SSAT Upper Level Verbal : SSAT Upper Level Verbal

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #41 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States

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

VOLATILE

Possible Answers:

Seasoned

Stoic

Bothersome

Charismatic

Mercurial

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:

Uplifting

Thoughtful

Sociable

Hurried

Verifiable

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:

Malignant

Rebellious

Dominant

Plausible

Passionate

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:

Heavy

Unforgettable 

Miserable

Scared

Erroneous

Correct answer:

Miserable

Explanation:

"Abject" means utterly hopeless or miserable.

Example Question #46 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States

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

PETULANT

Possible Answers:

Unsound

Logical

Delicious

Irritable

Gifted

Correct answer:

Irritable

Explanation:

"Petulant" means irritable or impatient.

Example Question #47 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States

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

APATHETIC

Possible Answers:

Ignorant

Aggressive

Uninterested

Lawless

Motivated

Correct answer:

Uninterested

Explanation:

"Apathetic" means uninterested or indifferent.

Example Question #48 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States

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

ELATED

Possible Answers:

Tedious

Delicious

Immediate

Saddened

Joyful

Correct answer:

Joyful

Explanation:

"Elated" means very happy or overjoyed.

Example Question #49 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States

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

JUBILANT

Possible Answers:

Morose

Stalwart

Juvenile

Lavish

Joyful

Correct answer:

Joyful

Explanation:

"Jubilant" means joyful.

Example Question #50 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States

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

HISTRIONIC

Possible Answers:

Historical

Tedious

Ancient

Dull

Dramatic

Correct answer:

Dramatic

Explanation:

"Histrionic" means extremely dramatic.

Example Question #51 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Emotional States

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

ENVIOUS

Possible Answers:

Sociable

Excessive

Jealous

Incessant

Erroneous

Correct answer:

Jealous

Explanation:

"Envious" means jealous; Erroneous means mistaken; Excessive means too much; Sociable means outgoing; and Incessant means continual.

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