SSAT Middle Level Verbal : Identifying Synonyms

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #38 : Synonyms

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

CHEMIST

Possible Answers:

Celtic

Cavalier

Cellist

Calvinist

Alchemist

Correct answer:

Alchemist

Explanation:

"Chemists" and "alchemists" are people who work with chemical processes. Both words also share a root: chem-. The other words may also describe kinds of people, but they are not at all related to the word chemical.

Example Question #39 : Synonyms

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

CONDUCTOR

Possible Answers:

Navigator

Authority

Musician

Official

Driver

Correct answer:

Driver

Explanation:

A "conductor" or a "driver" controls vehicles such as trains and cars. These words are synonymous. A "navigator" is someone who helps with directions and navigation. Although an orchestra "conductor" might lead a musician during a performance, these words are not synonymous.

Example Question #41 : Synonyms

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

CHARLATAN

Possible Answers:

Sage

Faker

Charleston

Priest

Chapel

Correct answer:

Faker

Explanation:

Well, let's start by eliminating the noun "Charleston," which sounds more like a dance or a place on a map than the right answer! "Faker" is the closest in meaning to "charlatan," a person who pretends to be something he or she is not. The other answer choices have completely unrelated meanings.

Example Question #42 : Synonyms

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

AUTHORITY

Possible Answers:

Novelist

Official

Thief

Author

Writer

Correct answer:

Official

Explanation:

The words "authority" and "official" are both used to refer to someone who is respected and high ranking in society, especially someone like an officer or a person who holds a special title. The other words are not directly related to the word "authority." The other answer options are all just occupations, none of which (especially "thief!") are positions of authority.

Example Question #43 : Synonyms

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

ICONOCLAST

Possible Answers:

Monarch

Dissenter

Plebeian

Theologian

Serf

Correct answer:

Dissenter

Explanation:

"Iconoclast" means "dissenter," or someone who break societally held beliefs, customs or institutions.

"Serf" means someone is forced to work. Serfs worked on land owned by lords under the feudal system.

"Monarch" means a ruler of a kingdom, or the person in charge.

"Plebeian" means related to common or low-brow things.

"Theologian" is someone who studies religion, a religious scholar.

Example Question #44 : Synonyms

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

CHAGRIN

Possible Answers:

Comfort

Triumph

Delight

Scorn

Displeasure

Correct answer:

Displeasure

Explanation:

"Chagrin" means "displeasure," intense annoyance or embarrassment.

"Scorn" means contempt, derision or mockery.

"Comfort" means satisfaction, the feeling of ease.

"Triumph" means victory or it can mean extreme happiness.

"Delight" means contentment, glee or joy.

Example Question #45 : Synonyms

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

HUMANITARIAN

Possible Answers:

Academic

Demigod

Pestilence

Philanthropist

Anchor

Correct answer:

Philanthropist

Explanation:

The noun "humanitarian" is used to refer to someone who gives to charity, donates large sums of money. Another word for a "humanitarian" is a "philanthropist." Additionally, an "academic" is a scholar, a professor, someone who studies for a career; "pestilence" is disease; a "demigod" is a lesser God in a pantheon of Gods; an "anchor" is an object used to keep things, like ships, in place and prevent them from moving.

Example Question #46 : Synonyms

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

DELINQUENT

Possible Answers:

Mentor

Prosecutor

Savior

Vigilante

Criminal

Correct answer:

Criminal

Explanation:

The noun "delinquent" means badly-behaved individual, criminal, offender, wrongdoer. "Delinquent" can also be used as an adjective in which case it has the same connotation, it means (usually of a young person, especially teenagers) badly-behaved, likely to cause trouble. Additionally, a "mentor" is someone with expertise who guides someone who has less experience; a "savior" is a hero, a messiah; a "prosecutor" is someone whose job it is to prosecute criminals for crimes committed; a "vigilante" is an individual outside of the legal system who takes it upon themselves to prevent crime (the classic example of a "vigilante" is Batman).

Example Question #47 : Synonyms

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

PARIAH

Possible Answers:

Novice

Intermediate

Partner

Expert

Outcast

Correct answer:

Outcast

Explanation:

The noun "pariah" means outcast, person banished or ignored by society. Additionally, "novice" means beginner; "expert" means someone who knows a lot about a particular thing, not a beginner; "intermediate" means neither a novice nor an expert, halfway between a beginner and an expert.

Example Question #48 : Synonyms

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

ABORIGINAL

Possible Answers:

Captive

Person travelling

Marauder

Person native to a region

Foreigner

Correct answer:

Person native to a region

Explanation:

"Aboriginal" means someone who is native to a region, someone who is indigenous to a region.

A "person travelling" is a tourist or a traveler

"Captive" means someone who is physically prevented from leaving, someone who is imprisoned.

"Marauder" means someone who pillages, raids or robs others.

"Foreigner" means someone who is not native to a region, someone from a foreign or different country. "Foreigner" is the antonym of "aboriginal."

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