How to crack SSAT verbal analogies?
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A Sentence Can Make the Connection
Scribble is to write as
(A) inform is to supply
(B) mutter is to listen
(C) nuzzle is to feel
(D) ramble is to play
(E) stagger is to walk
The correct answer is (E). Summarize each analogy relationship with a sentence. In this case, scribbling is a bad kind of writing. Use the same sentence to test connections between the words in the answer choices. When you find one that works, you've found your answer.
(A) Informing is a bad kind of supplying. (No.)
(B) Muttering is a bad kind of listening. (No.)
(C) Nuzzling is a bad kind of feeling. (No.)
(D) Rambling is a bad kind of playing. (No.)
(E) Staggering is a bad kind of walking. (Yes!)
The More Precise Your Sentence, the Better
You cannot expect to solve every analogy by simply plugging in a list of common analogy types. Remember that the analogies get more difficult as you work your way through each group. Use the common categories as a starting point, but be prepared to refine the relationship by making your sentence more precise. Consider this example:
Grain is to silo as
(A) pilot is to plane
(B) judge is to courtroom
(C) water is to reservoir
(D) clock is to time
(E) automobile is to highway
The correct answer is (C).
If you apply the "place where" idea without thinking, here is what happens:
A silo is a place where you would find grain.
(A) A plane is a place where you would find a pilot.
(B) A courtroom is a place where you would find a judge.
(C) A reservoir is a place where you would find water.
(D) A clock is a place where you would find time.
(E) A highway is a place where you would find automobiles.
You can eliminate choice (D), but that still leaves you with four possible answers. Now is the time to go back and make your original sentence fit better. How can you express the relationship between silo and grain more precisely?
A silo is a place where grain is stored.
(A) A plane is a place where a pilot is stored.
(B) A courtroom is a place where a judge is stored.
(C) A reservoir is a place where water is stored.
(E) A highway is a place where automobiles are stored.
Know the Most Common Verbal Analogy Categories
The same relationships appear over and over again in verbal analogy questions. Knowing what the categories are and looking for them as you tackle each problem will make your job easier. Some of the most commonly used categories in SSAT analogy questions are:
Synonym Relationships
Synonyms are words that have similar meanings.
Enormous is to huge as muddy is to
(A) unclear
(B) clean
(C) rocky
(D) roguish
(E) sharp
The correct answer is (A). Something that is described as MUDDY is clouded, or UNCLEAR.
Antonym Relationships
Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings.
Good is to evil as
(A) suave is to blunt
(B) north is to climate
(C) hot is to temperature
(D) sorrow is to happiness
(E) angel is to devil
The correct answer is (E). ANGEL is the opposite of DEVIL.
NOTE: The words that have a positive association, GOOD and ANGEL, are the first words in each pair. The words with a negative association, EVIL and DEVIL, are the second words in each pair. "Sorrow is to happiness" also represents the antonym relationship, but it is an incorrect answer because the terms are in reversed order. A properly completed analogy consists of terms with the same relationship occurring in the same order.
Part-Whole Relationships
In this type of analogy, one of the words in each pair represents a single part of a whole person, place, thing, or idea.
Snake is to reptile as
(A) patch is to thread
(B) hand is to clock
(C) hand is to finger
(D) struggle is to fight
(E) frog is to snake
The correct answer is (B). A SNAKE is part of the REPTILE family. A HAND is part of a CLOCK. Choice (C) also shows a similar relationship, but the words are given in the wrong order.
Noun-Verb Relationships
In this type of analogy, one of the words in a pair names a person, place, thing, or idea. The other word represents an action that can be associated with that word.
Steak is to broil as
(A) food is to sell
(B) wine is to pour
(C) bread is to bake
(D) sugar is to spill
(E) water is to drink
The correct answer is (C). One way to cook a STEAK is to BROIL it; similarly, we BAKE BREAD in order to cook it. Choices (B), (D), and (E) all show noun-verb relationships, with the nouns and verbs in the correct sequence, but neither uses a verb that relates to cooking. Therefore, the best answer would be choice (C) because broiling and baking are both forms of cooking food.
Cause-and-Effect Relationships
Two types of cause-and-effect relationships may be used in analogies. In the first type, one word in the pair will sometimes result in the second word.
Race is to fatigue as fast is to
(A) track
(B) rest
(C) run
(D) obesity
(E) hunger
The correct answer is (E). Running a RACE may cause the runner FATIGUE. FASTING may cause HUNGER.
In the second type of cause-and-effect analogy, one word in a pair may produce the other.
Cow is to milk as bee is to
(A) honey
(B) drone
(C) nest
(D) wasp
(E) sting
The correct answer is (A). A COW produces MILK; a BEE produces HONEY.
Purpose Relationships
In this type of analogy, one of the words in each pair is used in a task involving the other word in the pair.
Glove is to ball as
(A) hook is to fish
(B) winter is to weather
(C) game is to pennant
(D) stadium is to seats
(E) ball is to bat
The correct answer is (A). A GLOVE is used in baseball to catch a BALL. When fishing, a HOOK is used to catch a FISH.
Association Relationships
In this type of analogy, one word in a pair is commonly thought of in connection with the second word.
Young is to lamb as
(A) ram is to ewe
(B) old is to mutton
(C) lamb is to chop
(D) wool is to shear
(E) cow is to calf
The correct answer is (B). The meat of YOUNG sheep is called LAMB. The meat of OLD sheep is called MUTTON.
Words with Similar Meanings Can Fool You
In analogy questions, what counts is the relationship between the first two words. The words in the correct answer choice must have a similar relationship. There is no need for one or both to be related in meaning to the words. Consider this analogy:
Tangled is to knot as
(A) snarled is to rope
(B) crumpled is to wrinkle
(C) mussed is to hair
(D) empty is to cup
(E) canned is to preserves
The correct answer is (B). This is a "part of the definition of" analogy. Part of the definition of a knot is that it is something tangled. Likewise, part of the definition of a wrinkle is that it is something crumpled. Don't be misled by choice (A). Although snarled is similar in meaning to tangled, a rope does not have to be snarled.
Some Analogies Work Better When You Turn Them Around
Sometimes the first two words fall easily into a sentence that expresses their relationship—and sometimes they don't. If you're having trouble making up a sentence that relates the two words, be prepared to shift gears. Try reversing the order of the original word pair. Let's see how this technique works on the following analogy:
Ice is to glacier as
(A) train is to trestle
(B) sand is to dune
(C) path is to forest
(D) feather is to bird
(E) ocean is to ship
The correct answer is (B). Only choice (B) exhibits the same relationship as the original pair.
If you can't come up with a sentence relating ICE to GLACIER, try relating GLACIER to ICE:
A glacier is made up of ice.
Here's the only catch: If you reverse the order of the words, you must also reverse the order of the words in each answer choice. So when you apply your sentence to the answer choices, this is how you'll have to do it:
(A) A trestle is made up of a train.
(B) A dune is made up of sand.
(C) A forest is made up of a path.
(D) A bird is made up of a feather.
(E) A ship is made up of an ocean.