SSAT Upper Level Verbal : Example and Category

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #21 : Example And Category

Complete this analogy.

Parade is to celebration as __________.

Possible Answers:

glitter is to decorating

chocolate is to pastries

play is to performance

death is to funeral

family is to house

Correct answer:

play is to performance

Explanation:

In the same way that a parade is a type of celebration, a play is a type of performance.

Example Question #22 : Example And Category

Complete the analogy.

To _____________ is to revise as to watercolor is to illustrate.

Possible Answers:

edit

draft

omit

innovate

substitution

Correct answer:

omit

Explanation:

To "watercolor" is to produce a type of illustration, indicating the relationship of the analogy is an example or part of a broader category. All of the words used in the analogy are also verbs, meaning the answer should be as well.

The correct choice is "omit" (verb), which means to lay aside or take out. This is an action and a mode of revision.

"Innovation" (noun) is something that has been renewed or made better than before. This is closer to revise as a synonym.

"Draft" (noun) is the name for the piece of work that is being revised or changed.

"Edit" (verb) means to revise or correct, implying a synonymous relationship.

"Substitution" (noun) means a replacement, and is a type of revision. This would fit the analogy if it was not a noun.

Example Question #23 : Example And Category

Complete this analogy.

Elegy is to poem as __________ is to song.

Possible Answers:

ditty

biped

pinnacle

epoch

courier

Correct answer:

ditty

Explanation:

An "elegy" is a type of poem, usually in memory of someone. So, to solve this analogy you have to determine which of these answer choices is a type of song. The correct answer is "ditty" which is a lighthearted song, a well-known song. Additionally, "courier" means messenger; the "pinnacle" is the height of achievement, the peak; a "biped" is a two-legged creature; an "epoch" is an era of history, a period of time.

Example Question #24 : Example And Category

Complete this analogy.

Fallacious is to argument as __________ is to story.

Possible Answers:

supercilious

munificent

inexorable

tangential

apocryphal

Correct answer:

apocryphal

Explanation:

The adjective "fallacious" means (of an argument) false and misleading. So, a "fallacious argument" is a false argument, a deceptive argument. Which of these answer choices means a false story, a misleading story? The correct answer is "apocryphal" which means (of a story) most likely untrue and misleading. Additionally, "munificent" means generous; "supercilious" means arrogant, haughty; "tangential" means unrelated or only loosely related; "inexorable" means unstoppable, relentless.

Example Question #25 : Example And Category

Complete this analogy.

Typhoon is to __________ as typhoid is to disease.

Possible Answers:

government

medicine

storm

occupation

ethnicity

Correct answer:

storm

Explanation:

"Typhoid" is an example of a "disease," so to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these a "typhoon" is an example of. Well, a "typhoon" is a hurricane or a violent "storm."

Example Question #26 : Example And Category

Complete this analogy.

Biped is to __________ as quadruped is to cow.

Possible Answers:

human

spider

elephant

shark

ant

Correct answer:

human

Explanation:

It would be easiest to solve this problem if you knew that "quadruped" means animal with four legs and that "biped" means animal with two legs. If you did not know this you would have to consider the meaning of their prefixes. So, the prefix quad- means four and the prefix bi- means two. A "cow" is a "quadruped" because it has four legs, which of these animals is a "biped" because it has two legs? A "human."

Example Question #27 : Example And Category

Complete this analogy.

Androgynous is to gender as __________ is to ethnicity. 

Possible Answers:

foreign

biracial

diverse

familiar

banal

Correct answer:

biracial

Explanation:

To solve this analogy you first need to know that "androgynous" means having both male and female anatomy, being both male and female. So, if "androgynous" relates to something or someone being both "genders" then you are looking for a word that relates to someone having two "ethnicities." The correct answer is therefore "biracial" which means belonging to two races, belonging to two ethnicities. Additionally, "diverse" means varied; "banal" means monotone, boring.

Example Question #28 : Example And Category

Complete this analogy.

Proton is to molecule as __________ is to element.

Possible Answers:

sodium

vermilion

milliner

mercantilism

sophism

Correct answer:

sodium

Explanation:

A "proton" is a type of elemental matter (like an electron or a neutron), a "molecule." So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these is an example of an "element." The correct answer is "sodium." Additionally, "vermilion" is a color; a "milliner" is an occupation; "mercantilism" is a system of economics; "sophism" is a philosophy.

Example Question #29 : Example And Category

Complete this analogy.

Color is to __________ as vocation is to nurse.

Possible Answers:

paint

moose

hovercraft

doctor

teal

Correct answer:

teal

Explanation:

To begin with a "vocation" is a job, an occupation. So, a "nurse" is an example of a "vocation." Which of these is an example of a "color?" The correct answer is "teal," which means a dark blue color.

Example Question #30 : Example And Category

Complete this analogy.

Baron is to aristocracy as bishop is to __________.

Possible Answers:

nobility

oligarchy

affluent

deity

clergy

Correct answer:

clergy

Explanation:

A "baron" is a member of the "aristocracy" (also known as the "nobility"). To solve this analogy you therefore need to determine which of these groups a "bishop" belongs to. A "bishop" is a high ranking figure in certain Christian faiths. And "bishops" belong to the "clergy" which is the entire body of religious leaders in the Catholic faith (and other Christian denominations). Additionally, an "oligarchy" is a system of government where a few wealthy businessmen and landowners have absolute power; a "deity" is a God; "affluent" means wealthy, prosperous, rich.

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