Analogies - SSAT Elementary Level Verbal

Ice cream is often served in cones, so we need to pick out an answer choice that describes on or in what a popsicle is served. While “stick,” “spoon,” and “plate” may each look like a potentially correct answer, “popsicle” is defined as “a piece of flavored ice or ice cream on a stick,” so because popsicles are served on sticks just like ice cream is served in cones, “stick” is the correct answer.

Cartons are containers that help to keep eggs in place, just like pots are containers that help to keep flowers in place. So, "flower is to pot" is the correct answer.

A "bowl" is a container be used to hold "soup," just as a "cup" is a container used to hold "soda."

Since birds live in nests, we are looking for an answer in which the first word is a place where the second word lives. The best answer is "doghouse is to dog" because dogs often live in doghouses!

Since socks are put on feet, we are looking for an answer in which the first answer is typically placed on the second answer. The best answer is "glove is to hand" because gloves are typically placed on hands!

An ocean is filled with water, so we are looking for an answer choice that describes what a desert is filled with. The best answer choice is "sand."

A bowl can be used to hold cereal, so to solve this analogy, you need to pick out what kind of a container is often used to hold lemonade. A "pitcher," which means a jar used to hold and pour beverages, can be used to hold lemonade, so "pitcher" is the correct answer.

We wear gloves to keep our hands warm just as we wear socks to keep our feet warm, so "gloves" is the correct answer.

Tea is often contained in a cup. So, to solve the analogy, you need to pick out the answer choice in which the first word is something that is often contained in the second word. Oil is often contained in a barrel, so "oil is to barrel" is the correct answer.

A “bowl” is a container used to hold “soup,” so to solve this analogy, you need to determine which of these is an answer choice used to contain “water.” The correct answer is that you contain “water” in a “glass.”

An "airfield" is a place where planes are stored, take off from, and land at. So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these answer choices is found in a "harbor." The correct answer is a "boat."

A "garage" is somewhere that you might keep your "car," so to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these is kept in a "closet." The correct answer is "clothes."

A "kennel" is a place where "dogs" are kept. So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these is a place where "birds" are kept. The correct answer is a "cage."

A thief is someone who steals, so to solve this analogy, we need to pick out an answer choice in which the second word is a verb that the first word, a noun, does. While "donate is to charity" and "chef is to cook" may both look like correct answer choices, a "charity" does not "donate"—people donate to charities. While "chef" and "cook" can be seen as synonyms, "cook" can also be used as a verb meaning to prepare food. So, because chefs cook just as thieves steal, "chef is to cook" is the correct answer.

A “game” is something that you “play,” so to solve this analogy, you need to determine which of these answer choices is something that you “eat.” The correct answer is a “meal.”

“Fighting” is an action associated with “boxers,” so to solve this analogy, you need to determine which answer choice is associated with a “vocalist.” Well, a “vocalist” is someone who sings, so the correct answer is “singing.”

"Flutter" means flap your wings and hover in the air or fly around. Fluttering is something that butterflies do to move around, so to solve this analogy, you have to determine which of these words is something that spiders do to move around. The correct answer is therefore "crawl." While spiders do "spin" webs, they do not "spin" to move around—"crawl" better describes how they move around.

One ability of kangaroos is to jump. Since "kangaroo" is first and the ability is second, the answer needs to follow the same format. "Lemonade" is a type of "drink" and "baby" is a type of "child," so these answers can be eliminated. While a car can be driven and a biken can be riden, the order is incorrect. The only answer that fits is that a "lawnmower" can "cut."

"Bark" is the sound made by a "dog," so to solve this analogy you simply need to determine what sound a "wolf" makes. The correct answer is "howl." When solving analogies your first step is always to figure out the relationship between the words in the question - in this case the relationship was the sound a "dog" makes is a "bark," what is the sound a wolf makes?