small pieces or walk fastidiously. So, that means that “amalgamate” cannot be the correct answer, because “amalgamate” is a verb that means unite multiple things into one thing, making it an antonym, not a synonym, of “mince.” “Dice,” however, when used as a verb, can mean cut up into tiny cubes, and because “dice” is the answer choice closest in meaning to “mince,” “dice” is the correct answer.

Example Question #185 : Synonyms: Verbs

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

PILFER

Possible Answers:

Steal

Punch

Explain

Challenge

Poison

Correct answer:

Steal

Explanation:

"Pilfer" means steal, so "steal" is the correct answer.

Example Question #186 : Synonyms: Verbs

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

ENCUMBER

Possible Answers:

Allay

Restriction

Hamper

Dovetail

Alleviate

Correct answer:

Hamper

Explanation:

"Encumber" is a verb that means "restrict or burden someone or something in such a way that free action or movement is difficult," so we need to find another word that means something like "burden." While "restriction" might look like a good answer because "restriction" and "encumbrance" are synonymous, "restriction" is a noun and "encumber" is a verb, so "restriction" cannot be the right answer. However, "hamper," when used as a verb, means ": to slow the movement, progress, or action of someone or something." Because "hamper" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "encumber," "hamper" is the correct answer.

Example Question #187 : Synonyms: Verbs

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

PARTITION

Possible Answers:

Conjoin

Separate

Embellish

Participate

Scare

Correct answer:

Separate

Explanation:

“Partition” is a word that can be used as a noun or a verb, but because all of the answer choices can be used as verbs, we will need to consider “partition” as a verb. When used as a verb, “partition” means “divide into parts,” so we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like “divide.” That means that “conjoin” cannot be the correct answer, because “conjoin” means “join; combine,” making it an antonym, not a synonym, of “partition.” “Separate,” however, is a word that when used as a verb can mean “cause to move or be apart” or “form a distinction or boundary between two things,” and because “separate” is the answer choice closest in meaning to “partition,” “separate” is the correct answer.

Example Question #188 : Synonyms: Verbs

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

JOSTLE

Possible Answers:

Leap

Stampede

Shove

Twirl

Position

Correct answer:

Shove

Explanation:

“Jostle” is a verb that means either “push, elbow, or bump against (someone) roughly, typically in a crowd” or when used in the phrase “jostle for,“ “struggle or compete forcefully for.” So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like “push roughly” or something like “compete forcefully for.” While “leap” and “twirl” might each look like a potentially correct answer because each verb describes a movement a person might make, and “jostle” also describes a movement, neither “leap” nor “twirl” means the same thing as “jostle,” so neither can be the correct answer. “Shove,” however, is a verb that means “push (someone or something) roughly,” and because “shove” is the answer choice closest in meaning to “jostle,” “shove” is the correct answer.

Example Question #189 : Synonyms: Verbs

Synonyms: Select the one word or phrase whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.

DILUTE

Possible Answers:

Weaken 

Insinuate

Strengthen 

Shorten 

Elongate 

Correct answer:

Weaken 

Explanation:

If you "dilute" something, you make it weaker, so "weaken" is the correct answer. For clarification, "strengthen" means make stronger, "insinuate" means imply or suggest, and "elongate" means to make longer and is an antonym of "shorten," which means to make shorter.

Example Question #190 : Synonyms: Verbs

Synonyms: Select the one word or phrase whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.

DOUSE

Possible Answers:

Flee

Gather

Baffle

Soak

Display

Correct answer:

Soak

Explanation:

"Douse" means to pour liquid on something, so "soak" is the correct answer. "Flee" means to run away or to escape. "Baffle" means to confuse. "Display" means to show. "Gather" means to come together or to collect.

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