HSPT Verbal : Analogies

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for HSPT Verbal

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Example Questions

Example Question #3 : Analogies: Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship

Nail is to finger as crown is to __________.

Possible Answers:

ceremony

aristocratic

regal

arrogant

head

Correct answer:

head

Explanation:

While not all buildings have domes, all domes are placed upon the tops the buildings that have them. The best way to express this analogy is, “As a dome is on the top of a building, so is a capital on top of X.” While “capital” can mean the main city of nation or state, it likewise can mean the “head” of a column. Think of the columns that you have seen on some buildings. On the ends, there are designed “pedestals” of differing characters. These are the “capitals” on the columns. Just as a dome is on the top of a building, so is a capital on the top of a column. Do not be fooled by the other options that are tempting because of their general relationships to “capital.” None of them work correctly in the analogy.

Example Question #4 : Analogies: Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship

Dome is to building as capital is to __________.

Possible Answers:

column

legislature

city

money

suburb

Correct answer:

column

Explanation:

While not all buildings have domes, all domes are placed upon the tops the buildings that have them. The best way to express this analogy is, “As a dome is on the top of a building, so is a capital on top of X.” While “capital” can mean the main city of nation or state, it likewise can mean the “head” of a column. Think of the columns that you have seen on some buildings. On the ends, there are designed “pedestals” of differing characters. These are the “capitals” on the columns. Just as a dome is on the top of a building, so is a capital on the top of a column. Do not be fooled by the other options that are tempting because of their general relationships to “capital.” None of them work correctly in the analogy.

Example Question #21 : Analogies

Peak is to mountain as consummation is to __________.

Possible Answers:

zenith

undertaking

nadir

prime

goal

Correct answer:

undertaking

Explanation:

The peak is the highest point of a mountain, and the consummation is the point of completion of some task or undertaking. While the word “goal” and “zenith” are potential synonyms for the word, the only acceptable option is “undertaking,” for it is an undertaking that reaches its consummation, as a mountain is “completed” by its peak.

Example Question #1 : Part And Whole

Filament is to bulb as graphite is to __________.

Possible Answers:

pencil

sharpened

scrawl

writing

calligraphy

Correct answer:

pencil

Explanation:

A filament is a small fiber, thread, or wire. In the case of a “bulb” it must mean “wire,” particularly if “bulb” is understood as being short for “light bulb” (as it can be). Old-fashioned, incandescent light bulbs use a filament to produce light. Thus, the analogy could be written, “As a filament is used by a bulb to produce light, so is graphite used by X for its regular activity.” Graphite is the substance used in pencils for writing. The only instrument listed among the possible answers is “pencil,” so this is the correct choice.

Example Question #23 : Analogies

Choose the best answer that best completes the comparison.

Balcony is to railing as road is to __________.

Possible Answers:

street

car

railroad

city

guardrail

Correct answer:

guardrail

Explanation:

A "balcony" has a "railing" to keep people safe, much like a "road" has a "guardrail" to keep cars and their drivers safe.

Example Question #5 : Part And Whole

Choose the answer that best completes the comparison.

Herd is to cattle as flock is to __________.

Possible Answers:

wolves

caribou

lions

mice

seagulls

Correct answer:

seagulls

Explanation:

A group of "cattle" is called a "herd;" similarly a group of "seagulls" is called a "flock."

Example Question #2 : Part And Whole

Country is to confederation as organelle is to __________.

Possible Answers:

surgery

biological

cell

musical

petite

Correct answer:

cell

Explanation:

A confederation is a type of union of smaller groups, often indicating political entities. In the United States, the “Articles of Confederation” were the first legal constructs by which the states were gathered together into a single united group (at least for certain tasks and undertakings). A confederation can also take place among separate countries, and that is what is indicated in this analogy. Thus, one can translate this analogy as stating, “As a country is a member (or part) of a confederation, so is an organelle part of X.” As you might know from biology, an organelle is one of the small parts of a cell such as a ribosome or mitochondria. The word literally means “little organ.”

Example Question #26 : Analogies

Iron is to ore as salt is to __________.

Possible Answers:

brine

preservative

oxidize

acidic

base

Correct answer:

brine

Explanation:

Ore is a type of stone-metal mixture from which metals and minerals can be extracted. The analogy could be written, “As iron can be extracted from its mixed state in ore, so salt can be extracted from its mixed state in X.” Among the options provided, only “brine” describes such a mixture. Brine is water that is saturated with salt. If someone wished, he or she could remove salt from brine as one would remove iron from ore.

Example Question #11 : Part And Whole

Choose the best answer that completes the comparison.

Wine is to grapes as beer is to __________.

Possible Answers:

grains

football

summer

beverage

vineyard

Correct answer:

grains

Explanation:

"Wine" is made from fermented "grapes," just as "beer" is made from fermented "grains."

Example Question #11 : Part And Whole

Choose the best answer that completes the comparison.

Story is to building as deck is to __________.

Possible Answers:

wood

ship

mast

cabin

apartment

Correct answer:

ship

Explanation:

A "story" is a vertical level on a "building," just as a "deck" is a vertical level on a "ship."

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