SSAT Middle Level Verbal : Determining Meaning from Type of Relationship

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

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store

Example Questions

Example Question #661 : Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship

Complete this analogy.

Basketball is to sport as _________.

Possible Answers:

toy is to child

bird is to sky

Jazz is to genre

tiger is to jungle

bulb is to light

Correct answer:

Jazz is to genre

Explanation:

The correct answer is "jazz is to genre."

The first part of the analogy shows that basketball is a type of sport. 

Jazz is a specific genre of music, making it the correct answer to complete the analogy.

Example Question #662 : Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship

Complete this analogy.

Asphyxiation is to __________ as malnutrition is to food.

Possible Answers:

lungs

warmth

oxygen

meal

water

Correct answer:

oxygen

Explanation:

"Malnutrition" is a condition that results from too little "food," it is the lack of proper nutrition, an inadequate supply of food. So, to solve this analogy you need to determine what the condition "asphyxiation" results from too little of. "Asphyxiation" is choking and it results from a lack of "oxygen."

Example Question #2 : Other Analogies

Complete this analogy.

Counterfeit is to __________ as feint is to attack.

Possible Answers:

ailing

lawyer

legal

money

equitable

Correct answer:

money

Explanation:

A fake attack is known as a "feint." So, to solve this analogy you need to determine what fake "money" is known as. The correct answer is "counterfeit" which means a reproduced copy of something valuable, like money or property, designed to trick others into believing it is the real thing. Additionally, "equitable" means fair and equal; "ailing" means sick, unhealthy, unwell.

Example Question #661 : Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship

Complete this analogy.

Ignorant is to __________ as naked is to clothes.

Possible Answers:

money

energy

education

emotion

family

Correct answer:

education

Explanation:

Someone without "clothes" is "naked." So, to solve this analogy you need to determine what it is that someone is lacking if they are described as "ignorant." Well, "ignorant" means not having knowledge of something. So, the correct answer is "education."

Example Question #661 : Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship

Complete this analogy.

Classroom is to teacher as ________________.

Possible Answers:

clerk is to register

ballet is to dancers

house is to family

highway is to car

play is to director 

Correct answer:

play is to director 

Explanation:

The correct answer is "play is to director."

This analogy discloses the relationship of an individual and leadership. A classroom is led by/directed by a teacher; a play is led by/directed by a director.

Example Question #1 : Action And Object Acted Upon

Bake is to pie as sauté is to __________.

Possible Answers:

potato

soup

stew

water

ice cream

Correct answer:

potato

Explanation:

One cooks a pie by baking it, so we need to pick out an answer choice that one might cook by sautéing. “Sauté,” when used as a verb, means “fry quickly in fat or grease,” so we can infer that only solid foods can be sautéed. So neither “soup” nor “stew,” or “water” can be the correct answer, because they either involve or are liquids. In choosing between “ice cream” and “potato,” one can infer that if one attempted to fry ice cream with a little hot fat, it would melt, so “potato” is the correct answer, because just as pies can be baked, potatoes can be sautéed.

Example Question #2 : Action And Object Acted Upon

Complete this analogy.

Fire is to extinguish as flood is to __________.

Possible Answers:

burn 

dam 

drown 

river 

water

Correct answer:

dam 

Explanation:

"Extinguish" is an action you take to prevent or eliminate a fire, so to solve this analogy you have to determine which of these answer choices is an action you take when you need to prevent or eliminate a flood. The correct answer is “dam.” To "dam" something means to block or impede it.

Example Question #3 : Action And Object Acted Upon

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Money is to spend as food is to __________.

Possible Answers:

Purify 

Elicit 

Consume 

Absorb 

Mock 

Correct answer:

Consume 

Explanation:

"Money" is an object and "spend" is an action involving the use of that object. Therefore, to solve this analogy, you have to determine which of the answer choices is an action related to the use of the object "food." The correct answer is “consume.” Consume means to eat or to take in. For clarification, "mock" means ridicule or make fun of, "purify" means make pure or clean, and "elicit" means to extract or to obtain.

Example Question #4 : Action And Object Acted Upon

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Ship is to sail as plane is to ___________.

Possible Answers:

Sink 

Fly 

Pilot 

Founder 

Flew 

Correct answer:

Fly 

Explanation:

One sails a ship, so to solve this analogy, you have to determine what action one can do to a plane to control the direction in which it goes. The correct answer is “fly.” Be wary of words in the incorrect tense, like "flew." For clarification, "founder" means sink and often refers to ships.

Example Question #2 : Action And Object Acted Upon

Analogies: Complete this analogy.

Quench is to thirst as satiate is to __________.

Possible Answers:

ailment

sleep

hunger

divide

poverty

Correct answer:

hunger

Explanation:

If you “quench” your thirst, you use a liquid to stop or appease it. When you are full with food, you are “satiated," so “satiate” is related to "hunger" as "quench" is related to "thirst." An “ailment” is an illness, and "poverty" is the state of being very poor and having too few resources.

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors