Analogies - HSPT Language Skills

The Latin word “columen” means “height, peak, or summit. Generally, the word “culmination” is used to describe the “high point” of some activity. For instance, one could say, “The man’s dissertation was the culmination of four years or careful archival research and analysis.” The word can be used metaphorically in the sense of “summit,” meaning “high point.” Thus, the analogy is one of synonymy. The word “nadir,” on the other hand, means “lowest point,” as in, “After ten years of continued failure, George believed he finally had finally reached the nadir of his career and could only improve matters henceforth.” The best option, therefore, is “bottom.”

When we speak of someone’s destiny, we mean thereby to indicate what we believe will unquestionably happen in the future of his or her life. Such a person is believed to have a certain “fate.” Thus, to be “destined” is to be “fated” to something. The words are relatively synonymous. The word “acquitted” is most often used to describe the decision of a jury to declare someone not guilty of a crime, thus freeing that person of guilt. The word “exonerated” means “to forgive someone of guilt after considering the matter in question.” It comes from the Latin literally meaning, “To take the burden off of (someone).” The “-onerate” portion of the word is related to the word “onerous,” which means “burdensome.”

The word “superfluous” literally means “flowing over” in the sense of “being too much for the situation, hence overflowing the needs.” When something is thus overflowing, it is excessive—it exceeds the needs of a situation. Thus, we are looking for a synonym for “slender.” While the word “emaciated” might tempt you, it is far too strong of a word, indicating an unhealthy and sickly thinness. The better option is “lean,” which does not have these additional connotations and is thus a better synonym for “slender.”

When something is described as being “intense,” it is considered as being “to a great degree” with regard to some quality. For instance, “intense winds” are very strong winds and “intense cold” is “extreme cold.” Thus, the words “intense” and “extreme” are relatively synonymous, so a synonym is needed for “expensive.” Among the options provided, several wrong answers are likely tempting like “prohibitive,” “impoverished,” and “penurious.” All of these are distantly related to matters of money and expense, but they do not signify the same meaning as “expensive” itself. Though “costly” might seem to be too simple of a word, here the simplest is indeed the best and correct.

When someone is “lax,” he or she is “loose” with discipline or care. The word is related to “relax.” In the case of “lax,” it is often implied that such “laxity” is a bad character trait for which the person should be judged negatively. Since “negligence” is the failure to perform a necessary or required task with appropriate care, it is a relative synonym for lax. “Malaise” is the state of feeling uneasy, though one cannot exactly explain why this is the case. Thus, the best synonymous answer for this analogy is “uneasiness.”

Perhaps you have heard the expression, “political consensus.” It is used to describe the situation when a group of differing political parties are able to come together in agreement on some topic. The word “consensus” literally means “feeling or sensing together.” (The “con-” prefix means “with,” as in “congregate” and “chili con carne”—chili with meat). Thus, “consensus” is relatively synonymous with “agreement.” Among the options provided for freedom, several might tempt you because of indirect references and relations (like “fighter,” “constitution,” and “political”); however, the best option is “liberty,” which is the only option that is directly synonymous with “freedom.”

When someone is “elated,” he or she is said to be so happy that he or she is “carried out of himself.” (This is somewhat like the word “ecstasy,” which literally means standing outside of oneself). Elation is thus a state of extreme joy—something at least relatively synonymous with being “thrilled.” Thus, we are looking for a synonym for the word “grin.” Among the options, the only word that is synonymous to “grin” is “beam.” This might seem strange at first, but consider “grin” taken as a verb—“to grin.” Although the word “beam” can also mean something completely different—e.g. the wooden beams in a house—as a verb, it can also mean to smile broadly and openly. Perhaps you have seen the present participle: “A beaming smile.”

A glutton is a person who does not control the amount of food that he or she eats, overindulging. Such a person can be called “intemperate.” Although it is usually used to describe the forgoing of alcohol, the word “temperance” also can mean self-control regarding desires more generally considered. An imbecile is a foolish or stupid person. Such a person could be called “unintelligent.”

