SSAT Upper Level Verbal : Example and Category

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SSAT Upper Level Verbal

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Example And Category

Theft is to crime as __________.

Possible Answers:

disbelief is to obliviousness

sleep is to exhaustion

procrastination is to laziness

ship is to navigation

prisoner is to cell

Correct answer:

procrastination is to laziness

Explanation:

Theft is a form of crime; similarly, procrastination (putting things off) is a form of laziness.

Example Question #2 : Example And Category

Complete this analogy

Virtue is to kindness as vice is to __________.

Possible Answers:

Generosity 

Verbosity

Selfishness 

Serendipity 

Caring 

Correct answer:

Selfishness 

Explanation:

Kindness is an example of a virtue. A virtue is a morally positive attribute which is opposite in definition to a vice. To solve this analogy you must identify which of the answer choices is an example of a vice. The only morally negative attribute is “selfishness” so this is the correct answer. For clarification serendipity means the accidental discovery of something fortunate; verbosity describes long-winded speech or writing.

Example Question #3 : Example And Category

Complete this analogy.

Altercation is to conversation as tirade is to __________.

Possible Answers:

misgiving 

essay 

speech 

situation 

nonsense 

Correct answer:

speech 

Explanation:

An "altercation" is a form of negative, or hostile, conversation, so to solve this analogy you have to determine which answer choice relates to "tirade" in the same manner. "Tirade" means long and angry speech, so the correct answer is “speech.”

Example Question #4 : Example And Category

Complete this analogy.

Homicide is to crime as tome is to __________.

Possible Answers:

Essay 

Book

Musical

Movie 

Portrait

Correct answer:

Book

Explanation:

Homicide is a type of crime defined as the act of killing somebody, so to solve this analogy you have to determine into which category a tome belongs. A tome is a particularly long and heavy book so the correct answer is “book.”

Example Question #5 : Example And Category

Complete this analogy.

Dog is to dalmatian as __________.

Possible Answers:

fork is to spoon

sandwich is to bread

vegetarian is to meat

cheese is to cheddar

melt is to candle

Correct answer:

cheese is to cheddar

Explanation:

Since a dalmatian is a type of dog, we're looking for an answer where the second word is a specific variety of the first word. While "sandwich is to bread" may initially look like a decent answer choice because the two words are closely related, bread is a constituent element of a sandwich, not a specific kind of sandwich, so it is not the correct answer. "Cheese is to cheddar," on the other hand, retains the same relationship as "dog is to dalmatian," because cheddar is a type of cheese, just like dalmatian is a type of dog. So, "cheese is to cheddar" is the correct answer.

Example Question #6 : Example And Category

Complete this analogy.

Calligraphy is to handwriting as cuisine is to __________.

Possible Answers:

restaurant

culture

food

lasagna

drink

Correct answer:

food

Explanation:

Since calligraphy is decorative handwriting, it is nearly a synonym of "handwriting." So, we need to pick out an answer choice of which "cuisine" is a near synonym. Since "cuisine" means food cooked in a specific way, often relating to a specific country or culture, "food" is the best answer.

Example Question #7 : Example And Category

Complete this analogy.

Stool is to furniture as hammer is to __________.

Possible Answers:

sledge

tool

pounding

nails

handyman

Correct answer:

tool

Explanation:

While very simple seeming, this analogy does link the terms, namely by a member-to-class relationship. As stools are types of furniture, so are hammers types of tools. The other options among the answers are related to hammers—what they do, who uses them, of in other ways; however, none of the other options relates to “hammer” as a general class as “furniture” does to “stool.”

Example Question #8 : Example And Category

Complete this analogy.

Science is to astronomy as __________.

Possible Answers:

straight is to crooked

candy is to truffle

chair is to sitting

skyscraper is to building

wisdom is to sophistry

Correct answer:

candy is to truffle

Explanation:

The best choice is "candy is to truffle." The relationship between "science" and "astronomy" is that astronomy is a type of science (category). Likewise, a "truffle" is a type of candy. Considering the other choices, "skyscraper is to building" shares the correct relationship, but uses an incorrect word order. The relationship in "chair is to sitting" is that a chair is used for sitting. "Wisdom" is part of the definition of "sophistry" as this word means false wisdom or reasoning, so the two words are antonyms, and "straight" and "crooked" are also antonyms.

Example Question #9 : Example And Category

Complete this analogy.

Manuscript is to text as apartment is to __________.

Possible Answers:

miniscule

efficient

housing

loft

rent

Correct answer:

housing

Explanation:

In its original usage, the word “manuscript” indicated a type of text written by hand. (The “manu-” portion is related to the word “manual,” which means related to the use of hands—think of “manual labor.” The “-script” portion is related not only to “script” but to “scribe,” “subscription,” and other such words). We now use the word to describe an unpublished version of an author’s work, e.g. the “manuscript” of a soon-to-be-published novel that is still being edited. “Manuscript” is related to “text” as a member to a class, as though to say, “as a manuscript is a type of text, so is an apartment a type of X.” While the word “loft” might seem appropriate, it is at best the opposite of what you need (if not totally unrelated). A “loft apartment” is a type of apartment—an apartment is not a type of loft! The best option, as simple as it might seem, is “housing,” for an apartment is a type of housing.

Example Question #10 : Example And Category

Complete this analogy.

Orangutan is to primate as pediatrician is to __________.

Possible Answers:

medical

treatment

doctor

patients

children

Correct answer:

doctor

Explanation:

Primates are the general class of monkeys, apes, humans, and so forth into which we can include orangutans. Thus, we have a case of a specific type being related to its general class. You could think of your bridge sentence as being something like, “As orangutans are types of primates, so are pediatricians types of X.” The only relevant general category offered among your options is “doctor.”

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