Qualities and Features - SSAT Elementary Level Verbal

“Fragile” is an adjective that means “easily broken” when referring to an object, “vulnerable” when referring to a person. A vase could be described as fragile, so we need to pick out an answer choice that is a noun conveying something that is flammable. While “kindling” and “ice” might each look like a potentially correct answer, “ice” cannot be accurately described as flammable, so “ice” cannot be the correct answer. “Kindling,” however, is a noun that can mean “easily combustible small sticks or twigs used for starting a fire,” so because kindling is flammable just as a vase is fragile, “kindling” is the correct answer.

A voice at its highest intesity is loud. A strike at its highest intensity is hard.

A quality associated with a "desert" is that it is "dry," so to solve this analogy, you have to determine which answer choice is a quality generally associated with a "mountain." Mountains are generally “tall," so "tall" is the correct answer. None of the other answer choices are qualities that describe a mountain: a "hill" is a smaller land formation than a mountain, a mountain is made of "rock," a mountain is not usually thought of as being "little," and mountains are not usually assumed to be "wet."

The color of blood is red, so to solve the analogy, you need to pick out an adjective that describes the color of grass. Grass is green, so "green" is the correct answer. ("Crimson" is a dark shade of red.)

A characteristic of snow is that it is cold, so to solve this analogy, you need to pick out an answer choice that describes water. A characteristic of water is that it is wet, so "wet" is the correct answer. While "warm" might look like a potentially correct answer because water can be warm, "wet" is the better answer because while water can be warm, it can also be cold, but it is always wet.

A characteristic of an elephant is that it is big; conversely, a characteristic of a chipmunk is to be “small.”

A quality of a fire is that it is hot; on the other hand, a quality of a freezer is to be “cold.” To help you, "storage" is a place where things are stored, and "burning," when used as an adjective, means very hot or on fire.

A characteristic usually associated with a priest is that priests are religious; a characteristic usually associated with a wizards are “magical.” To help you, "genuine" means real; and "pious" and "devout" are synonyms that both mean deeply religious.

Grass is usually green, just as water is usually blue, so "water is to blue" is the correct answer.

A characteristic of fire is that it is hot, just as a characteristic of a liquid is that it is wet. So, "liquid is to wet" is the correct answer.

Zebras have a striped coloring pattern, so we are looking for an answer in which the first word depicts a pattern that is often found on the second word. The best answer is "spots are to dalmatian" because dalmatians (a breed of dog) typically have numerous black spots on their bodies.

What do "sandpaper" and "coarse" have in common? "Coarse" means rough, and sandpaper is coarse, so look for an answer that matches this relationship. The best choice is "foam is to soft" because foam is soft. A pillow is not hard, and a tree is not necessarily small. You can eat a hamburger, but a hamburger is not "eat".

Just as a circle's shape is described as "round," a triangle's shape is defined as "triangular." So, "triangular" is the correct answer.

Sugar has the characteristic of being sweet. The only option here that has this same relationship is "lime is to sour," as a lime has the characteristic of being sour.

A tempting wrong answer is "bitter is to lemon." However, it is incorrect because bitter does not have the characteristic of being a lemon.

In the phrase, "water is to wet," the relationship between the words is that the second word describes the first word. "Wet"describes "water,"as it is a characteristic of water_._

The only answer that follows this same relationship is "ice is to cold," as ice has the quality of being cold.

An “oath” is a promise or commitment of loyalty to someone or something. An “oath” is something you “swear,” so to solve this analogy you have to determine which of these answer choices is related to the verb “author.” An “author” is someone who writes books, and to "author” something means to write it. Of the provided answer choices, the only thing that one can "author" is a "story." To provide further help, “publish” means share a story with the world by making it available to readers.

When water undergoes the process of “boiling,” it turns into “steam.” “Boiling” means heated to the temperature at which something bubbles and turns from liquid to gas. To solve this analogy, you need to determine what water becomes when it has been “frozen"; the correct answer is “ice.” You might say “icicle,” but an “icicle” is a specific type of “ice” that can only occur in certain situations. “Ice” is a much better option.

Being “strong” is a characteristic usually associated with being a “fighter,” so to solve this analogy you need to figure out which of these answer choices is a word often associated with a “dancer.” The correct answer is “agile,” which means having good balance and athleticism. To provide further help, “serene” means peaceful; “determined” means hard-working and wanting to succeed very badly; “pensive” means thinking a lot about something; and “timid” means quiet and shy.

A feature of the arctic is that it is very cold. So, to solve this analogy, you need to determine which of the answer choices is a feature of the desert that relates to temperature. The correct answer is therefore "hot," because while the arctic is cold, the desert is hot.