SSAT Upper Level Verbal : Analogies: Determining Meaning from Type of Relationship

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #16 : Other Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Existential is to existence as terrestrial is to __________.

Possible Answers:

Water 

Sun 

People

Clouds 

Land 

Correct answer:

Land 

Explanation:

Existential means relating to existence, so to solve this analogy you have to determine to what terrestrial is related. That should lead you to the correct answer: of or relating to the land.

Example Question #17 : Other Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Tawdry is to taste as penurious is to __________.

Possible Answers:

Friends 

Athleticism

Happiness

Money 

Intelligence 

Correct answer:

Money 

Explanation:

Tawdry means lacking taste, so to solve this analogy you have to determine what someone who is penurious is lacking. The correct answer is “money.” Penurious means very poor, possessing little property.

Example Question #18 : Other Analogies

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Elephant is to monkey as __________.

Possible Answers:

salmon is to trout

cat is to tabby

giraffe is to grasshopper

trout is to whale

frog is to amphibian

Correct answer:

salmon is to trout

Explanation:

The best choice is "salmon is to trout." The relationship between "elephant" and "monkey" is that they are both mammals. Likewise, a salmon and a trout are both fish. Considering the other choices, "trout is to whale" is incorrect because trouts are fish while whales are mammals. "Giraffe is to grasshopper" is incorrect because, again, a giraffe is a mammal while a grasshopper is an insect. The remaining to choices, "frog is to amphibian" and "cat is to tabby" are incorrect because they are both examples of a respective category (frogs are amphibians and a tabby is a kind of cat).

Example Question #19 : Other Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Verify is to true as __________.

Possible Answers:

encourage is to hearten

suspect is to false

forget is to information

skeleton is to musculature

aspire is to subpar

Correct answer:

suspect is to false

Explanation:

“Verify” is a verb that means make sure that something is true, so one would logically verify something that is true. That means that we need to pick out an answer choice in which the first word is a verb and the second word an adjective that describes a characteristic of the thing one would apply the first verb to. While “suspect is to false” and “forget is to information” might both look like potentially correct answers, “forget is to information” cannot be the correct answer because “information” is a noun, not an adjective. “Suspect,” however, is a verb that when used as a verb, can mean doubt the truth of, so one would logically suspect something that is false, just as one would logically verify something that is true, so “suspect is to false” is the correct answer.

Example Question #21 : Other Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Look-alike is to sight as homophone is to __________.

Possible Answers:

sound

spelling

meaning

taste

smell

Correct answer:

sound

Explanation:

A “look-alike” is defined as someone or something that or who closely resembles another person or thing, so a look-alike resembles someone visually, or through sight. We need to pick out an answer choice that describes what sense or concept a “homophone” is associated with. While “sound,” “spelling,” and “meaning” may each look like a potentially correct answer choice because a “homophone” is a word, “homophone” specifically means one of a pair or group of words that are pronounced in the same way but have different meanings. Homophones sound the same, just as look-alikes are similar in visual appearance, so “sound” is the correct answer.

Example Question #22 : Other Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Water is to ice as magma is to __________.

Possible Answers:

stone

molten

crust

circulating

subterranean

Correct answer:

stone

Explanation:

When water cools, it becomes ice; therefore, this analogy requires that which magma becomes when it cools. Magma is the liquid stone that flows under the earth’s crust. When this cools, it becomes stone again. This is the only option that fits among those provided.

Example Question #23 : Other Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Justice is to scales as __________.

Possible Answers:

peace is to dove

power is to socks

crown is to royalty

sunglasses are to sun

war is to gunfire

Correct answer:

peace is to dove

Explanation:

Since scales are a symbol of the abstract concept of justice, we need to pick out an answer choice in which the second word is a concrete symbol of the abstract concept that the first word represents. While "crown is to royalty" may look like an appealing answer, its words are in the incorrect order (royalty doesn't symbolize a crown—a crown symbolizes royalty), so it can't be the correct answer. A dove is a symbol of peace, however, so "peace is to dove" is the correct answer.

Example Question #24 : Other Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Mourn is to deceased as __________.

Possible Answers:

leaf is to tree

dust is to duster

congratulate is to winner

concrete is to sidewalk

dance is to ballerina 

Correct answer:

congratulate is to winner

Explanation:

Since one mourns someone who is deceased, we need to pick out a pair of words in which the first word represents something you do to/for the second word. While "dance is to ballerina" and "congratulate is to winner" may both look like potentially correct answers, "dance is to ballerina" cannot be correct because you do not "dance ballerinas," but just as you mourn someone who is deceased, you congratulate someone who is a winner. So, "congratulate is to winner" is the correct answer.

Example Question #25 : Other Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Generous is to donation as ancillary is to __________.

Possible Answers:

amenable

aid

servile

audacious

amiable

Correct answer:

aid

Explanation:

A person who is generous is likely to give a donation to some cause. Thus, the analogy could be read as, “As a generous person is likely to give a donation, so something that is ancillary is likely to provide or give X.” The word “ancillary” comes from the Latin “ancilla,” meaning female servant. In English, something "ancillary" is something that provides secondary support or aid to an operation or undertaking. Thus, among the options provided, “aid” is the best.

Example Question #26 : Other Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Tactile is to touch as olfactory is to __________.

Possible Answers:

taste

sight

idea

smell

sound

Correct answer:

smell

Explanation:

“Tactile” is an adjective that means “dealing with the sense of touch” or “perceptible by touch.” So, something that is perceptible via the sense of touch is tactile, and we need to pick out an answer choice that describes with what sense something “olfactory” is perceptible. While all of the potential answer choices except for “idea” are connected with specific senses, “olfactory” is an adjective that means “relating to the sense of smell,” so “smell” is the correct answer.

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