SSAT Middle Level Verbal : SSAT Middle Level Verbal

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #723 : Analogies

Complete this analogy

Ungainly is to balance as lethargic is to __________.

Possible Answers:

energy 

money

time 

friends 

happiness

Correct answer:

energy 

Explanation:

"Ungainly" means clumsy, so someone who is ungainly lacks balance. To solve this analogy you have to determine which of these answer choices is lacking in someone who is lethargic. "Lethargic" means lazy or very tired, so the correct answer is “energy.”

Example Question #16 : Qualities And Features

Complete this analogy.

Food is to starving as water is to ­__________.

Possible Answers:

eat

liquid 

compound

thirsty 

drink 

Correct answer:

thirsty 

Explanation:

When you are "starving" you eat food, when you are “thirsty” you drink water.

Example Question #724 : Analogies

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Dehydration is to water as scurvy is to __________.

Possible Answers:

Money 

Love 

Paper

Oxygen 

Fruit 

Correct answer:

Fruit 

Explanation:

"Dehydration" is a condition wherein someone or something chronically requires water. So, to solve this analogy, you have to determine what someone suffering from "scurvy" requires. "Scurvy" is a disease commonly experienced by sailors in years gone by, where the affected person becomes unhealthy due to a lack of fruit and vitamins. So, "fruit" is the correct answer.

Example Question #725 : Analogies

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Lethargic is to sleep as emaciated is to __________.

Possible Answers:

Air

Food 

Exercise

Tired 

Water

Correct answer:

Food 

Explanation:

"Lethargic" means tired and in need of sleep, so to solve this analogy, you have to determine what it is that someone who is "emaciated" needs. Someone who is "emaciated" would be very thin and unhealthy, so he or she would require “food.”

Example Question #726 : Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Ice is to frozen as water is to __________.

Possible Answers:

drink 

perspire 

rain 

melted 

snow 

Correct answer:

melted 

Explanation:

"Ice" is water molecules in their frozen state, so to solve this analogy you have to determine what state of matter water molecules are in when we refer to them simply as water. The correct answer is “melted.” For clarification, "perspire" means to sweat.

Example Question #727 : Analogies

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Guile is to sly as gumption is to ___________.

Possible Answers:

capricious 

confident 

sagacious

adamant 

intelligent 

Correct answer:

confident 

Explanation:

Someone who has "guile" is "sly," so to solve this analogy, you have to determine which of the answer choices is a characteristic possessed by someone who has "gumption." If you have "gumption," you possess boldness and confidence, so "confident" is the correct answer. For clarification, "guile" means cunning or sneakiness, "adamant" means insistent or persistent, "capricious" means hard to predict, and "sagacious" means wise.

Example Question #741 : Ssat Middle Level Verbal

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

Winter is to frigid as summer is to __________.

Possible Answers:

glacial 

whet 

cold 

stifling 

frosty 

Correct answer:

stifling 

Explanation:

"Frigid" means very cold and describes temperatures common during "winter." To solve this analogy, you have to determine which of the answer choices describes temperatures common during summer. The correct answer is “stifling,” which means hot and restrictive. For clarification, "whet" means sharpen or stimulate, and "glacial," "frosty," and "cold" are all synonyms of "frigid" and antonyms of "stifling."

Example Question #742 : Ssat Middle Level Verbal

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Fearless is to dread as guileless is to __________

Possible Answers:

cunning 

temerity 

fortitude 

happiness 

eloquence 

Correct answer:

cunning 

Explanation:

“Dread” means fear, and the suffix "-less"­ means without or not having, so someone who is “fearless” is brave and does not dread anything. To solve this analogy, you have to determine which of the answer choices is a characteristic least likely to be found in someone who is “guileless.” “Guile” means cunning, so someone who is “guileless” has no cunning, and "cunning" is the correct answer. None of the other answer choices make sense in the blank: “eloquence” is the ability to speak clearly and intelligently; “temerity” is nerve or audacity; and “fortitude” means strength or perseverance.

Example Question #743 : Ssat Middle Level Verbal

Complete this analogy.

Color is to colorblind as melody is to __________.

Possible Answers:

silent

agile

musical

limping

tone-deaf

Correct answer:

tone-deaf

Explanation:

Someone who is colorblind cannot perceive color, so we need to pick out an answer that describes someone who cannot perceive “melody,” which means either a simple piece of music formed out of a series of notes. “Tone-deaf” is an adjective that is used of a person and means unable to differentiate different musical pitches, so, just as someone who cannot perceive color is colorblind, someone who cannot perceive melody is tone-deaf, making “tone-deaf” the correct answer.

Example Question #744 : Ssat Middle Level Verbal

Complete this analogy.

Caution is to wary as __________.

Possible Answers:

anger is to pacified

slip is to fall

disinterest is to obsessed

cleverness is to sagacious

ambition is to lazy

Correct answer:

cleverness is to sagacious

Explanation:

“Wary” is an adjective that means cautious and on the lookout for danger, so someone is wary if they demonstrate caution. That means that we need to pick out an answer choice in which the first word is a noun conveying a quality, and the second word an adjective describing someone who demonstrates that quality. While “cleverness is to sagacious,” “anger is to pacified,” and “disinterest is to obsessed” may all look like potentially correct answers, “pacify” is a verb that means make less angry, so someone who is pacified is no longer angry, meaning that “anger is to pacified” cannot be the correct answer. Similarly, “obsess” is a verb that means preoccupy, so someone that is obsessed with something is not demonstrating disinterest in that thing, and “disinterest is to obsessed” cannot be the correct answer either. However, someone who is "sagacious" (shrewd) demonstrates cleverness, just as someone who is wary demonstrates caution, so “cleverness is to sagacious” is the correct answer.

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