All SSAT Middle Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : User And Tool
Complete this analogy.
Sculptor is to clay as __________.
writer is to typewriter
painter is to paint
water is to watercolor
melody is to musician
paint is to canvas
painter is to paint
Since a sculptor creates works of art out of clay, we need to pick out another set of words in which the first word describes someone who creates art using the second word as their medium. While "painter is to paint" and "writer is to typewriter" may both look like good answers, a typewriter is not a writer's medium, but the tool they use to write. (Words or text would be a writer's medium.) "Painter is to paint" is the correct answer because a painter creates works of art out of paint (and canvas), just like a sculptor creates works of art out of clay.
Example Question #611 : Analogies
Complete this analogy:
Carpenter is to hammer as __________.
captain is to boat
bird is to egg
metalworker is to welding torch
baton is to policeman
chef is to food
metalworker is to welding torch
A carpenter uses a hammer to build wooden objects, so we need to find a similar relationship in the analogies. A "metalworker" uses a "welding torch" to build metal objects. "Metalworker" and "welding torch" have the same relationship as carpenter and hammer.
A captain uses a boat, but the boat is not simply a tool for the captain, it is the captain's home.
Birds hatch from eggs, there is no user or tool in this analogy.
Chefs make food, but food is not the tool of the chef.
The policeman is not the tool of the baton, but vice versa. Analogies must match conceptually, so if you have a user paired with a tool, you need to find an answer that also has a user and a tool.
Example Question #2 : User And Tool
Complete the analogy:
Mechanic is to car as __________.
filmmaker is to movies
driver is to limo
salesman is to car
cowboy is to horses
plumber is to toilet
plumber is to toilet
Mechanics repair cars. Similarly, "plumbers" fix "toilets."
None of the other analogies have this relationship:
Drivers drive limos but typically do not repair them. Filmmakers make movies. Cowboys ride horses. A salesman sells cars.
Example Question #3 : User And Tool
Complete the analogy:
Chauffeur is to car as __________.
runner is to race
pilot is to plane
lawyer is to court
painter is to photography
oarsman is to steamship
pilot is to plane
"Chauffeurs" drive "cars" as their occupation. Similarly, "pilots" fly "planes" as their occupation.
None of the other analogies have this relationship:
A lawyer works in the court, but does not operate the court in the same way that a pilot or a chauffeur operate a plane or a car. Painters paints pictures, while photography is the art of taking pictures with a camera. Runners run races; there are no tools in this analogy. An oarsman rows a boat, but a steamship has no oarsmen as it is steam-powered, thus the oarsman does not operate the steamship as his profession.
Example Question #4 : User And Tool
Complete this analogy.
Pen is to author as __________.
plant is to garden
chalk is to teacher
mother is to baby
ornament is to Christmas
hotdog is to bun
chalk is to teacher
The correct answer is "chalk is to teacher."
This analogy expresses a user and tool relationship.
A pen is a tool that an author uses to do his or her job. Therefore, we need to find an identical relationship for the second half of the analogy.
A teacher uses chalk to perform (specific tasks) his or her job.
Example Question #6 : User And Tool
Complete this analogy.
Statistician is to __________ as geologist is to rocks.
geography
literature
history
data
romance
data
A "geologist" is someone who studies rocks, someone who examines rocks. So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these answer choices is studied or examined by a "statistician." A "statistician" is primarily concerned with statistics, or "data." To provide extra help, "data" is facts collected and analyzed.
Example Question #7 : User And Tool
Complete this analogy.
Mason is to __________ as grocer is to food.
iron
money
wood
water
stone
stone
A "grocer" is someone who sells food, and other household products for a living. So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these is a product made or sold by a "mason." The correct answer is "stone." A "mason" is someone who cuts and shapes stone and marble for a living.
Example Question #614 : Analogies
Complete this analogy.
Chiropractic is to __________ as acupuncturist is to needles.
sorcery
vaccination
massage
surgeon
hospital
massage
An "acupuncturist" is someone who uses "needles" to treat a patient. So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these is something at a "chiropractor" might use. Well, a "chiropractor" is someone who treats back problems. So, the correct answer is "massage." Additionally, a "surgeon" is a doctor operates on people; "sorcery" is magic; "vaccination" is inoculation, treating someone with a small amount of a disease to prevent them from contracting a more serious version of the disease.
Example Question #42 : Tool/Use, User/Tool, Actor/Action, Product/Producer, And Subject/Object
Complete the analogy.
Doctor is to thermometer as __________.
lion is to prey
singer is to sing
screwdriver is to repair
wind is to blow
actor is to script
actor is to script
The correct answer is "actor is to script."
This analogy expresses a user/tool relationship. A doctor uses a thermometer to perform his or her job. An actor uses a script to perform his or her job.
Example Question #615 : Analogies
Complete this analogy.
Clippers is to barber as _______________.
mattress is to bed
paintbrush is to artist
flash is to camera
picture is to wall
computer is to student
paintbrush is to artist
The correct answer is "paintbrush is to artist."
This analogy explores the relationship of a tool and the user of the tool. Clippers are used by a barber to perform the task of cutting hair; likewise, a paintbrush is used by an artist to paint.