All SSAT Upper Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Location, Time, Or Context
Law is to court as medicine is to __________.
hospital
library
doctor
medication
school
hospital
Since law is practiced in courts, we need to pick out an answer that describes a kind of building in which medicine is practiced. While "hospital," "doctor," and "medication" all have to do with medicine, only "hospital" refers to a building in which medicine is practiced, so "hospital" is the correct answer.
Example Question #2 : Location, Time, Or Context
Complete this analogy.
Future is to prognosticate as past is to __________.
delegate
remember
forget
prepare
symbolize
remember
“Prognosticate” is a verb that means foretell. So, “prognosticate” is a verb that is associated with knowing information that has to do with the future, and we need to pick out an answer choice that is a verb that is associated with knowing information that has to do with the past. While “forget” and “remember” might each look like potentially correct answer choices, only “remember” has to do with obtaining information about the past, so “remember” is the correct answer.
Example Question #1 : Location, Time, Or Context
Complete this analogy.
Car is to highway as __________.
boat is to ocean
movie is to theatre
scooter is to bicycle
traffic is to accident
runner is to marathon
boat is to ocean
A car is a mode of transportation that can travel via the highway. We see a parallel relationship in the correct answer: a boat is a mode of transportation that can travel via the ocean.
Example Question #2 : Location, Time, Or Context
Complete this analogy.
Launch pad is to shuttle as __________.
moon is to orbit
bus is to highway
car is to gas
flame is to hot air balloon
dock is to boat
dock is to boat
Since a shuttle takes off from a launch pad, we need to pick out an answer choice in which the first word is a noun indicating the location from which where the second word begins traveling. While "flame is to hot air balloon" might look like a good answer choice because hot air balloons can get nowhere without a flame, "dock is to boat" is the better answer because both launch pads and docks are locations, while a flame is not. Similarly, a flame is a component part of a hot air balloon that is present when the balloon is in motion, but launch pads are not part of shuttles after they are launched and boats do not bring their docks with them. Since boats embark from docks just like shuttles embark from launch pads, "dock is to boat" is the correct answer.
Example Question #3 : Location, Time, Or Context
Complete this analogy.
After is to guilt as before is to _________.
pride
confounded
remorse
complicit
misgivings
misgivings
Guilt is something you might experience after an event, so to solve this analogy, you have to identify a negative feeling of concern before an event. This should lead you to the correct answer, “misgivings,” which describes concerns about not wanting to do something or participate in an approaching event. For clarification, "confounded" means puzzled, and "complicit" means involved in something bad.
Example Question #4 : Location, Time, Or Context
Bowl is to pin as dart is to __________.
rings
throw
aim
target
board
board
When you go bowling, the pins are your target. When you play darts, the board is your target.
Example Question #4 : Location, Time, Or Context
Basketball is to free throw as __________.
chess is to chessboard
baseball is to inning
football is to touchdown
tennis is to racket
swimming is to pool
football is to touchdown
One scores points in basketball by making successful free throws, so we need to pick out an answer choice in which the first word is a noun conveying a sport and the second word a noun conveying the way one might score points or win when playing that sport. While “baseball is to inning” and “football is to touchdown” might each look like a potentially correct answer, “inning” is defined as “a single turn at bat for a team until three outs are made” in the context of baseball, so a baseball game is divided into innings, but one does not necessarily score points by completing innings. So, “baseball is to inning” cannot be the correct answer. “Touchdown,” however, is a noun that means “a six-point score made by carrying or passing the ball into the end zone of the opposing side” in the context of football, so one scores points in football by completing touchdowns, just as one scores points in basketball by completing free throws, making “football is to touchdown” the correct answer.
Example Question #5 : Location, Time, Or Context
Complete this analogy.
Skyscraper is to city as wharf is to __________.
seaside
forest
mountain
village
cave
seaside
A skyscraper is something that one would expect to find in a city, so we need to pick out an answer choice that describes a location in which one would expect to find a wharf. “Wharf” is a noun defined as “a dock; a level quayside area to which a ship may be moored,” so the correct answer is “seaside,” because it is the only answer choice which is located on the border between water and land.
Example Question #6 : Location, Time, Or Context
Complete this analogy.
Brochure is to museum as __________.
movie is to video
document is to law
money is to groceries
map is to vacation
newspaper is to news
map is to vacation
A brochure is something you use to guide you when you go to a museum; similarly, a map is something you use to guide you when you go on a vacation.
Example Question #1 : Location, Time, Or Context
Complete this analogy.
Nocturnal is to night as __________ is to day.
urban
diurnal
rural
eternal
cosmopolitan
diurnal
"Nocturnal" means (of an animal) awake at night, asleep during the day. So, to solve this analogy you are looking for the answer choice that means (of an animal) awake during the day, asleep at night. The correct answer is therefore "diurnal." Additionally, "eternal" means lasting forever; "rural" means related to the countryside; "urban" means related to the city; "cosmopolitan" means worldly, sophisticated.
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