All SSAT Upper Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #711 : Analogies
Complete this analogy.
Bittersweet is to oxymoron as ______________ is to palindrome.
suitcase
stairway
engine
radar
clock
radar
An "oxymoron" is a phrase or word which contains apparently contradictory language. So, "bittersweet" is an "oxymoron" because it contains "bitter" and "sweet" which are two words that mean roughly the opposite of one another. Another example of an "oxymoron" is "open secret" or "sweet sorrow." So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these is a "palindrome." Well, a "palindrome" is a word that reads the same backwards as forwards. So, an example of a "palindrome" is "noon" or "eye." The correct answer is therefore "radar."
Example Question #712 : Analogies
Complete this analogy.
Polymath is to knowledge as yahoo is to _______________.
compassion
ignorance
majesty
temerity
cruelty
ignorance
A "polymath" is someone who understands many things and has a wide-ranging "knowledge." So, if a "polymath" has lots of "knowledge," what does a "yahoo" have a lot of? Well, a "yahoo" is a poorly-educated person, who is rude and "ignorant." Additionally, "compassion" is kindness and generosity, particularly when directed at those who have less than you; "temerity" is audacity, nerve, arrogance and 'cheek'; "majesty" is splendor, dignity, stateliness.
Example Question #713 : Analogies
Complete this analogy.
Purveyor is to vend as bacchanalian is to __________.
carouse
retrogress
solicit
admonish
stymie
carouse
A "purveyor" is someone who sells luxury products. Another word for "sell" is "vend." So, if a "purveyor" "vends," what does a "bacchanalian" do? Well, a "bacchanalian" is a merrymaker, someone who is given over to drinking too much and partying. So, the correct answer is "carouse," which means to greatly enjoy getting drunk, imbibe. Additionally, "retrogress" means move backwards; "admonish" means scold, yell at, punish; "stymie" means obstruct, hinder, prevent the progress of; "solicit" means ask for, request, seek help or finance.
Example Question #714 : Analogies
Complete this analogy.
Morphine is to addictive as _____________ is to coastal.
hospice
chapel
hubris
riviera
summit
riviera
"Morphine" is a type of drug used to alleviate pain. One property of "morphine" is that it is highly "addictive." So, to solve this analogy you have to determine which of these could be described as "coastal" (next to the ocean). The correct answer is "riviera." A "riviera" is a coastal part of a tropical or warm country. Additionally, a "hospice" is a home where sick or elderly people are cared for; a "summit" is a peak, the top of something like a mountain; "hubris" is excessive pride and arrogance; a "chapel" is a small church.
Example Question #1 : Other Analogies
Fire is to arm as rife is to __________.
leg
army
mare
rifle
ram
ram
This is a word game analogy. The second word is an anagram of the first. Fire anagrams to rife and arm anagrams to ram.
Example Question #1 : Other Analogies
Complete this analogy
Undulation is to wave as meander is to __________.
River
Ocean
Lake
Current
Circuit
River
Undulation describes the movement of a wave so to solve this analogy you have to identify what the word meander is typically used to describe the movement of. Meander means to follow an indirect route with a series of twists and turns. This most accurately describes the movement of a river.
Example Question #2 : Other Analogies
Complete this analogy.
Infuriating is to angry as nauseating is to __________.
healthy
sickly
passionate
amorous
profound
sickly
Something you find "infuriating" (to make furious) is also likely to make you "angry." To solve this answer you have to determine which answer choice is similar in meaning to "nauseating," which means to have been made nauseous, so the correct answer is “sickly.” For clarification, "amorous" means expressing or feeling deep love; "profound" means deep and meaningful; "passionate" means possessing great desire.
Example Question #3 : Other Analogies
Ventriloquism is to sound as __________.
boring is to asleep
mirage is to sight
tactile is to touch
painting is to color
sweet is to taste
mirage is to sight
“Ventriloquism” is a noun that means “the art of projecting your voice so that it seems to come from another source.” So, ventriloquism is a kind of illusion that has to do with sound, and we need to pick out an answer choice in which the first word is a kind of illusion or trick and the second word is the sense that that illusion is associated with. While “sweet is to taste,” “tactile is to touch,” and “mirage is to sight” might each look like a potentially correct answer, neither “tactile” nor “sweet” are nouns that refer to illusions, so neither “tactile is to touch” nor “sweet is to taste” can be the correct answer. A “mirage,” however, is “an optical illusion caused by atmospheric conditions.” So, because mirages are a type of illusion associated with sight just as ventriloquism is a type of illusion associated with sound, “mirage is to sight” is the correct answer.
Example Question #1 : Other Analogies
Complete this analogy.
Rustic is to country as cosmopolitan is to __________.
desert island
city
hamlet
tribe
village
city
A quality typically associated with the country is to be rustic. Rustic means a plain and simple lifestyle. To solve this analogy you have to determine what time of community is best described as cosmopolitan. Cosmopolitan means culturally diverse and the correct answer is therefore “city.”
Example Question #6 : Other Analogies
November is to January as __________.
December is to October
February is to July
January is to September
May is to July
March is to September
May is to July
January is either two months after November or ten months before it. The only answer choice that has two months with the same relationship, in the correct order, is "May is to July."