SSAT Middle Level Verbal : SSAT Middle Level Verbal

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #1304 : Synonyms

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

FORTIFY

Possible Answers:

Weaken

Trap

Delineate

Strengthen

Encase

Correct answer:

Strengthen

Explanation:

"Fortify" means strengthen, so "strengthen" is the correct answer. "Fortify" is derived from the Latin word "fortis," which means strong; English words like "fort" and "fortitude" are derived from the same root.

Example Question #1305 : Synonyms

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

PERFORATE

Possible Answers:

Deviate

Impale

Administer

Puncture

Wield

Correct answer:

Puncture

Explanation:

The prefix "per-" means through or go through, so “perforate” means to make a hole through something, or “puncture.” To provide further help, “wield” means carry and use as a weapon; “administer” means manage or oversee; “impale” means stab, which is close in meaning to “perforate,” but not the closest; finally, "deviate" means vary from a path, plan, or trajectory.

Example Question #1306 : Synonyms

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

PRESCIENCE

Possible Answers:

Foresight

Revision 

Preliminary

Understanding 

Testing 

Correct answer:

Foresight

Explanation:

“Prescience” means foresight or the ability to know what will or might happen in the future. This is closest to “foresight,” which means the ability to know about events before they happens. You can infer the meaning of these words from their prefixes: "pre-" and "fore-" both mean before. It is important not to get distracted by the word root "science" in "prescience," as it could lead you to choose “testing," an incorrect answer. “Revision” means editing (literally the act of looking at something again), and “preliminary” means initial or done first in order to prepare for something, which you may be able to infer from the word's use of the prefix "pre-," which means before. “Understanding” is similar to “prescience” in that it suggests knowing something, but “understanding” is not associated with knowing about future events before they happen.

Example Question #1307 : Synonyms

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

DICTATE

Possible Answers:

Smell 

Hear

Speak 

Feel 

Touch 

Correct answer:

Speak 

Explanation:

The prefix "dict-" means related to speaking and speech, so “dictate” is closest in meaning to "speak." More specifically, "dictate" means speak aloud words that you wish someone else to write down. You might “dictate” something to your assistant to write down.

Example Question #1308 : Synonyms

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

INSOMNIA

Possible Answers:

Sleeplessness

Offense

Inspection

Withering

Poem

Correct answer:

Sleeplessness

Explanation:

"Insomnia" is related to the Latin root "somnus," meaning sleep. Adding the negative prefix "in-" makes "insomnia," the inability to sleep, which we also call "sleeplessness."

Example Question #1309 : Synonyms

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

HOMOGENEOUS

Possible Answers:

Varied

Uniform

Unique

Attempted

Corresponding

Correct answer:

Uniform

Explanation:

The prefix "homo-" means same, and in this instance, that is sufficient information; “homogenous” means of the same kind, so "uniform" (identical) is the best answer choice.

Example Question #1311 : Synonyms

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

PANDEMONIUM

Possible Answers:

Misery

Bliss

Discovery

Orderliness

Mayhem

Correct answer:

Mayhem

Explanation:

The prefix "pan-" means everything, and appears in words like “Pangaea” and “pandemic.” In this context, it means a state where everything is going wrong, or “mayhem." ("Pandemonium" was first used in Milton's Paradise Lost to mean "the place where all demons live," which one might be able to infer from the word's use of the root "demon.") To provide further help, “bliss” is happiness and contentedness; “orderliness” means tidiness and the quality of being well organized; and “misery” is great sadness.

Example Question #1312 : Synonyms

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

INCONGRUOUS

Possible Answers:

Protective

Ill-fitting

Dangerous

Social

Jaunty

Correct answer:

Ill-fitting

Explanation:

"Incongruous" means inappropriateout of place, or ill-fitting, so "ill-fitting" is the correct answer.

Example Question #53 : Synonyms: Roots

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

INTERMEDIATE

Possible Answers:

Middle

Intentional

Elite

Priceless

Bottom

Correct answer:

Middle

Explanation:

"Intermediate" means middle.

Example Question #533 : Synonyms

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

PREDISPOSITION

Possible Answers:

Repudiate 

Renounce 

Disinclination 

Mar 

Tendency 

Correct answer:

Tendency 

Explanation:

A “predisposition” is a tendency or liability to think or feel a certain way about something. For example, someone from a violent past might be “predisposed” to violence in the present. The correct answer is thus "tendency," as "tendency" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "predisposition."As for the other answer choices, a “disinclination” is the opposite of a “predisposition”— it is something you are not liable to do; “repudiate” and “renounce” both mean to reject or declare that something is wrong and stop participating in it; and “mar” is a verb that means ruin or make worse.

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