All SSAT Middle Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #51 : Determining Meaning From Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots
Analogies: Complete this analogy.
Astronomy is to space as gastronomy is to __________.
food
earth
atmosphere
air
volcanoes
food
The suffix -onomy usually means the study of, and the prefix astro- means related to space, so “astronomy” is the study of space. To solve this analogy you need to determine what “gastronomy” is the study of. The prefix gastro- means related to food or digestion, so “gastronomy” is the study of food.
Example Question #52 : Determining Meaning From Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots
Analogies: Complete this analogy.
Autocracy is to dictator as oligarchy is to __________.
democrats
aristocrats
technocrats
representatives
monarchs
aristocrats
An “autocracy” is a government ruled by one man, a government ruled by a dictator. A “dictator” is someone who has absolute control over a group of people. The prefix auto- usually means self, and so an “autocracy” is rule by one-self. The prefix dic- means say, command, so a “dictator” is someone who says and commands the rules of a country. To solve this analogy you have to determine what system of government an “oligarchy” is, and also who would be likely to run the government. The prefix olig- means few, or little, so an “oligarchy” is rule by a select wealthy few. This tells us that an “oligarchy” is ruled by “aristocrats.” If it was not yet clear, the suffixes -crat and -cracy mean rule, power. To provide further help, a “monarch” is a king or queen; a “representative” is someone tasked with representing the will of the people in government; a “technocrat” is someone who rules through technology.
Example Question #52 : Determining Meaning From Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots
Analogies: Complete this analogy.
Anthropology is to man as climatology is to __________.
Climate
Hormones
Climbing
Amphibians
Viruses
Climate
The root "anthro-" means related to mankind and the suffix "-ology" means the study of, so “anthropology” is the study of man. To solve this analogy, you have to determine what “climatology” is the study of. The correct answer is "climate." None of the other answer choices make sense in the blank as they have nothing to do with climate.
Example Question #51 : Suffixes
Complete this analogy.
Pressure is to barometer as temperature is to __________.
thermometer
audiometer
micrometer
altimeter
odometer
thermometer
The suffix "-meter" means related to measurement. A “barometer” is an instrument used to measure pressure, since the prefix "bar-" means related to pressure. To solve this analogy, you have to determine which of the answer choices is the name of an instrument that measures temperature. The correct answer is a “thermometer"; if you did not know this, you could use the prefix "thermo-" as a context clue, as "thermo-" means having to do with heat and temperature. To provide further help, an “odometer” is the instrument found in a car that measures how many miles the car has travelled; an “altimeter” is an instrument that measures height; a “micrometer” is a device that measures very small distances; an “audiometer” is a device that measures the loudness of noise.
Example Question #52 : Suffixes
Complete this analogy.
Anglophile is to England as Grecophile is to __________.
Greece
Love
Greek
German
English
Greece
The suffix -phile means love and the prefix Anglo- means related to England or the English. So Anglophile describes someone who loves the English. To solve this analogy, you have to determine which country a Grecophile loves. You might have guessed, based on the first few letters, that the correct answer is “Greece.” It is Greece, the country, not Greek, the nationality, because the word "England" was used in the first comparison, not "English."
Example Question #63 : Determining Meaning From Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots
Complete this analogy.
Bibliophile is to books as zoophile is to ___________.
circuses
animals
monkeys
parties
humans
animals
The suffix "-phile" means lover of and the prefix "bibl-" means related to books, so we can see that “bibliophile” means a lover of books. To solve this analogy, you need to determine what a “zoophile” is a lover of. The correct answer is “animals.” The prefix "zoo-" means related to animals, so whenever you see it in a word, it is reasonable to assume that the word will have something to do with animals.
Example Question #53 : Suffixes
Complete this analogy.
Introvert is to extrovert as underpopulated is to __________.
depopulated
unpopulated
overpopulated
repopulated
populated
overpopulated
“Introvert” and “extrovert” are antonyms; they are complete opposites of each other. We can tell this from their prefixes, "intro-," which means having to do with the inside of something, and "extro-," which means having to do with the outside of something. An “introvert” is someone who keeps to themselves, while an “extrovert” likes to be outgoing. This tells us that we should look for the opposite of “underpopulated.” The opposite of "under-" (not enough) is "over-" (too much), so the answer is “overpopulated.” Similarly, “depopulated” means the opposite of “repopulated” just as “unpopulated” means the opposite of “populated.” To help, a place which is “populated” has people living on or in it; for example New York is populated.
Certified Tutor
Certified Tutor