艾尔l SSAT Upper Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 :Part/Whole, Part/Part, Example/Category, And Cause/Effect
Complete this analogy.
Wheel is to transmission as eye is to__________.
face
ear
iris
pupil
see
ear
The best choice is "ear." The relationship between "wheel" and "transmission" is that they are both parts of a car. This is an uncommonly seen relationship (also known aspart to part)in which two parts of some larger object are named. Therefore, we must figure out what choice shares the same relationship with the word "eye." We can rule out "face" since an eye is apart ofa face, meaning that the relationship would bepart to wholewhich is inappropriate here. We can also rule out the choices "pupil" and "iris" as those are both parts of an eye, which would mean the relationship iswhole to part."See" is an action that you do with an eye—also inappropriate. The remaining option is "ear," which makes sense as an eye and an ear are both parts of a face.
Example Question #1 :Part And Part
Complete this analogy.
Wall is to floor as engine is to__________.
plane
gasoline
piston
car
tailpipe
tailpipe
The best answer is "tailpipe." The relationship between "wall" and "floor" is that they are both parts of a house. Likewise, an "engine" and a "tailpipe" are both parts of a car. Considering the other choices, a "car" and a "plane" are both things than have an engine, which would make the relationshippart to wholeinstead ofpart to partas it should be. A "piston" is a part of an engine (whole to part), and "gasoline" is simply something that goes inside of an engine or powers an engine. Therefore, "tailpipe" makes the most sense here.
Example Question #1 :Analogies: Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship
Keyboard is to computer as __________.
traffic light is to intersection
cheese is to rind
moveable type is to printing press
paper is to pen
tangent is to curve
moveable type is to printing press
Since a keyboard is part of a computer on which letters are printed and people use to write messages, we need to pick out an answer choice in which the first word is part of the second word, and more specifically, a part that involves letters or writing. "Paper is to pen" might be correct if the words were reversed, but as it stands, they are in the wrong order, and while a pen is used to write messages on paper, it is not specifically part of paper; however, since moveable type refers to the part of a printing press on which letters are carved and a printing press can be used to print written works, "moveable type is to printing press" is the correct answer.
Example Question #1 :Part/Whole, Part/Part, Example/Category, And Cause/Effect
Complete this analogy.
Ceiling is to room as__________.
plant is to harvest
树冠是to forest
floor is to carpet
cave is to stalactite
leaves are to trees
树冠是to forest
Since a ceiling represents the topmost part or upper boundary of a room, we're looking for a pair of words in which the first word describes the upper boundary or the topmost part of the second. "Leaves are to trees" may seem like a good answer initially, but leaves are only part of trees—while they can be found at the top of trees, they don't necessarily have to. Similarly, stalactites are found on the ceilings of caves, but they represent only a feature of the ceiling, not the entire boundary. The best answer is "canopy to forest," as the forest represents the topmost part or upper boundary of a forest.
Example Question #1 :Analogies: Determining Meaning From Type Of Relationship
Complete this analogy.
Candy is to wrapper as orange is to__________.
rind
citrus
pulp
fruit
seeds
rind
The wrapper on a piece of candy protects its exterior, so we need to pick out an answer choice that describes what protects the exterior of an orange. While “rind” and “pulp” might each look like a potentially correct answer because each word is associated with oranges, “pulp” meansthe soft part of a fruit, so it cannot be the correct answer because an orange’s pulp does not protect its exterior; however, “rind” can meanthe tough exterior of a fruit. Because orange rind protects its exterior just as a candy’s wrapper protects its exterior, “rind” is the correct answer.
Example Question #1 :Part/Whole, Part/Part, Example/Category, And Cause/Effect
Complete this analogy.
Sector is to circle as segment is to__________.
extemporaneous
line
metrical
following
geometry
line
A sector is a portion of a circle—think of a “pie piece” or something of the like. Thus, the analogy could be rewritten, “Just as a sector is part of a circle, so is a segment part of X.” In general, a segment is any potential divided part of an object—in segmented worms, segments of cars, etc. Among the options provided, only “line” provides a suitable “whole,” to which the “part” that is a segment can be compared. All of the other options are broadly related but insufficient.
Example Question #2 :Part/Whole, Part/Part, Example/Category, And Cause/Effect
Complete this analogy.
Icing is to cake as froth is to__________.
anger
irritation
lather
liquid
suds
liquid
Sometimes an analogy can be so simple that you will overanalyze it. Do not do so with this question. Icing is merely meant here as the top layer on the cake—nothing further. Thus, the bridge sentence for this analogy could be written, “Just as icing is the top layer on a cake, so froth is the top layer of X.” Froth is the top layer of liquid caused by it being disturbed or sometimes by something like the fermentation of yeast in the liquid.
Example Question #3 :Part/Whole, Part/Part, Example/Category, And Cause/Effect
Complete this analogy.
Ingredient is to recipe as bristle is to__________.
shag
brush
offended
fear
anger
brush
The ingredients of a recipe are the parts of which it is comprised; therefore, one could fairly write the bridge sentence, “Just as ingredients are the parts of a recipe, so are bristles part of a X.” Now, “bristle” can meanto become angry, but this comes from the description of an animal that is “bristling,” that is, having its hair stand up out of anger or fear. Bristles are a type of stiff hair that are used in brushes, which would be the best option for the “larger thing” of which the bristles are a part.
Example Question #1 :Part/Whole, Part/Part, Example/Category, And Cause/Effect
Complete this analogy.
District is to city as hour is to__________.
day
moment
measure
time
portion
day
A district is a part of a given city. For instance, a city might have a “market district” in which a number of food salespeople have shops for selling bulk quantities to potential restaurants in town. There might be an “Italian district” in which a number of Italians live and have set up shops and restaurants, giving the area a distinctive Italian appearance and character. The analogy could thus be rewritten, “As a district is part of a city, so too is an hour part of X.” An hour is part of a day. While it is a period of time, a measure of time, a moment (in the grand scheme, at least), and even “a portion” (of a longer time), it is only part of a day. The analogy requires a part-whole relationship.
Example Question #1 :Part/Whole, Part/Part, Example/Category, And Cause/Effect
Complete this analogy.
Yolk is to egg as__________.
ball is to sport
finger is to hand
boil is to steam
page is to book
tree is to soil
page is to book
Since a yolk is part of an egg, we need to pick out an answer choice in which the first word describes a part of the second word. Either "page is to book" or "finger is to hand" could be the correct answer. Since a yolk is contained within an egg and a page is contained within a book, but a finger is not contained within a hand, "page is to book" is the better answer of the two choices and the correct answer.