SSAT Upper Level Verbal : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States

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

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store

Example Questions

Example Question #41 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

SENSATIONAL

Possible Answers:

Garrulous

Thought-provoking 

Tactile

Shocking 

Muted

Correct answer:

Shocking 

Explanation:

Sensational means causing great public excitement, or shocking.

Example Question #42 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

VOLATILE

Possible Answers:

Seasoned

Stoic

Charismatic

Bothersome

Mercurial

Correct answer:

Mercurial

Explanation:

“Volatile” is an adjective that can mean “easily evaporated” when referring to a substance, “liable to change rapidly and unpredictably,” or when describing a person, “displaying rapid changes of emotion.” So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like “easily evaporated,” “changing rapidly,” or “rapid change of emotion.” That means that “stoic” cannot be the correct answer, because “stoic” means “enduring hardship without showing one’s feelings,” a meaning very distant from that of “volatile.” “Mercurial,” however, is an adjective that can mean “subject to unpredictable changes of mood or mind” when describing a person, and because “mercurial” is the answer choice closest in meaning to “volatile,” “mercurial” is the correct answer.

Example Question #43 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

PENSIVE

Possible Answers:

Thoughtful

Sociable

Verifiable

Uplifting

Hurried

Correct answer:

Thoughtful

Explanation:

"Pensive" means thoughtful or reflective. The root wood, "pensare," means to consider.

Example Question #44 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

VEHEMENT

Possible Answers:

Passionate

Malignant

Rebellious

Plausible

Dominant

Correct answer:

Passionate

Explanation:

"Vehement" means passionate or angry.

Example Question #45 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

ABJECT

Possible Answers:

Heavy

Scared

Unforgettable 

Miserable

Erroneous

Correct answer:

Miserable

Explanation:

"Abject" means utterly hopeless or miserable.

Example Question #46 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

PETULANT

Possible Answers:

Logical

Delicious

Unsound

Irritable

Gifted

Correct answer:

Irritable

Explanation:

"Petulant" means irritable or impatient.

Example Question #47 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

APATHETIC

Possible Answers:

Aggressive

Ignorant

Uninterested

Motivated

Lawless

Correct answer:

Uninterested

Explanation:

"Apathetic" means uninterested or indifferent.

Example Question #48 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

ELATED

Possible Answers:

Tedious

Immediate

Joyful

Delicious

Saddened

Correct answer:

Joyful

Explanation:

"Elated" means very happy or overjoyed.

Example Question #161 : Synonyms: Adjectives And Adverbs

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

JUBILANT

Possible Answers:

Lavish

Joyful

Juvenile

Stalwart

Morose

Correct answer:

Joyful

Explanation:

"Jubilant" means joyful.

Example Question #49 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

HISTRIONIC

Possible Answers:

Historical

Tedious

Dramatic

Ancient

Dull

Correct answer:

Dramatic

Explanation:

"Histrionic" means extremely dramatic.

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors