Analogies - SSAT Middle Level Verbal

Crimson is a shade of red, so to solve this analogy, you have to determine a color of which teal is a shade. Teal is a bluish-green color, so "blue" is the correct answer.

America is governed as a Republic, so to solve this analogy you have to determine which answer choice describes the government of Saudi Arabia. The test would never ask you to recall specific historical or political facts like this, so you can be sure when you see questions like this that everything you need to solve the analogy is in the analogy. You might not know that Saudi Arabia is governed as a monarchy, but you can probably determine that monarchy is the only answer choice that is a system of government. You need to know the relationship of the first two words!

"Vermillion" is a shade of red, so to solve this analogy you have to determine into which color lavender can be categorized. The correct answer is “purple.” For clarification, "shade" and "hue" are synonyms of one another.

"Generosity," which means kindness, is generally considered a "virtue," or a positive characteristic. So, to solve this analogy, you have to determine which of the answer choices is considered a "vice," or a negative attribute. "Greed" is the only answer choice that has a negative connotation, so the correct answer is that “greed” is a vice.

Judaism is a type of religion, so to solve this analogy, you have to determine what category socialism falls into. The correct answer is “government,” as socialism is a political system of communal ownership.

A shoelace is part of a tennis shoe, so we need to pick out an answer choice in which the second word is a part of the first word. Of the potential answer choices, "beak is to bird" and "blubber is to walrus" might each look like potentially correct answers, but because each of those answers's words are in the wrong order, neither can be the correct answer—birds are not part of beaks, but the other way around, and neither are walruses part of blubber. "Computer is to keyboard," however, is the correct answer, because just as shoelaces are part of tennis shoes, keyboards are part of computers.

“Core” can be used as a noun that means the tough part of a fruit found at its center, and apples have cores at their centers which people do not typically eat. So, we need to pick out an answer choice that describes a part of a peach which people do not eat, particularly one found in the center of a peach. While “pit” and “rind” may each look like a potentially correct answer, “rind” is a noun that means a fruit's tough exterior skin, but because peaches don’t have rinds, “rind” cannot be the correct answer. “Pit,” however, when used as a noun, can mean a fruit's stone, and because peaches contain pits just as apples contain cores, “pit” is the correct answer.

The relationship between "cockatoo" and "bird" is that a cockatoo is a type of bird. Likewise, a "frog" is a _type of "_amphibian." One choice that may seem similar is "whale is to fish," but whales are not fish; they are mammals. Therefore, there is no relationship between "whale" and "fish." The choice "mammal is to dolphin" shares the same relationship as a "dolphin" is a type of mammal, but the order of the words is category to example instead of example to category, as it is worded in the question. Therefore, "mammal is to dolphin" is an inappropriate choice. The relationship between "bird" and "sky" is that birds fly in the sky. The relationship between "plant" and "animal" is unclear.

“Scarlet” is a type or shade of red, or a bright red color. “Cerulean” is a type or shade of blue specifically meaning of the color blue of the sky.

A “drunkard” is someone who is frequently drunk or someone who is often intoxicated. “Intoxicated” is a synonym of drunk. To solve this analogy, you have to figure out what a “braggart” is often doing. As you might have guessed from the root word "brag_,"_ a verb that means show off or boast, a “braggart” is someone who often boasts about their achievements. There are many relevant word fragments and prefixes in this analogy that might have helped you solve it: The suffix "_-ard" or "-_art" means type of person who does something, and the word fragment "toxic" means related to poison, alcohol being the poison referred to in the word "intoxicated." None of the other answer choices are activities that braggarts are assumed to do often.

The root "agr­_-_" means having to do with farming or rural life, so it makes sense that "agriculture" and "farming" are synonyms. To solve this analogy, you need to pick out the answer choice that is a synonym of "horticulture." "Horticulture" is derived from the Latin "hortus," meaning garden, and is a synonym of "gardening." So, "gardening" is the correct answer.

The prefix neo- means new, and the suffix -lithic refers to an era of prehistory. The prefix paleo- means old or very ancient, so the correct answer choice is “Paleolithic.” The other four answer choices are all other eras of ancient history, the key to solve this analogy was identifying the relationship between neo- and “new” and paleo- and “old.”

The prefixes dys- and in- carry negative meanings that take their words and cause them to mean the opposite. So “dysfunctional” means not working, and “inability” means lack of ability. Something that has an “inability” to do something is also “dysfunctional,” so these terms are loosely synonyms. To solve this analogy then you need to determine which word is closest in meaning to “cosmopolitan.” “Cosmopolitan” means international, exhibiting cultural diversity or knowledge; therefore the best answer choice is “worldly.” To provide further help, “innate” means natural; “focused” means not distracted; “feral” means wild; “perilous” means dangerous.

The relationship in "evaporation is to sunlight" is effect to cause. Evaporation is caused by sunlight warming water. The best choice is "ring is to phonecall" as a phonecall will cause a telephone to ring. None of the other choices share this relationship of effect and cause and are inappropriate. One that might seem similar is "car is to drive", but this is not a cause and effect. "Driving" is what you do with a car. In other words, "driving" is the car's use.

"Marriage" is an institution that is ended by "divorce." To solve this analogy, you have to determine which of these words describes the ending of a "contract." A "contract" is a binding agreement between two parties. When a "contract" is ended, it is said to be "terminated." It may have helped you arrive at this answer if you considered that the prefix "term-" means boundary, ending. To provide further, help, an "accord" is an agreement; "litigation" is the process of suing someone; an "anniversary" is a yearly rememberance of a specific event on a specific date, such as a birthday; "slander" is the act of writing untruthful statements about someone with the intent of negatively affecting their reputation.

The best answer is "extinguish is to fire." Its relationship is much like the one between "exterminate," which means to destroy or kill and "pest," a nuisance or annoying animal or thing. Both analogies imply a sense of completeness in their actions. You would want to be entirely rid of pests and to throughly put out a fire.

The prefix be- means cause or make. To “berate” someone means to yell at them, to make them feel uncomfortable, to scold, so to solve this analogy you have to determine which of these words is a synonym for “belittle.” “Belittle” means to make someone feel little, this is most similar in meaning to “demean” which means to humiliate, to bring someone down. To provide further help, “supplant” means replace.

A “rose” is a type of “flower,” so we need to find a word which describes what “wheat” can be classified as. “Wheat” is a type of seed used to make food and is commonly classified as a “grain,” along with rye, barley, and oat. To clarify the other terms, a “diaspora” is a group of people who live away from where their ancestors lived; to “venerate” is to feel or show deep respect for.

A “book” is a type of “publication,” along with things like magazines and newspapers. We need to find the group that “shark” fits into. A “shark” is a type of fish with cartilage instead of bones and is usually carnivorous. “Shark” fits into the group “fish.”