Analogies: Determining Meaning from Type of Relationship

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HSPT Language Skills › Analogies: Determining Meaning from Type of Relationship

Questions 1 - 10
1

Complete this analogy.

Painter is to portrait as composer is to __________.

symphony

instrument

euphonious

trumpets

musician

Explanation

In days past, a portrait would be painted by a painter. It was the thing created by the painter; therefore, this analogy is one of “maker to thing made,” as though to say, “As the painter makes a portrait, so a composer makes X.” Among the options provided, only “symphony” describes what a composer would make. He would write the musical score for the symphony, which can just be called “a symphony” indicating the musical score itself.

2

Gory is to bloody as saturated is to __________.

wet

clogging

chained

fatty

overwhelming

Explanation

Something is gory when it is covered with blood, often shed because of violence. Thus, “bloody” is either a synonym or at least a characteristic of something that is “gory.” When something is “saturated,” it is completely filled. This word is most frequently used to mean “completely filled with water,” like a sponge that is fully saturated. The word is used in scientific expressions like “saturated fats” because these compounds are completely full of a particular kind of bond—they are saturated with them.

3

Choose the word that best completes each comparison.

Lucky is to fortuitous as drab is to __________.

dreary

radiant

curtains

fortunate

costly

Explanation

"Lucky" and "fortuitous" mean roughly the same thing, just as "drab" is another word for "dreary."

4

Answer the question by selecting the word that best completes the analogy.

Decent is to polite as improper is to __________.

misbehaving

decorous

chaste

worthy

spotless

Explanation

"Decent" and "polite" are synonyms, just as "improper" and "misbehaving" are similar in meaning.

5

Answer the question by selecting the word that best completes the analogy.

Decent is to polite as improper is to __________.

misbehaving

decorous

chaste

worthy

spotless

Explanation

"Decent" and "polite" are synonyms, just as "improper" and "misbehaving" are similar in meaning.

6

Fib is to lie as rivulet is to __________.

stream

trickle

drizzle

lake

water

Explanation

A fib is generally a small, insignificant lie; therefore, the bridge sentence for this analogy would be, “Just as a fib is an insignificant or small type of lie, so to a rivulet is a small type of X.” While it might seem too tempting to think a “rivulet” is a small stream, this actually is the case. The “-let” suffix is used to alter its base and express the notion of being “small.” For instance, a “booklet” is literally a small book. (They aren’t just called that by happenstance!) None of the other options capture this relation of “small version to larger or more general type.”

7

Choose the word that best completes each comparison.

Lucky is to fortuitous as drab is to __________.

dreary

radiant

curtains

fortunate

costly

Explanation

"Lucky" and "fortuitous" mean roughly the same thing, just as "drab" is another word for "dreary."

8

Choose the answer that best completes the comparison.

Combustible is to explosive as pliable is to __________.

flexible

rigid

stiff

playful

uncertain

Explanation

"Combustible" and "explosive" mean the same thing; just as "pliable" and "flexible" are synonyms.

9

An antonym of "briskly" is __________.

leisurely

quickly

regularly

fastidiously

mistakenly

Explanation

The word "brisk" can refer to cool weather, but it can also be used as an adjective describing fast movement. The adverb "briskly" means quickly or with energy. A brisk motion is one that is fast, and walking briskly means walking quickly with haste. In contrast to this, a leisurely pace is one that is slow—taking its time. Leisure is the free time used for enjoyable activities. Such time is not usually stressful. Therefore, "leisurely" activities are quite slow in their pace.

10

An antonym of "ruffled" is __________.

placid

vexed

negative

unsoiled

unpolluted

Explanation

When something is "ruffled", it is literally taken out of order or arrangement. We often speak of "ruffling" someone's hair or some other semi-arranged set of items. As an emotional state, "ruffled" means disturbed or not calm. In contrast to this, the term "placid" means calm with little disturbance or change.

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