SSAT Middle Level Verbal : Other Specific Terminology

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

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store

Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Other Specific Terminology

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Government is to tax as church is to __________.

Possible Answers:

God

Pious 

Devout 

Tithe 

Nomadic 

Correct answer:

Tithe 

Explanation:

"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 __________.

Possible Answers:

maternal

paternal

familial

avuncular

sororal

Correct answer:

avuncular

Explanation:

"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 __________.

Possible Answers:

money

news

cities

countries

governmental

Correct answer:

money

Explanation:

"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 __________.

Possible Answers:

animals 

architecture

space 

human history 

rocks 

Correct answer:

rocks 

Explanation:

"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 __________.

Possible Answers:

space 

sky 

lunar 

night 

earth

Correct answer:

lunar 

Explanation:

"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 __________.

Possible Answers:

Mars

space

asteroid

moon

planet

Correct answer:

moon

Explanation:

"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 __________.

Possible Answers:

None of these answers 

Slow 

Fastly 

Fast 

Slowly 

Correct answer:

Fast 

Explanation:

"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 __________.

Possible Answers:

aliens

newspapers 

charities

government 

businesspeople

Correct answer:

government 

Explanation:

"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 __________.

Possible Answers:

president is to impeach

offer is to reject

building is to vacate

reject is to offer

position is to resign

Correct answer:

position is to resign

Explanation:

“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 __________.

Possible Answers:

nomadic

literature 

friendship

government 

legislative 

Correct answer:

government 

Explanation:

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.

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors