All SSAT Upper Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #16 : Other Analogies
Complete this analogy.
Existential is to existence as terrestrial is to __________.
Water
Sun
People
Clouds
Land
Land
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 __________.
Friends
Athleticism
Happiness
Money
Intelligence
Money
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 __________.
salmon is to trout
cat is to tabby
giraffe is to grasshopper
trout is to whale
frog is to amphibian
salmon is to trout
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 __________.
encourage is to hearten
suspect is to false
forget is to information
skeleton is to musculature
aspire is to subpar
suspect is to false
“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 __________.
sound
spelling
meaning
taste
smell
sound
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 __________.
stone
molten
crust
circulating
subterranean
stone
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 __________.
peace is to dove
power is to socks
crown is to royalty
sunglasses are to sun
war is to gunfire
peace is to dove
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 __________.
leaf is to tree
dust is to duster
congratulate is to winner
concrete is to sidewalk
dance is to ballerina
congratulate is to winner
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 __________.
amenable
aid
servile
audacious
amiable
aid
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 __________.
taste
sight
idea
smell
sound
smell
“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.