All SSAT Elementary Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Tool/Use, User/Tool, Product/Producer, And Subject/Object
Analogies: Complete this analogy.
Author is to book as poet is to __________.
tome
storyteller
poem
narrator
writer
poem
An author writes a book, so to solve this analogy, you have to figure out what it is that a poet writes. The correct answer is a “poem.” To help you, a "tome" is a long book, and a "narrator" is the person telling a story.
Example Question #2 : Tool/Use, User/Tool, Product/Producer, And Subject/Object
Analogies: Complete this analogy.
Artist is to painting as musician is to __________.
statue
singer
song
talented
piano
song
An artist produces (makes) a painting, so to solve this analogy, you need to pick out the answer choice that describes what a musician produces. A musician produces music, and a song is a form of music, so "song" is the correct answer.
Example Question #2 : Tool/Use, User/Tool, Product/Producer, And Subject/Object
Complete this analogy.
Soil is to ground as wood is to __________.
lumber
tree
log
furniture
house
tree
Soil comes from the ground just like wood comes from a tree.
Example Question #1 : Product To Producer Or Producer To Product
Analogies: Complete this analogy.
Writer is to book as __________.
food is to eating
driver is to drive
table is to carpenter
fool is to king
baker is to bread
baker is to bread
What do "writer" and "book" have in common? A writer can write a book, so look for an answer that demonstrates the relationship someone is to something they make. Here "baker is to bread" works, because a baker makes bread. A "driver" "drives," but he or she does not make "drives." "Table is to carpenter" would work, but it's backwards!
Example Question #3 : Tool/Use, User/Tool, Product/Producer, And Subject/Object
Complete this analogy.
Storm is to lightning as blizzard is to __________.
heat
fire
snow
fog
rain
snow
A storm produces lightning, so we need to pick out an answer choice that describes what a blizzard produces. “Blizzard,” when used as a noun, means “a severe snowstorm with high winds and low visibility,” so blizzards produce snow like storms produce lightning, making “snow” the correct answer.
Example Question #1 : Product To Producer Or Producer To Product
Complete this analogy.
Actress is to film as __________.
writer is to book
nest is to bird
courtroom is to lawyer
painting is to painter
bark is to tree
writer is to book
An actress’s job is to make movies, so we need to pick out an answer choice in which the first word is a noun that describes an occupation that makes or creates the second word, another noun. While “painting is to painter” and “writer is to book” might each look like a potentially correct answer, “painting is to painter” cannot be correct, because while “painting” can be used as a noun, it does not indicate the profession of someone who makes paintings—that would be “painter.” So, because it’s not the job of a painting to create painters, “painting is to painter” cannot be the correct answer. Some writers make their living by writing books, however, just as actresses make their livings by making films, so “writer is to book” is the correct answer.
Example Question #5 : Tool/Use, User/Tool, Product/Producer, And Subject/Object
Complete this analogy.
Light is to light bulb as music is to __________.
blender
text
refrigerator
radio
electricity
radio
Since a light bulb emits light, we need to pick out an answer choice that refers to something that emits music. Of the three answer choirs that are devices ("blender," "electricity," and "radio"), only a radio emits music. Because a radio emits music just like a light bulb emits light, "radio" is the correct answer.
Example Question #6 : Tool/Use, User/Tool, Product/Producer, And Subject/Object
Complete this analogy.
Oven is to cake as __________.
run is to walk
knife is to steak
factory is to car
enlist is to flowers
scorn is to hatred
factory is to car
Since an oven is where a cake is made, we are looking for an answer choice in which the first word is the place in which the second word is made. The best answer choice is "factory is to car," because a car is made in a factory.
Example Question #7 : Tool/Use, User/Tool, Product/Producer, And Subject/Object
Complete this analogy.
Lumberjack is to timber as baker is to __________.
sugar
bread
oven
sawdust
duster
bread
Since a lumberjack chops down trees to produce timber, or "wood prepared for use in building and carpentry," we need to pick out another word that describes the product that a baker produces. While "bread," "oven," and "sugar" are all nouns that have to do with baking, "bread" is the best answer. This is because while a baker may use an oven to bake and use sugar as an ingredient, he produces bread as a product to sell, just like a lumberjack produces timber. So, "bread" is the correct answer.
Example Question #3 : Tool/Use, User/Tool, Product/Producer, And Subject/Object
Complete this analogy.
Artist is to mural as baker is to __________.
soda
factory
bakery
ambulance
bread
bread
A "mural" is a work of art painted on a wall. So, an artist might produce a mural. To solve this analogy, then, you have to determine which of the nouns presented as answer choices a baker might produce. The correct answer is therefore "bread."