Analogies
Help Questions
SSAT Elementary Level Verbal › Analogies
Which word can replace the underlined word?
It was so awful how sick he became.
terrible
wonderful
excellent
impressive
None of the above
Explanation
"Terrible" can replace "awful" in the sentence to maintain the correct meaning.
Complete this analogy.
Crocodile is to reptile as penguin is to .
bird
bird of prey
egg
arctic
fish
Explanation
A crocodile is a kind of reptile, so we need to pick out an answer choice that describes a category that a penguin would fall into. While “bird” and “bird of prey” might each look like a potentially correct answer, “bird of prey” specifically means “a predatory bird; a raptor,” and because a penguin does not fall into this specific category of birds, but is still a bird, “bird” is the correct answer.
Complete this analogy.
Deaf is to hear as is to see.
blind
eyes
ears
touch
glasses
Explanation
If someone is "dear" it means they cannot "hear." So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these words is used to describe someone who cannot "see." The correct answer is "blind."
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
TASKS
Duties
Lists
Supplies
Gossip
Toys
Explanation
“Tasks” are things that need to be done, and as such, the word is most similar to “duties.” To provide further help, “gossip” is talking about other people’s lives.
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
HIT
Success
Region
Area
District
Zone
Explanation
Note that the words "zone," "district," "area," and "region" are all very closely related in meaning. Notice that they are all nouns. This is a good indication that the word "hit" should be understood as a noun (meaning success), instead of a verb (meaning to harm something physically). "Hit" and "success" are synonyms: "The song was a hit!". The other words are not related to the word "hit."
Complete this analogy.
Fiction is to fake as biography is to .
true
long
spoken
uninteresting
depressing
Explanation
"Fiction" refers to stories that are made up, stories that are not real. So, a quality of "fiction" is to be "fake." To solve this analogy you need to determine which of these is a quality of a "biography." A "biography" tells the story of someone's life. So, a quality of a "biography" is to be "true." Additionally, "uninteresting" means boring and "depressing" means makes you sad.
Complete this analogy.
Fiction is to fake as biography is to .
true
long
spoken
uninteresting
depressing
Explanation
"Fiction" refers to stories that are made up, stories that are not real. So, a quality of "fiction" is to be "fake." To solve this analogy you need to determine which of these is a quality of a "biography." A "biography" tells the story of someone's life. So, a quality of a "biography" is to be "true." Additionally, "uninteresting" means boring and "depressing" means makes you sad.
Complete this analogy.
Disconnected is to separated as unfulfilled is to .
dissatisfied
satisfied
understood
misunderstood
misplaced
Explanation
This analogy requires you to use your knowledge of negating prefixes. "Un-"and "dis_-_" both mean not; they each take the meaning of the original word and make it mean the opposite. So "disconnected" means not connected. "Separated" is very similar to this meaning, so to solve this analogy, you have to find a word that is similar in meaning to "unfulfilled." "Unfulfilled" means not fulfilled or not satisfied, so the correct answer is "dissatisfied." To provide further help, "misplaced" means lost, "misunderstood" means incorrectly understood, and "satisfied" means happy with something.
Complete this analogy.
Hands are to fingers as feet are to .
toes
toenails
ears
fingernails
elbows
Explanation
Hands have fingers attached to them, so to solve the analogy, you need to pick out the answer choice which describes the appendages attached to feet. So, "toes" is the correct answer.
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
SOLID
Firm
Dirty
Filthy
Invisible
Clear
Explanation
The words "solid" and "firm" are synonymous. The incorrect answer choices also contain some words that are synonymous with each other. "Dirty" and "filthy" mean the same thing; the words "clear" and "invisible" are also very closely related in meaning. Identifying this kind of relationship between answer choices can help eliminate the incorrect answers.