All SSAT Upper Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #21 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States
Synonyms: Select the one word or phrase whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.
WOEFUL
Stalwart
Courageous
Destitute
Morose
Shabby
Morose
"Woeful" means full of woe, or very sad, so "morose," an adjective that means miserable, glum, or irritable, is the correct answer. "Courageous" means brave. "Stalwart" means strong and reliable. "Destitute" means poor and impoverished. "Shabby" means run-down or in a very bad condition.
Example Question #22 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States
Synonyms: Select the one word or phrase whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.
POIGNANT
Green
Moving
Listless
Developed
Friendly
Moving
“Poignant” means emotionally painful. It can also mean to the point or piercing. So, "moving," which can mean evoking emotion, is the correct answer. None of the other answers are close in meaning to “poignant”. “Developed” means matured or progressed. “Green” is the color of grass. “Friendly” means kind or welcoming. “Listless” means lacking energy.
Example Question #23 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States
Synonyms: Select the one word or phrase whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.
GIDDY
Flighty
Destroyed
Young
Accelerating
Stable
Flighty
"Giddy" means excitable or frivolous. Similarly, the correct answer "flighty" means easily excited or lacking stability. The other choices do not have similar definitions: "accelerating" means speeding up; "young" means juvenile; "stable" means not often changing; and "destroyed" means spoiled, wrecked, or defeated.
Example Question #24 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
PLACID
Candid
Placated
Gregarious
Tranquil
Dull
Tranquil
"Placid" is an adjective that means not easily perturbed or excited when referring to a sentient living thing; it can also mean peaceful and calm, and is often used this way to describe bodies of water. While "dull" might seem like a good potential synonym for "placid," "dull" actually means boring or not sharp, so it doesn't mean the same thing that "placid" does. "Tranquil," however, means calm, and because it is the answer choice closest in meaning to "placid," it is the correct answer.
Example Question #25 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
NONPLUSSED
Genial
Surprised
Untrustworthy
Controlled
Apathetic
Surprised
"Nonplussed" means surprised and bewildered, so "surprised" is the correct answer.
Example Question #26 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
AGHAST
Jubilant
Horrified
Scornful
Cerebral
Ghostly
Horrified
If you are “aghast," you are horrified, so "horrified" is the correct answer. For clarification, "cerebral" means intelligent or brainy; "jubilant" means very happy; "scornful" means negative and insulting; and "ghostly" means spectral or like a phantom.
Example Question #27 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
MERRY
Engaged
Obese
Spiritual
Jolly
Fanatic
Jolly
"Merry" is used to describe someone or something that is happy and pleasant. One might write, "His neighbors adored his merry, upbeat attitude."
Example Question #28 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
MOROSE
Excessive
Jocular
Sullen
Wise
Apathetic
Sullen
"Morose" means ill-tempered, or "sullen."
Example Question #29 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
APATHETIC
Challenging
Peaceful
Corresponding
Uninterested
Snobbish
Uninterested
"Apathetic" means indifferent, emotionless, or "uninterested."
Example Question #30 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
ALOOF
Distant
Charged
Disastrous
Substantial
Energetic
Distant
"Aloof" means remote in manner, or "distant."
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