SSAT Upper Level Verbal : Storage and Containers

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Storage And Containers

Complete this analogy.

Pin is to pincushion as __________.

Possible Answers:

hood is to torso

shoe is to shoelace

sword is to scabbard

waist is to waste

offense is to insult

Correct answer:

sword is to scabbard

Explanation:

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 __________.

Possible Answers:

oxygen

damp

boil

rain

fish tank

Correct answer:

fish tank

Explanation:

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 #3 : Storage And Containers

Complete this analogy.

Trinket is to shelf as tool is to __________.

Possible Answers:

manufacturer

construction

fabrication

belt

mechanic

Correct answer:

belt

Explanation:

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 #4 : Storage And Containers

Complete this analogy.

Archive is to records as cookbook is to __________.

Possible Answers:

prepare

recipes

ingredients

chef

food

Correct answer:

recipes

Explanation:

An “archive” is “a collection of historical documents or records.”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 #5 : Storage And Containers

Complete this analogy.

Pallet is to straw as featherbed is to __________.

Possible Answers:

down

mattress

springs

cotton

flat

Correct answer:

down

Explanation:

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 #6 : Storage And Containers

Complete this analogy.

Synonym is to thesaurus as __________.

Possible Answers:

recipe is to cookbook

novel is to story

stone is to mountain

antonym is to dictionary

homework is to English

Correct answer:

recipe is to cookbook

Explanation:

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 #7 : Storage And Containers

Complete this analogy.

Tome is to library as tree is to __________.

Possible Answers:

arboretum

estuary

isthmus

peninsula

marina

Correct answer:

arboretum

Explanation:

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 #8 : Storage And Containers

Complete this analogy.

Reservoir is to water as __________ is to food.

Possible Answers:

sanctuary

monastery

palace

auditorium

granary

Correct answer:

granary

Explanation:

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 #9 : Storage And Containers

Complete this analogy.

Flagon is to wine as perambulator is to __________.

Possible Answers:

sand

tissue

baby

glass

handgun

Correct answer:

baby

Explanation:

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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