All SSAT Middle Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Other Specific Terminology
Analogies: Complete this analogy.
Government is to tax as church is to __________.
God
Pious
Devout
Tithe
Nomadic
Tithe
"Tax" is money collected from citizens by the government, so to solve this analogy, you have to determine the name given to the money that a church collects from its members. The correct answer is “tithe.” A tithe is traditionally a ten-percent donation to the church. For clarification, "nomadic" means wandering or without a home, and "devout" and "pious" are synonyms that mean deeply religious.
Example Question #2 : Other Specific Terminology
Analogies: Complete this analogy.
Brother is to fraternal as uncle is to __________.
maternal
paternal
familial
avuncular
sororal
avuncular
"Uncle" is a noun, while "avuncular" is an adjective meaning of, relating to, or characteristic of an uncle. "Brother" is also a noun, while "fraternal" is an adjective meaning of, relating to, or characteristic of a brother. "Familial" means having to do with families, "sororal" means having to do with sisters, "maternal" means having to do with mothers, and paternal means having to do with fathers.
Example Question #2 : Other Specific Terminology
Complete this analogy.
Legal is to law as fiscal is to __________.
money
news
cities
countries
governmental
money
"Legal" is an adjective that means having to do with the law, so we need to pick out a noun that describes what something fiscal is concerned with. Since "fiscal" means having to do with finances, especially of businesses or the government, "governmental" might sound like a good answer; however, "governmental" cannot be correct because it is an adjective and "law" is a noun. So, because fiscal things have to do with money just like legal things have to do with law, "money" is the correct answer.
Example Question #4 : Other Specific Terminology
Analogies: Complete this analogy.
Oceanography is to oceans as geology is to __________.
animals
architecture
space
human history
rocks
rocks
"Oceanography" is the study of oceans and ocean-life, which you can infer from the word being a combination of the word "ocean" and the suffix "-ography," which means the study of. To solve this analogy, you have to determine what "geology" is the study of. The prefix "geo-" in "geography" might help you to pick out the correct answer. "Geo-" means of or relating to the earth, and appears in other words like "geographic" and "geode." It makes sense, then, that "geology" is the study of rocks, so "rocks" is the correct answer.
Example Question #5 : Other Specific Terminology
Analogies: Complete this analogy.
Sun is to solar as moon is to __________.
space
sky
lunar
night
earth
lunar
"Solar" means from or related to the sun, so to solve this analogy, you need to pick out a word that means from or related to the moon. "Lunar" means from or related to the moon, so it is the correct answer.
Example Question #6 : Other Specific Terminology
Complete this analogy.
Solar is to sun as lunar is to __________.
Mars
space
asteroid
moon
planet
moon
"Solar" is an adjective that means either "of, relating to, or determined by the sun," or "relating to or denoting energy derived from the sun's rays." So, "solar" describes things related to the sun, and we need to pick out the answer choice that consists of a noun that "lunar" describes. While all of the answer choices have to do with astronomical phenomena, "lunar" specifically means "of, determined by, relating to, or resembling the moon," so "moon" is the correct answer because just as "solar" describes things that relate to the sun, "lunar" describes things that relate to the moon.
Example Question #3 : Other Specific Terminology
Analogies: Complete this analogy.
Quick is to quickly as fast is to __________.
None of these answers
Slow
Fastly
Fast
Slowly
Fast
"Quick" is an adjective that means fast. "Quickly" is an adverb that means to do something fast. Although "quick" adds an “-ly” when it changes from an adjective to an adverb, "fast" does not; "fast" can be both an adjective and an adverb. So, the correct answer is "fast."
Example Question #8 : Other Specific Terminology
Complete this analogy.
Heresy is to church as sedition is to __________.
aliens
newspapers
charities
government
businesspeople
government
"Heresy" is rebellion against the church, so to solve this analogy, you have to determine which organization "sedition" rebels against. "Sedition" is actions or words intended to incite rebellion against a governmental authority, so the correct answer is the “government.”
Example Question #9 : Other Specific Terminology
Throne is to abdicate as __________.
president is to impeach
offer is to reject
building is to vacate
reject is to offer
position is to resign
position is to resign
“Abdicate” is a verb that means to give up power or responsibility, usually in the context of royalty. Since “throne” is a noun that means a chair occupied by royalty, used to indicate power, we’re looking for a pair of words with an object-verb relationship in which the first word is a role and the second word is a verb that means to give up that role.
“Vacate” is a verb that can mean either to leave or to give up a position. Since “building” is a place and not a position, we can rule out this choice.
“Impeach” is a verb means to charge with misconduct, sometimes forcing an official out of office as a result. Since, in this case, power is taken and not given up, we can rule out this choice.
“Reject” is a verb that means to dismiss as inadequate or to refuse to agree. And since an “offer” is only a proposal and not an actual role, we can rule out this choice.
“Resign” is a verb that means to give up a position.
Of the answer choices, “POSITION is to RESIGN” is the best choice.
Example Question #4 : Other Specific Terminology
Analogies: Complete this analogy.
Heretic is to religion as anarchist is to __________.
nomadic
literature
friendship
government
legislative
government
A heretic is someone who goes against religious orthodoxy or someone who tries to overthrow the established religious order. So, to solve this analogy, you therefore have to determine what it is that an anarchist wishes to overthrow or go against. The correct answer is the “government,” because an "anarchist" is someone who believes in and fights for the abolition of government. While "legislative" might look like a potentially correct answer because the word is used to describe the part of the govenrment dealing with the creation of laws, "religion" is a noun in the example, so we need to pick out an answer that is also a noun, and "legislative" is an adjective.
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