All SSAT Upper Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #607 : Analogies
Complete this analogy.
Launch pad is to shuttle as __________.
flame is to hot air balloon
moon is to orbit
car is to gas
bus is to highway
dock is to boat
dock is to boat
Since a shuttle takes off from a launch pad, we need to pick out an answer choice in which the first word is a noun indicating the location from which where the second word begins traveling. While "flame is to hot air balloon" might look like a good answer choice because hot air balloons can get nowhere without a flame, "dock is to boat" is the better answer because both launch pads and docks are locations, while a flame is not. Similarly, a flame is a component part of a hot air balloon that is present when the balloon is in motion, but launch pads are not part of shuttles after they are launched and boats do not bring their docks with them. Since boats embark from docks just like shuttles embark from launch pads, "dock is to boat" is the correct answer.
Example Question #608 : Analogies
Complete this analogy.
After is to guilt as before is to _________.
misgivings
pride
confounded
complicit
remorse
misgivings
Guilt is something you might experience after an event, so to solve this analogy, you have to identify a negative feeling of concern before an event. This should lead you to the correct answer, “misgivings,” which describes concerns about not wanting to do something or participate in an approaching event. For clarification, "confounded" means puzzled, and "complicit" means involved in something bad.
Example Question #6 : Location, Time, Or Context
Bowl is to pin as dart is to __________.
aim
board
rings
target
throw
board
When you go bowling, the pins are your target. When you play darts, the board is your target.
Example Question #611 : Analogies
Basketball is to free throw as __________.
baseball is to inning
tennis is to racket
swimming is to pool
football is to touchdown
chess is to chessboard
football is to touchdown
One scores points in basketball by making successful free throws, so we need to pick out an answer choice in which the first word is a noun conveying a sport and the second word a noun conveying the way one might score points or win when playing that sport. While “baseball is to inning” and “football is to touchdown” might each look like a potentially correct answer, “inning” is defined as “a single turn at bat for a team until three outs are made” in the context of baseball, so a baseball game is divided into innings, but one does not necessarily score points by completing innings. So, “baseball is to inning” cannot be the correct answer. “Touchdown,” however, is a noun that means “a six-point score made by carrying or passing the ball into the end zone of the opposing side” in the context of football, so one scores points in football by completing touchdowns, just as one scores points in basketball by completing free throws, making “football is to touchdown” the correct answer.
Example Question #612 : Analogies
Complete this analogy.
Skyscraper is to city as wharf is to __________.
cave
seaside
mountain
forest
village
seaside
A skyscraper is something that one would expect to find in a city, so we need to pick out an answer choice that describes a location in which one would expect to find a wharf. “Wharf” is a noun defined as “a dock; a level quayside area to which a ship may be moored,” so the correct answer is “seaside,” because it is the only answer choice which is located on the border between water and land.
Example Question #613 : Analogies
Complete this analogy.
Brochure is to museum as __________.
document is to law
newspaper is to news
map is to vacation
movie is to video
money is to groceries
map is to vacation
A brochure is something you use to guide you when you go to a museum; similarly, a map is something you use to guide you when you go on a vacation.
Example Question #614 : Analogies
Complete this analogy.
Nocturnal is to night as __________ is to day.
cosmopolitan
eternal
urban
diurnal
rural
diurnal
"Nocturnal" means (of an animal) awake at night, asleep during the day. So, to solve this analogy you are looking for the answer choice that means (of an animal) awake during the day, asleep at night. The correct answer is therefore "diurnal." Additionally, "eternal" means lasting forever; "rural" means related to the countryside; "urban" means related to the city; "cosmopolitan" means worldly, sophisticated.
Example Question #615 : Analogies
Complete this analogy.
Convict is to prison as __________ is to abbey.
monk
pilot
essayist
demigod
student
monk
A "convict" is a prisoner. So, if a "convict" lives in a prison, which of these answer choices might live in an "abbey?" Well, an "abbey" is like a monastery, so the correct answer is a "monk." Additionally, an "essayist" is a writer of essay's; a "demigod" is a lower tier God.
Example Question #616 : Analogies
Complete this analogy.
Till is to __________ as study is to exam.
harvest
aesthetic
bereavement
strut
sinecure
harvest
One generally "studies" to prepare for an "exam." So, which of these is something that one might "till" in preparation for? Well, to "till" is to cultivate the land, to plant crops that will one day need to be "harvested." The correct answer is thus, of course, "harvest." Additionally, a "strut" is an exaggerated and cocky walk; "bereavement" is a period of mourning after a loss; a "sinecure" is an easy job; "aesthetic" means related to beauty.
Example Question #617 : Analogies
Complete this analogy.
Barracks is to soldier as __________ is to baby.
university
commode
dormitory
monastery
nursery
nursery
A "barracks" is a place where soldiers are housed. So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these answer choices is a place where "babies" might be found. The correct answer is a "nursery." Additionally, a "dormitory" is a place where people, usually students, sleep; a "commode" is a room, usually a bathroom; a "monastery" is a place where monks or other religious adherents live.
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All SSAT Upper Level Verbal Resources
