Qualities, Features, Abilities, and Other Analogies - SSAT Elementary Level Verbal

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?

A "feather" is used by birds to help them to "fly." So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which action is helped by the use of a "fin." Well, a "fin" is part of the body of a fish that is used to help fish to "swim."

"Sleep" is an action that one generally undertakes "indoors." So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these is an action usually done "outdoors." The correct answer is to "sail." Although the "sun" and "moon" are both "outdoors," they are objects not actions.

Since "sunset" describes the action of the sun during evening, we need to pick out a noun describing a time of day during which "sunrise" occurs. While the sun is up during "morning,""day," and "noon," "morning" is the best answer, as the sun rises in the morning.

Since you use a hoop to play basketball, we need to pick out another pair of words in which the second word describes something that you use to play the game that the first word describes. While "tennis" and "baseball" are each sports, "catch" is not something you use to play baseball—it can't be, as it's not a noun. "Racket," however, is something that you use to play tennis, so "tennis is to racket" is the correct answer.

"Oral" is an adjective that means related to the mouth. To solve this analogy you need to pick out a noun that relates to the adjective "nasal." The correct answer is “nose," because "nasal" means related to the nose.

A professor is someone who teaches, so to solve this analogy, you have to figure out which of these answer choice is an action done by a driver. The answer is to “drive.” To help you, "automobile" is another word for car.

When you operate a car, you drive it, so to solve this analogy, you need to pick out an answer choice that is a verb that describes what you do to a plane when you operate a plane. When you operate a plane, you “fly” it, so "fly" is the correct answer.

If you "trudge," it means you walk slowly, so you need to pick out an answer choice that describes your speed when you "sprint." If you sprint, it means that you run very quickly, so as trudged is to slow, sprinted is to “fast.”

Sunrise begins the day, so to solve this analogy, you need to pick out a word that describes what sunset begins. Sunset begins the night, so "night" is the correct answer.

Students learn, so you need to pick out an answer choice that is a verb and describes what teachers do. Teachers "instruct," which means teach, so "instruct" is the correct answer. While the other answer choices are all words that you might use when talking about teachers and students, none of them are verbs, and because "learn" is a verb, we know that the word that goes in the blank needs to also be a verb. The incorrect answer choices are all nouns.

A "raisin" is a dried "grape," just as "jerky" is dried "meat."

A "calculator" can be thought of as a mechanical "abacus," just as a "motorcycle" can be thought of as a mechanical "bicyle."

You speak into a microphone, just as you drive a car, so "car is to drive" is the correct answer.

Planes fly, so we are looking for an answer in which the first word depicts a mode of transportation, and the second word how that transportation moves. The best answer choice is "car is to driving" because cars are driven!