SSAT Upper Level Verbal : Synonyms: Adjectives and Adverbs

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #37 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States

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

CONTRITE

Possible Answers:

Discreet

Diminutive 

Transparent

Remorseful

Dignified 

Correct answer:

Remorseful

Explanation:

Contrite means remorseful and filled with the desire to repent.  

Example Question #38 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States

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

IRATE

Possible Answers:

Longitudinal

Furious

Rapid

Melancholy

Legal

Correct answer:

Furious

Explanation:

Irate means very angry or furious.

Example Question #41 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States

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

SENSATIONAL

Possible Answers:

Muted

Thought-provoking 

Garrulous

Tactile

Shocking 

Correct answer:

Shocking 

Explanation:

Sensational means causing great public excitement, or shocking.

Example Question #151 : Synonyms: Adjectives And Adverbs

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

VOLATILE

Possible Answers:

Seasoned

Mercurial

Bothersome

Stoic

Charismatic

Correct answer:

Mercurial

Explanation:

“Volatile” is an adjective that can mean “easily evaporated” when referring to a substance, “liable to change rapidly and unpredictably,” or when describing a person, “displaying rapid changes of emotion.” So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like “easily evaporated,” “changing rapidly,” or “rapid change of emotion.” That means that “stoic” cannot be the correct answer, because “stoic” means “enduring hardship without showing one’s feelings,” a meaning very distant from that of “volatile.” “Mercurial,” however, is an adjective that can mean “subject to unpredictable changes of mood or mind” when describing a person, and because “mercurial” is the answer choice closest in meaning to “volatile,” “mercurial” is the correct answer.

Example Question #43 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States

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

PENSIVE

Possible Answers:

Thoughtful

Hurried

Verifiable

Sociable

Uplifting

Correct answer:

Thoughtful

Explanation:

"Pensive" means thoughtful or reflective. The root wood, "pensare," means to consider.

Example Question #44 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States

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

VEHEMENT

Possible Answers:

Dominant

Passionate

Malignant

Plausible

Rebellious

Correct answer:

Passionate

Explanation:

"Vehement" means passionate or angry.

Example Question #45 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States

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

ABJECT

Possible Answers:

Erroneous

Heavy

Unforgettable 

Miserable

Scared

Correct answer:

Miserable

Explanation:

"Abject" means utterly hopeless or miserable.

Example Question #947 : Synonyms

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

PETULANT

Possible Answers:

Delicious

Logical

Unsound

Irritable

Gifted

Correct answer:

Irritable

Explanation:

"Petulant" means irritable or impatient.

Example Question #46 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States

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

APATHETIC

Possible Answers:

Ignorant

Uninterested

Aggressive

Motivated

Lawless

Correct answer:

Uninterested

Explanation:

"Apathetic" means uninterested or indifferent.

Example Question #952 : Synonyms

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

ELATED

Possible Answers:

Immediate

Saddened

Delicious

Joyful

Tedious

Correct answer:

Joyful

Explanation:

"Elated" means very happy or overjoyed.

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