SSAT Elementary Level Verbal : SSAT Elementary Level Verbal

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #576 : Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship

Complete this analogy.

Fall is to fell as __________.

Possible Answers:

jump is to jumped

run is to runned

swim is to swimmed

draw is to drawed

leave is to leaved

Correct answer:

jump is to jumped

Explanation:

The relationship between the words "fall" and "fell" is that "fell" is the past tense of "fall."

Of the answer choices, all the past tense forms of the first word are incorrect except for "jump is to jumped." It is therefore the correct answer.

Example Question #577 : Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship

Complete this analogy.

Loyal is to traitor as brave is to __________.

Possible Answers:

soldier

nurse

knight

champion

coward

Correct answer:

coward

Explanation:

A "traitor" is someone who is not loyal or, in other words, someone who betrays someone else. So, to solve this analogy, you have to determine which of the nouns given answer choices describes someone who is not brave. The correct answer is therefore "coward," which means someone who is scared and not brave.

Example Question #1 : Synonyms: Nouns For Abstract Concepts

A synonym of "calamity" is . . .

Possible Answers:

remainder

shoddy

catastrophe

terrible

inhabit

Correct answer:

catastrophe

Explanation:

Since "calamity" is a noun that means "disaster," we need to find another noun that also means "disaster." While a calamity can be terrible, "terrible" does not mean the same thing as "calamity" does, so it can't be the answer. Two of the answer choices are nouns: "catastrophe" and "remainder." Since a "remainder" means "something that is left over" and "catastrophe" means "disaster," "catastrophe" is the right answer.

Example Question #2 : Synonyms: Nouns

A synonym of "delight" is . . .

Possible Answers:

face

frown

happiness

emotion

joyful

Correct answer:

happiness

Explanation:

Since "delight" is a noun that means "joy," we need to find another noun that also means "joy." While "joyful" might look like a good answer, "joyful" is an adjective, not a noun, so it can't be the answer. (A person can be joyful, but delight is a thing. We're looking for another thing, not a word that describes things.) Since "happiness" also means "joy," "happiness" is the correct answer.

Example Question #3 : Synonyms: Nouns

Which word is a synonym for terror in the sentence above?

He was full of terror as he ran from the haunted house.

Possible Answers:

None of the other answer choices

joy

glee

confidence

horror

Correct answer:

horror

Explanation:

The words horror and terror allow the sentence to maintain a similar meaning.

Example Question #4 : Synonyms: Nouns

Which is a synonym for the word desire?

His desire for ice cream intensified as they drove past the ice cream parlor. 

Possible Answers:

None of the other answer choices

need

disgust

hatred

repulsion

Correct answer:

need

Explanation:

The word need can be substituted into the original sentence to maintain its meaning.

Example Question #5 : Synonyms: Nouns

A synonym of "mimicry" is . . .

Possible Answers:

individuality

wackiness

impersonation

dreariness

intelligence

Correct answer:

impersonation

Explanation:

"Mimicry" is a noun that means "the action or art of imitating someone or something, typically in order to entertain or ridicule," so we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "the action or art of imitating someone or something." "Individuality," then, cannot be the correct answer, because "individuality" means "the quality or character of a particular person or thing that distinguishes them from others of the same kind, especially when strongly marked." That means that "individuality" is closer to being an antonym of "mimicry" than a synonym. "Impersonation," however, is a noun that means "an act of pretending to be another person for the purpose of entertainment or fraud," and because "impersonation" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "mimicry," "impersonation" is the correct answer.

Example Question #6 : Synonyms: Nouns

A synonym of “suggestion” is __________.

Possible Answers:

luck

problem

demand

idea

emotion

Correct answer:

idea

Explanation:

“Suggestion” is a noun that means “something put forward for consideration,” so we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like “idea.” That means that “demand” cannot be the correct answer, because “demand,” when used as a noun, means “an insistent request,” making it an antonym, not a synonym, of “suggestion.” “Idea,” however, is a noun that means “a thought or suggestion,” and because “idea” is the answer choice closest in meaning to “suggestion,” “idea” is the correct answer.

Example Question #1 : Synonyms: Nouns

A synonym of “dilemma” is . . .

Possible Answers:

worry

difficulty

decision

weakness

travel

Correct answer:

difficulty

Explanation:

“Dilemma” is a noun that means “a difficult situation or problem,” so we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like “problem.” That means that “decision” cannot be the correct answer, because “decision” means “a conclusion or resolution reached after consideration,” a definition quite far in meaning from “dilemma.” “Difficulty,” however, is a noun that can mean “a thing that is hard to accomplish, deal with, or understand” or “a situation that is difficult or dangerous,” and because “difficulty” is the answer choice closest in meaning to “dilemma,” “difficulty” is the correct answer.

Example Question #7 : Synonyms: Nouns

Synonyms: choose the word that has the closest meaning to the word in question.

Distance

Possible Answers:

Length

Pounds

Car

Tunnel

Opponent

Correct answer:

Length

Explanation:

"Distance" means the full length of something; opponent is your competitor or rival; tunnel is usually an underground path in which cars pass through; a car is vehicle used for travel on land; and pounds is the unit for weight.

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