SSAT Middle Level Verbal : Synonyms

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #291 : Identifying Synonyms

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

STIFF

Possible Answers:

Rigid

Boring

Delicious

Selfless

Flexible

Correct answer:

Rigid

Explanation:

"Stiff" means "rigid" or difficult to bend. "Flexible" is an antonym of "rigid"; it means easily changeable or bent. "Delicious" means very tasty. "Boring" means dull or uninteresting. "Selfless" means unselfish or concerned more with others than with oneself.

Example Question #292 : Identifying Synonyms

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

EMACIATED

Possible Answers:

Very clever 

Very efficient 

Very thin 

Very lazy 

Very fat 

Correct answer:

Very thin 

Explanation:

Someone who is "emaciated" is very thin, to the point of being unhealthy, so "very thin" is the correct answer. "Emaciated" is an antonym of "corpulent," "portly" and "fat."

Example Question #293 : Identifying Synonyms

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

IMMACULATE

Possible Answers:

Spotless 

Imperfect 

Zealous 

Vociferous 

Frank 

Correct answer:

Spotless 

Explanation:

"Immaculate" means perfectly clean or perfectly behaved, so "spotless," and adjective that also means perfectly clean, is the correct answer. For clarification, "imperfect" means not perfect, as you might guess from the word's use of the negative prefix "im-." It is an antonym of "immaculate." For further clarification, "frank" means honest, "zealous" means passionate, and "vociferous" means vocal or loud.

Example Question #294 : Identifying Synonyms

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

EMACIATED

Possible Answers:

Sad

Gaunt 

Sensitive

Destroyed

Fibrous 

Correct answer:

Gaunt 

Explanation:

If someone or something is “emaciated” they are very thin and bony. For example, one could write, "After the famine, the farm animals were “emaciated.” “Gaunt” means thin and bony and usually pale. If you say, "His face looked gaunt," you mean it was thin, pale, and bony. To further help you ,“fibrous” means stringy or made of fibres, so chewy meat is “fibrous.” “Sensitive” means easily offended or sympathetic to other people’s feelings

Example Question #295 : Identifying Synonyms

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

STRIDENT

Possible Answers:

Piercing

Extended

Audible

Dull

Faint

Correct answer:

Piercing

Explanation:

“Strident” is an adjective that is often used to mean harsh and loud. So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like loud. That means that “faint” cannot be the correct answer, because “faint” is an adjective that means indistinct or almost imperceptible, making it an antonym, not a synonym, of “strident.” “Audible” cannot be the correct answer either, because while a strident noise is audible (perceptible as sounds via listening), “audible” does not mean the same thing as “strident.” “Piercing,” however, is an adjective that can mean shrill and loud, and because “piercing” is the answer choice closest in meaning to “strident,” “piercing” is the correct answer.

Example Question #296 : Identifying Synonyms

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

LITHE

Possible Answers:

Clumsy

Bright

Graceful

Heavy

Forbidden

Correct answer:

Graceful

Explanation:

"Lithe" means graceful and limber, like a ballerina, so "graceful" is the correct answer.

Example Question #297 : Identifying Synonyms

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

DISCRETE

Possible Answers:

Worrisome

Inopportune

Individual

Muddled

Combined

Correct answer:

Individual

Explanation:

“Discrete” is an adjective that means separate, so we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like distinct. That means that “combined” cannot be the correct answer, because “combined” is an adjective that means merged, making it an antonym, not a synonym, of “discrete.” “Individual,” however, when used as an adjective, means separate, and because “individual” is the answer choice closest in meaning to “discrete,” “individual” is the correct answer.

Example Question #298 : Identifying Synonyms

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

RANCID

Possible Answers:

Fast

Ugly

Gross

Rotten

Sane

Correct answer:

Rotten

Explanation:

"Rancid" most nearly means rotten, as in "The food that had been left out on the counter top was rancid when the Smiths returned from their two-week vacation."

Example Question #301 : Identifying Synonyms

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

FRANGIBLE

Possible Answers:

Breakable

Gross

Shatterproof

Fuzzy

Prickly

Correct answer:

Breakable

Explanation:

“Frangible” is an adjective that means “fragile; brittle,” so we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like “fragile.” That means that “shatterproof” cannot be the correct answer, because “shatterproof” means “made so that it does not break easily and will not form sharp, dangerous pieces if it does break,” making it an antonym, not a synonym, of “frangible.” “Breakable,” however, is an adjective that means “capable of breaking or being broken easily,” and because “breakable” is the answer choice closest in meaning to “frangible,” “breakable” is the correct answer.

Example Question #302 : Identifying Synonyms

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

COMELY

Possible Answers:

Perfect 

boisterous

Imperfect 

Ugly 

Cute 

Correct answer:

Cute 

Explanation:

"Comely" is an adjective that means very cute or attractive, so "cute" is the correct answer. For clarification, "ugly" means aesthetically unpleasant, "imperfect" means having flaws or not perfect, "perfect" means having no flaws or errors, and "boisterous" means loud or unruly.

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