To “inquire” after something is to look into it or to ask questions regarding it. Likely, you know the word “inquiry,” which means a process of formal questioning (perhaps in a legal case, though other options are possible). When someone “delves” into something, he or she “digs” into it very deeply. The word’s first meaning is “to reach into,” though it is often used metaphorically to mean “to dig into” or “excavate.” It likewise can mean “to research very thoroughly.” Thus, our bridge sentence is, “As delving is a form of deep and detailed inquiry, so too is X a deep and detailed form of reflecting (or reflection).” To “mull over” something is not merely to dally and consider it. It means “to think deeply and for a long time over something.” For this reason, it is the best option among those provided.

Someone who is “iniquitous” is very immoral or wicked. Therefore, our bridge sentence is, “Just as something iniquitous is very immoral, so too is something X very possible.” Among the options provided, “probable” is the only word providing a sense of being “very possible.” The options “feasible” and “viable,” while they do connote that something is indeed a possible option, do not connote the sense of being “very possible.”

When we say that something “satisfies,” it fulfills an expected need. Something that is “satiating” completely fills a need, and thus in this analogy could be said to mean “beyond adequate,” in comparison with “adequate,” which is implied by “sufficient.” Thus, our bridge sentence could be constructed, “As something that is satiating is more than sufficient (or sufficient to a great degree), so too is something X draining to a great degree.” Something “exhausts” when it literally drains everything out. It comes form the Latin literally meaning “drawing water out.”

Likely, you know the term “austere” as meaning strict or perhaps something like serious or “grave.” While these meanings are acceptable, the word can also mean “extremely plain, without frills or luxuries;” therefore, our analogy is one of increasing intensity. Think of the bridge sentence as being, “Just as something austere is very plain, so also is something X very ornate.” The word “baroque” is not merely the name of a period of history or music but can likewise mean “very elaborate or ornamented.” The word is taken from the ornamented style of the art of the period, though here applied more generally.

You likely have some exposure to the mythological character, Hercules (or Heracles), who in Greek mythology performed great deeds of strength. In English, to say something is “herculean” means that it is extremely difficult—as were his great labors. Thus, “herculean” stands as an intensified form of “difficult.” Your generalized bridge sentence would be, “As herculean things are very difficult, so X things are very small.” If something is minute, it is very small. Do not confuse this with the word for the division of time. The word is related to words like “miniscule” and “miniature,” each implying some degree of “smallness.”

Something immaculate is very clean. Roman Catholics speak of “Immaculate Mary,” meaning thereby to attribute absolute purity from sin to Mary, the mother of Jesus. The bridge sentence for our analogy could be formulated as, “As something very neat is called immaculate, so too is something very noisy called X.” Something raucous is disturbing and loud. Often, one will speak of “raucous partying,” implying by that “loud partying.” In general, something is “raucous” if it is loud and unsettling. For this reason, it fits the analogy, meaning well enough “very noisy.”

The word “infringement” means literally an act of breaking upon something. It is derived from the Latin for to break, as is found in the English “fracture.” The more generally used meaning for the word is the act of breaking a law or agreement. Such an action is one of violation. The words are relatively synonymous. An "expedition" is a journey with some particular goal. The word “excursion” is a relatively synonymous option, as it means a trip, often connoting that it is for enjoyment. While this is not directly synonymous, it is the best option among those provided.

Something is gory when it is covered with blood, often shed because of violence. Thus, “bloody” is either a synonym or at least a characteristic of something that is “gory.” When something is “saturated,” it is completely filled. This word is most frequently used to mean “completely filled with water,” like a sponge that is fully saturated. The word is used in scientific expressions like “saturated fats” because these compounds are completely full of a particular kind of bond—they are saturated with them.

"Lucky" and "fortuitous" mean roughly the same thing, just as "drab" is another word for "dreary."

"Adroit" is another word for "skillful;" similarly "illustrative" and "explanatory" mean roughly the same thing.

Something spiteful is nasty, as in spiteful speech that is meant to “tear down” someone else. Such actions cause hurt and pain, generally psychological but still real. Thus, the analogy could be written, “As something spiteful causes hurt, so does something blazing cause X.” A blaze is a strong fire, which can at least be said to produce heat. While this is not the most advanced vocabulary, it is the only option that describes an effect of something blazing.

"Combustible" and "explosive" mean the same thing; just as "pliable" and "flexible" are synonyms.