SSAT Upper Level Verbal : SSAT Upper Level Verbal

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #131 : Ssat Upper Level Verbal

Complete this analogy.

District is to city as hour is to __________.

Possible Answers:

time

moment

measure

portion

day

Correct answer:

day

Explanation:

A district is a part of a given city. For instance, a city might have a “market district” in which a number of food salespeople have shops for selling bulk quantities to potential restaurants in town. There might be an “Italian district” in which a number of Italians live and have set up shops and restaurants, giving the area a distinctive Italian appearance and character. The analogy could thus be rewritten, “As a district is part of a city, so too is an hour part of X.” An hour is part of a day. While it is a period of time, a measure of time, a moment (in the grand scheme, at least), and even “a portion” (of a longer time), it is only part of a day. The analogy requires a part-whole relationship.

Example Question #132 : Ssat Upper Level Verbal

Complete this analogy.

Yolk is to egg as __________.

Possible Answers:

boil is to steam

finger is to hand

page is to book

ball is to sport

tree is to soil

Correct answer:

page is to book

Explanation:

Since a yolk is part of an egg, we need to pick out an answer choice in which the first word describes a part of the second word. Either "page is to book" or "finger is to hand" could be the correct answer. Since a yolk is contained within an egg and a page is contained within a book, but a finger is not contained within a hand, "page is to book" is the better answer of the two choices and the correct answer.

Example Question #133 : Ssat Upper Level Verbal

Complete this analogy.

Atom is to molecule as minute is to __________.

Possible Answers:

hour

tiny

century

stopwatch

clock

Correct answer:

hour

Explanation:

An atom is the basic part from which molecules are constructed; therefore, this is a part-whole analogy. A minute is part of a larger measure of time. Here, you have to be careful. Two options are justifiably tempting, namely “hour” and “century.” Now, “molecules” are the “first rung” of combined atoms. We could, of course, say that organs are made up of atoms; however, this could be stated as “organs are made up of tissues, which are made up of cells, which are made up of molecules, which are made up of atoms.” Notice that “molecule” is the immediate product of atoms, not a distant one (as in the case of organs in relation to elements). This means that “hour” is a better option than “century.”

Example Question #134 : Ssat Upper Level Verbal

Complete this analogy.

Corn is to kernel as __________.

Possible Answers:

pumpkin is to pie 

carrot is to orange 

head is to lettuce 

sunflower is to sunflower seed 

turnip is to leaf 

Correct answer:

sunflower is to sunflower seed 

Explanation:

Since kernels are the edible seeds of corn, we need to pick out another set of words in which the second word describes the edible seeds of the plant the first word represents. While many of the answers have to do with vegetables, "sunflower is to sunflower seed" is the best answer, because sunflower seeds are the edible seeds of sunflowers. 

Example Question #135 : Ssat Upper Level Verbal

Complete this analogy.

Pocket is to shirt as lace is to __________.

Possible Answers:

plait

tie

shoe

knot

seasoning

Correct answer:

shoe

Explanation:

This analogy is relatively simple. A pocket is part of a shirt, so you are looking for the that of which a lace is part. While lace can be a type of plaited fabric, here, the best option is to understand it as meaning the long string used in things like shoes. The lace is part of a shoe as a pocket is part of a shirt. 

Example Question #136 : Ssat Upper Level Verbal

Complete this analogy.

Link is to chain as chapter is to __________.

Possible Answers:

division

book

portion

meeting

topic

Correct answer:

book

Explanation:

A "link" is one of the small metal pieces in a longer chain. It also can mean any portion of a long “chain” of things (understood metaphorically). Hence, we speak of the “missing link” between apes and men—that is, the missing intermediary stage / being in the great chain of beings. The analogy could be written, “As a link is part of a chain, so is a chapter a part of X.” “Book” is the only option of something of which a chapter is a portion. (A chapter, of course, could be a part of a thesis, a novel, a report, etc.).

Example Question #41 : Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Citizen is to nation as branch is to __________.

Possible Answers:

offshoot

external

photosynthesis

unfurl

tree

Correct answer:

tree

Explanation:

A citizen is a member of a nation and could justly be called a part thereof. Our bridge sentence could thus be written, “As a citizen is a part of a nation, so is a branch a part of a X.” Among the options provided, only “tree” gives the larger thing of which a branch is a part.

Example Question #11 : Analogies: Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship

Complete this analogy.

Door is to hinge as __________.

Possible Answers:

window is to pane

portal is to latch

knock is to oil

lever is to fulcrum

knob is to swing

Correct answer:

lever is to fulcrum

Explanation:

The hinge is the part of the door that lets it swing. Similarly, the fulcrum is the part of the lever that lets the lever arm swing.

Example Question #12 : Analogies: Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship

Complete this analogy.

Tea is to dregs as coffee is to __________.

Possible Answers:

milk

beans

grounds

mugs

caffeine

Correct answer:

grounds

Explanation:

“Dregs” are defined as either “the remnants of a liquid left in a container; sediment, grounds” or “the most worthless parts of something.” So, the bits left in the bottom of a glass after one drinks tea are called “dregs,” and we need to pick out an answer choice that is a noun conveying what might be left in the bottom of a glass after drinking coffee. While “grounds” and “beans” are both words associated with coffee, coffee is made from beans, but one does not find “beans” in the bottom of one’s empty coffee mug, so “beans” cannot be the correct answer. “Grounds,” however, is a noun that can mean “solid particles, especially of ground coffee, that form a residue; sediment.” So, because tea might leave dregs in the bottom of a glass while coffee might leave grounds in the bottom of a glass, “grounds” is the correct answer.

Example Question #137 : Ssat Upper Level Verbal

Complete this analogy.

Animal is to skin as __________.

Possible Answers:

fabric is to dress

house is to drywall

scales are to alligator

circus is to tent

orange is to peel

Correct answer:

orange is to peel

Explanation:

The outer "framework" of an animal's body is its skin, which protects its insides. A similar relationship exists between an orange and its peel, since the peel is the outer part of the fruit which protects the inside.

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