HSPT Verbal : Subject and Object

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for HSPT Verbal

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store

Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Subject And Object

Teacher is to students as demagogue is to __________.

Possible Answers:

crowd

manipulation

oration

illogical

rhetorical

Correct answer:

crowd

Explanation:

Students are the group to whom a teacher directs his or her acts of teaching. A demagogue is a person who appeals to popular sentiment, often through oratory, to influence political decisions. The “dem-” in the word is related to the same form found in “democracy,” meaning “the people.” The sense of the word “demagogue” is that such a person uses oratory “on the crowd or throng of people” to whip them into a fury over something. Thus, a crowd stands in relation to a demagogue as a group of students stands to a teacher.

Example Question #2 : Subject And Object

Poll is to opinion as net is to __________.

Possible Answers:

meshwork

seine

fish

hunter

sailor

Correct answer:

fish

Explanation:

Although this analogy might seem a bit light-hearted, it does hold if you write a bridge sentence. Polls are used to gather opinions from a group of people. Among the uses that a net can have, it can gather things like fish. All of the other options are either synonyms for net or types of people who would use a net. Neither of these fit any sense that can be established between “poll” and “opinion;” therefore, as strange as it might seem, “fish” is the best option.

Example Question #3 : Subject And Object

Mentor is to tyro as master is to __________.

Possible Answers:

liege

untrained

rule

apprentice

maestro

Correct answer:

apprentice

Explanation:

A tyro is someone who is inexperienced or a novice in some subject.  Such a person would need to be mentored in order to gain adequate proficiency. Thus, the analogy could be written, “As a tyro learns from a mentor, so does X learn from a master.” Among the options provided, only “apprentice” fits this usage. An apprentice is someone who learns a trade from a master tradesman.

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors