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 #771 : Ssat Upper Level Verbal

Complete this analogy.

Bourgeois is to middle class as proletarian is to __________.  

Possible Answers:

Media 

Working class 

Nobility 

Royalty 

Upper class 

Correct answer:

Working class 

Explanation:

"Bourgeois" means of or relating to the middle class or capitalist values so to solve this analogy you have to determine which group of people is described by the word “proletarian.” Proletarian means of or relating to the working class.

Example Question #772 : Ssat Upper Level Verbal

Complete this analogy.

Malaise is to discomfort as lethargy is to __________.

Possible Answers:

Mirth 

Transient 

Clandestine

Exhaustion 

Happiness

Correct answer:

Exhaustion 

Explanation:

Malaise is a feeling of discomfort, so to solve this analogy you have to determine what lethargy is a feeling of. Lethargy is a feeling of exhaustion. For clarification, transient means fleeting or passing; clandestine means secret; mirth is a synonym for happiness.

Example Question #731 : Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Existential is to existence as terrestrial is to __________.

Possible Answers:

People

Clouds 

Land 

Water 

Sun 

Correct answer:

Land 

Explanation:

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 #732 : Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Tawdry is to taste as penurious is to __________.

Possible Answers:

Money 

Athleticism

Intelligence 

Friends 

Happiness

Correct answer:

Money 

Explanation:

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 #733 : Analogies

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Elephant is to monkey as __________.

Possible Answers:

giraffe is to grasshopper

cat is to tabby

trout is to whale

salmon is to trout

frog is to amphibian

Correct answer:

salmon is to trout

Explanation:

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 #773 : Ssat Upper Level Verbal

Complete this analogy.

Verify is to true as __________.

Possible Answers:

forget is to information

suspect is to false

aspire is to subpar

encourage is to hearten

skeleton is to musculature

Correct answer:

suspect is to false

Explanation:

“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 #735 : Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Look-alike is to sight as homophone is to __________.

Possible Answers:

meaning

taste

smell

sound

spelling

Correct answer:

sound

Explanation:

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 #774 : Ssat Upper Level Verbal

Complete this analogy.

Water is to ice as magma is to __________.

Possible Answers:

molten

crust

circulating

stone

subterranean

Correct answer:

stone

Explanation:

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 #736 : Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Justice is to scales as __________.

Possible Answers:

war is to gunfire

peace is to dove

sunglasses are to sun

power is to socks

crown is to royalty

Correct answer:

peace is to dove

Explanation:

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 #775 : Ssat Upper Level Verbal

Complete this analogy.

Mourn is to deceased as __________.

Possible Answers:

congratulate is to winner

concrete is to sidewalk

dance is to ballerina 

leaf is to tree

dust is to duster

Correct answer:

congratulate is to winner

Explanation:

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.

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