All SSAT Upper Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Storage And Containers
Complete this analogy.
Pin is to pincushion as __________.
hood is to torso
waist is to waste
offense is to insult
shoe is to shoelace
sword is to scabbard
sword is to scabbard
Since pins are stored in pincushions, we need to pick out an answer choice in which the first word describes a container for the second word. Since "scabbard" is defined as a sheath for a blade, a scabbard is a kind of case for a sword, so "sword is to scabbard" is the correct answer.
Example Question #2 : Storage And Containers
Complete this analogy.
Ink is to pen as water is to __________.
fish tank
boil
rain
damp
oxygen
fish tank
Ink is a part of a pen, specifically the liquid a pen is filled with. In trying to replicate this relationship, we must ask of the answer choices, "Which one of these is filled with water?" While "rain" may initially seem like a good answer, water constitutes rain—it doesn't fill it. Because water fills a fish tank, "fish tank" is the correct answer.
Example Question #4 : Storage And Containers
Complete this analogy.
Trinket is to shelf as tool is to __________.
fabrication
construction
mechanic
manufacturer
belt
belt
A "trinket" is a small item of little value. The word can describe either jewelry of this type or small items that might be set out as a humble ornament (like a small porcelain statue or something of that sort). Such trinkets can be placed on a shelf, and this makes the most sense among the possible sense of this analogy, given the potential answers. We can say that just as a trinket is placed on a shelf, so too can a tool be placed in a belt. (There are tool belts used by people working with tools.)
Example Question #3 : Storage And Containers
Complete this analogy.
Archive is to records as cookbook is to __________.
chef
prepare
ingredients
food
recipes
recipes
An “archive” is “a collection of historical documents or records.” So, because an archive is a collection of records, we need to pick out a noun that describes what constitutes a cookbook, or in other words, of what a cookbook is a collection. While “recipes,” “food,” and “ingredients” might each look like a potentially correct answer, “cookbook” is defined as “a book containing recipes,” so “recipes” is the correct answer.
Example Question #4 : Storage And Containers
Complete this analogy.
Pallet is to straw as featherbed is to __________.
flat
mattress
down
cotton
springs
down
A pallet is a thin, flat bed, usually filled with straw. A featherbed is filled with feathers, of which eiderdown is considered the best type for filling bedding.
Example Question #5 : Storage And Containers
Complete this analogy.
Synonym is to thesaurus as __________.
recipe is to cookbook
homework is to English
antonym is to dictionary
novel is to story
stone is to mountain
recipe is to cookbook
The relationship between "synonym" and "thesaurus" is that a thesaurus is a compilation of synonyms. We see a parallel relationship in the correct answer: a cookbook is a compilation of recipes.
Example Question #6 : Storage And Containers
Complete this analogy.
Tome is to library as tree is to __________.
peninsula
isthmus
estuary
marina
arboretum
arboretum
A "tome" is a long and ponderous book. A library is the sort of place where one might find a "tome," where might one find a "tree"? The correct answer is an "arboretum" which means place where trees are grown. To provide further help, the Latin prefix arbor- means tree. Additionally, a "marina" is a harbor, a dockyard; an "estuary" is a mouth of a river, where the river meets the ocean; a "peninsula" is an area of land mostly surrounded by water; an "isthmus" is a narrow strip of land that connects two large landmasses, i.e. 'the Isthmus of Panama.'
Example Question #7 : Storage And Containers
Complete this analogy.
Reservoir is to water as __________ is to food.
palace
sanctuary
granary
monastery
auditorium
granary
A "reservoir" is a place where water is stored for future use. So, which of these is a place where food is stored for future use? The correct answer is a "granary." Additionally, an "auditorium" is the part of a theater reserved for the audience; a "sanctuary" is an asylum, a haven, a safe place; a "monastery" is a place where monks and other religious adherents live and practice their faith.
Example Question #7 : Storage And Containers
Complete this analogy.
Flagon is to wine as perambulator is to __________.
baby
glass
handgun
tissue
sand
baby
A "flagon" is a large container in which liquid is held and drunk from, typically something like beer or "wine." So, if a "flagon" holds "wine, what does a "perambulator" hold? Well, there is a clue in the word, the root -ambul- means walk, take steps. So, a "perambulator" is a "baby" carriage, a pram for short.
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