All SSAT Upper Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #41 : Identifying Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
VAGABOND
Outlaw
Medic
Wanderer
Dancer
Interpreter
Wanderer
A "vagabond" is someone who wanders restlessly or aimlessly. A "medic" is someone who provides medical care, often in battles or emergency situations. An "interpreter" is someone who translates languages for people. An "outlaw" is a criminal, someone who must live outside of society because he/she is on the run from the law.
Example Question #42 : Identifying Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
MERCENARY
Vendor
Traveling salesperson
Writer
Hired soldier
Hired actor
Hired soldier
A "mercenary" is a hired soldier, a person who fights for pay. "Vendor" is a synonym for "salesperson," someone who sells something. Just as you would guess, a "writer" writes and an "actor" acts.
Example Question #43 : Identifying Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
TYRO
Beginner
Artisan
Entrepreneur
Wraith
Fool
Beginner
A "tyro" is a novice. An "artisan" is a craftsperson, similar to but distinct from an "artist." An "entrepreneur" is a businessperson. A "wraith" is a ghost or phantom. A "fool" is someone silly or ignorant.
Example Question #44 : Identifying Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
ITINERANT
Recipient
Guest
Wanderer
Host
Witness
Wanderer
An "itinerant" is someone who wanders and drifts without a fixed home; a vagabond or homeless person. A "recipient" is someone who receives something from someone else. A "witness" is someone who sees an event (usually an accident or crime). "Host" and "guest" are antonyms.
Example Question #45 : Identifying Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
BENEFACTOR
Smith
Recipient
Donor
Immigrant
Artisan
Donor
A "donor" or "benefactor" is someone who gives or donates, either to a particular person or to a particular group or cause. This is the opposite of a "recipient," someone who receives a gift from someone else. A "smith" is someone who works with metal (such as a blacksmith). An "immigrant" is someone who moves to another country, and an "artisan" is a craftsperson.
Example Question #46 : Identifying Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
NEOPHYTE
Beginner
Pastor
Cleric
Expert
Mercenary
Beginner
A "neophyte" is a novice or a beginner. The antonym for "neophyte" is expert. Both "pastor" and "cleric" are terms for someone who holds a religious office, such as a minister or a bishop. A "mercenary" is a soldier-for-hire.
Example Question #47 : Identifying Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
WRAITH
Pastor
Curate
Ghost
Dunce
Detective
Ghost
"Wraith" is a synonym for ghost, phantom, or specter. "Detective" is a synonym for "sleuth," and "pastor" is a synonym for minister or priest. A "dunce" is a dullard or imbecile. A "curate" is an assistant clergyman or vicar.
Example Question #48 : Identifying Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
PENSIONER
Senior
Sophomore
Child
Freshmen
Infant
Senior
Note that "freshmen," "sophomore," and "senior" are somewhat related in meaning in so far as their use to refer to someone in high school with a particular level of education. "Senior" may seem to be related to these words, but in this case the noun has a very different meaning, referring to someone who is old in age: consider the phrase senior citizen or "pensioner." "Pensioner" is closest in meaning to senior. "Child" and "infant" are clearly related but do not come close in meaning to pensioner.
Example Question #49 : Identifying Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
FINANCIER
Official
Mapmaker
Authority
Officer
Backer
Backer
"Financier" can refer to someone who invests financially in some venture. This kind of individual can also be referred to as a "backer." The other nouns are not at all related to money or finances. "Mapmaker" is completely unrelated. The words "officer," "authority," and "official" can all be lumped together as synonymous with each other but not with "financier."
Example Question #50 : Identifying Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
CHAPLAIN
Patriarch
Bureacrat
Merchant
Sailor
Priest
Priest
A "chaplain" is a type of religious leader most similar to a pastor or priest. A "bureaucrat" is someone who holds a government post, and a "patriarch" is the male leader of a family or organization. A "sailor" is someone who sails on ships for a living, and a "merchant" is someone who buys and sells goods for a living.