Synonyms, Antonyms, and Changes in Intensity - SSAT Elementary Level Verbal

Both sets of words are antonyms.

Both sets of words are antonyms.

Both sets of words are antonyms.

Both of the sets are antonyms.

Both sets are antonyms.

Up and down are polar opposite directions, just like left and right are, so "left is to right" is the correct answer.

"Small" and "large" are antonyms, so we are looking for an answer choice in which the two words have opposite meanings. The best answer choice is "short is to long," since "short" and "long" are antonyms.

High and low have opposite meanings, just as wide and narrow do.

To complete the analogy, you must determine the relationship between the first two words. "Dull" and "sharp" are antonyms, or opposites, so the answer must be two antonyms. "Dark" is the opposite of light, so that must be the correct answer.

"Early" and "late" are antonyms, or opposites, so the answer must be two antonyms. "Open" is the opposite of "closed," so that must be the correct answer.

Since "messy" is the opposite of "organized," we need to pick out an answer choice that is the opposite of "awake." While "asleep" and "tired" may both look like potentially correct answers, "asleep" is the better answer, because the opposite of tired would be a word like "energetic," not "asleep." Since "asleep" is an antonym of "awake," just like "messy" is an antonym of "organized," "asleep" is the correct answer.

Since "hungry" and "full" are opposites, we need to pick out another pair of words which are also opposites. Since "exhausted" ("very tired") is an opposite of "energetic," "exhausted is to energetic" is the correct answer.

Since "urban" means "in, relating to, or characteristic of a city or town," and "rural" means "in, relating to, or characteristic of the countryside rather than the town," the two words are opposites. So, we need to pick out an answer choice which includes two words that are opposites. Two answer choices include two adjectives, "left is to right" and "sorry is to apologetic," and "sorry is to regretful" cannot be the correct answer because "sorry" means the same thing as "regretful." "Left is to right" is the correct answer because just like urban is the opposite of rural, left is an opposite of right.

"Welcome," when used as an adjective, means "of a guest or new arrival: gladly received," and "excluded" is an adjective that means "deny (someone) access to or bar (someone) from a place, group, or privilege," so the two words are antonyms. That means that we need to pick out an answer choice that consists of two antonyms. "Ready" cannot be the correct answer, then, because "ready" is a synonym, not an antonym, of "prepared." "Unready," however, is an antonym of "prepared," just like "welcome" is an antonym of "excluded," so "unready" is the correct answer.

“Backward” and “forward” are opposites, or antonyms, so we need to pick out an answer choice that also consists of a pair of antonyms. While “famished is to hungry” and “never is to always” might each look like a potentially correct answer, “famished” is an adjective that means “extremely hungry,” so “famished” and “hungry” are actually synonyms, not antonyms, so “famished is to hungry” cannot be the correct answer; however, “never” and “always” are opposites, just like “backward” and “forward” are opposites, so “never is to always” is the correct answer.

“Friend” and “enemy” are nouns that are opposites, or antonyms, so we need to pick out an answer choice that consists of two nouns which are also opposites. While “confidence is to shyness” and “justice is to fairness” might each look like a potentially correct answer, “justice” is a noun that means “the quality of being fair and reasonable,” so “justice” and “fairness” are synonyms, not antonyms, and “justice is to fairness” cannot be the correct answer. “Confidence,” however, is a noun that means “a feeling of self-assurance arising from one’s appreciation of one’s own abilities or qualities,” while “shyness” is a noun that means “the quality of feeling nervous and uncomfortable about meeting and talking to people.” So, because “confidence” is an antonym of “shyness” just as “friend” is an antonym of “enemy,” “confidence is to shyness” is the correct answer.

"Big and small" discuss the size of something, with the larger description first and the smaller one second. The only choice that matches this is "Wide and narrow."

"Active" means energetic and lively and is an antonym of "inactive." To solve this analogy, you need to figure out the best available antonym of "amateur." Someone who is an "amateur" is not paid for their work, so the only acceptable antonym is “professional.” None of the other answer choices are antonyms of "amateur": "employed" means having a paid job, "income" is the money one earns by working; and "taxes" are the portion of money that the government takes from your income.

Appearance is an opposite, or antonym, of disappearance, which you can infer from the negative prefix "dis-" in "disappearance." An "appearance" is an instance of someone or something showing up, while a "disappearance" is an instance of someone vanishing or not being able to be found. So, to solve this analogy, you have to determine the best antonym of "champion." A "champion" is a winner, so the answer choice that is an antonym of "champion" is “loser.” As for the other answers, "vanish" means disappear suddenly, but we need to pick out a noun for the blank, because "champion" is a noun. So, "vanish" cannot be the correct answer. "Victor" means champion, but because "appearance" and "disappearance" are opposites, not synonyms, we need to pick out an opposite, or antonym, for the blank. So, "victor" cannot be the correct answer either. "Match" and "win" are each words that can be used as nouns and can be used to describe competitions which might choose a "champion," but neither word is an opposite of "champion," so neither of them can be the correct answer.