Changes in Intensity - SSAT Middle Level: Verbal

Since a mountain can be thought of as a really large hill, we need to pick out a word that can be thought of as a really large pond. While "lake," "river," and "rain" all have to do with water, "lake" is the best answer because a river involves flowing water, which a pond doesn't, and rain involves water falling from the sky, which a pond doesn't either. Since a lake can be thought of as a large pond, "lake" is the best answer.

“Enraged” is an adjective that means “very angry; furious,” so we need to pick out an answer choice that consists of two adjectives describing emotion, with the first one being a more extreme version of the second one. While “sad is to depressed,” “vain is to sleepy,” and “ecstatic is to happy” all consist of two words describing moods or emotions, “sad” is not a more extreme version of “miserable” (“of a person: wretchedly unhappy or uncomfortable”), so “sad is to miserable” has its words in the incorrect order compared to the example and thus cannot be the correct answer. “Vain” is an adjective that means “having or showing an excessively high opinion of one’s appearance, abilities, or worth,” not “very sleepy,” so “vain is to sleepy” cannot be the correct answer either. “Ecstatic,” however, is an adjective that means “feeling or expressing overwhelming happiness or joyful excitement.” Because “ecstatic” means “very happy” just as “enraged” means “very angry,” “ecstatic is to happy” is the correct answer.

“Gale” is a noun that means “a very strong wind,” so we need to pick out an answer choice in which the first word represents a very strong version of the second word. While “ashes are to fire” and “downpour is to rain” might each look like a potentially correct answer, “ashes are to fire” cannot be the correct answer because “ashes” are defined as “the powdery residue left after the burning of a substance,” not “a large or powerful fire.” “Downpour,” however, when used as a noun, means “a heavy rainfall,” and because a downpour is a heavy rain just as a gale is a strong wind, “downpour is to rain” is the correct answer.

"Elated" means very happy, so to solve this analogy you have to determine which of the answer choices means very sad. The correct answer is “miserable.” For clarification, "cantankerous" means grumpy; "parsimonious" means not generous; ebullient means cheerful.

The word “bigger” is used to compare something that is “more big” than another something. We cannot say “more big” because it is incorrect use of language, so we say “bigger.” Likewise, we cannot say “more bad” as that too is incorrect use of English. To solve this analogy you have to determine which word is used to describe something that is “more bad.” The correct answer is “worse.” “Badder” is not a word.

A "dinghy" is a small "boat." So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these is a word that describes a small "lake." The correct answer is "pond."

The relationship in "eating is to feasting" is that while "eating" and "feasting" both mean consuming food, the word "feasting" has a more intense meaning that that of "eating." "Eat" means to take in for nourishment while "feast" means to eat a lot, often at great expense. There is an increase in degree between the words "eat" and "feast." The pair that shares this relationship is "walking is to running," so it is therefore the best choice. "Sprinting is to running" has the appropriate relationship but is in the reverse order and shows a decrease in degree, because "sprinting" is a less intense action than is "running".Because of this, it is not the appropriate choice. Considering the other choices, the "sky" is made up of "air", "nice" and "kind" are synonyms, and "hopscotch" is a type of "game."

The relationship in "breeze is to hurricane" is an increase in degree. A hurricane is made up of much stronger winds than a breeze. The best choice is "gorgeous," as the word means very pretty, showing that same increase in degree. "Ugly" is an antonym of "pretty" and a "person" is someone who might be pretty. The other two choices, "average" and "happy," are completely unrelated to "pretty."

“Ravenous” is an adjective that means extremely hungry. Since “hungry” and “ravenous” are synonyms, and “ravenous” has a greater intensity than “hungry,” we’re looking for a pair of words that are synonyms, in which the second word has a higher intensity than the first.

Since “fever” is a symptom of the “flu,” the words have a cause-and-effect relationship. The words aren’t synonyms. We can rule out this choice.

“Guzzle” is a verb that means to eat or drink something greedily. Although “guzzle” has a higher intensity than “thirsty,” the words aren’t synonyms. We can rule out this choice.

“Satisfied” is an adjective that means pleased or content. Though “happy” and “satisfied” have similar meanings, they intensity is about equal, so we can rule out this choice.

“Furious” is an adjective that means extremely angry. It is a synonymous with angry” with a higher intensity.

Of the answer choices, “ANGRY is to FURIOUS” is the best choice.

“Abhor” is a verb that means to hate or detest. Since “like” means to find agreeable or enjoyable, we’re looking for a pair of words in which the second word is opposite in meaning and higher in intensity.

“Compliment” and “insult” are antonyms with equal intensity, so we can rule out this choice.

“Hero” and “villain” are antonyms with equal intensity, so we can rule out this choice.

Although at times one might “like” their friends and “abhor” their family, “friend” and “family” are not antonyms. We can rule out this choice.

“Miserable” is an adjective that means wretchedly unhappy or uncomfortable. It is an antonym to “happy” with a higher intensity.

Of the answer choices, “HAPPY is to MISERABLE” is the best choice.

A "knoll" is a small hill. So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these answers means something like small river. The correct answer is therefore "stream." Additionally, an "estuary" is the mouth of a river, the place where a river runs into the ocean.

"Eradicate" means to completely destroy, to 'wipe something out.' It is a more intense version of the word "destroy." So, to solve this analogy you need to determine what "trounce" is a more intense version of. The correct answer is that "trounce" means to rout or to heavily "defeat." Additionally, "rectify" means to repair a situation, to fix a problem; "mend" means to repair a breakage, to fix something that is broken.

A "pebble" is a small rock or stone. So, to solve this analogy you need to figure out which of these a "hamlet" is a small version of. The correct answer is that a "hamlet" is a village, or a small "town."

Since a mountain can be thought of as a really large hill, we need to pick out a word that can be thought of as a really large pond. While "lake," "river," and "rain" all have to do with water, "lake" is the best answer because a river involves flowing water, which a pond doesn't, and rain involves water falling from the sky, which a pond doesn't either. Since a lake can be thought of as a large pond, "lake" is the best answer.

“Enraged” is an adjective that means “very angry; furious,” so we need to pick out an answer choice that consists of two adjectives describing emotion, with the first one being a more extreme version of the second one. While “sad is to depressed,” “vain is to sleepy,” and “ecstatic is to happy” all consist of two words describing moods or emotions, “sad” is not a more extreme version of “miserable” (“of a person: wretchedly unhappy or uncomfortable”), so “sad is to miserable” has its words in the incorrect order compared to the example and thus cannot be the correct answer. “Vain” is an adjective that means “having or showing an excessively high opinion of one’s appearance, abilities, or worth,” not “very sleepy,” so “vain is to sleepy” cannot be the correct answer either. “Ecstatic,” however, is an adjective that means “feeling or expressing overwhelming happiness or joyful excitement.” Because “ecstatic” means “very happy” just as “enraged” means “very angry,” “ecstatic is to happy” is the correct answer.

“Gale” is a noun that means “a very strong wind,” so we need to pick out an answer choice in which the first word represents a very strong version of the second word. While “ashes are to fire” and “downpour is to rain” might each look like a potentially correct answer, “ashes are to fire” cannot be the correct answer because “ashes” are defined as “the powdery residue left after the burning of a substance,” not “a large or powerful fire.” “Downpour,” however, when used as a noun, means “a heavy rainfall,” and because a downpour is a heavy rain just as a gale is a strong wind, “downpour is to rain” is the correct answer.

"Elated" means very happy, so to solve this analogy you have to determine which of the answer choices means very sad. The correct answer is “miserable.” For clarification, "cantankerous" means grumpy; "parsimonious" means not generous; ebullient means cheerful.

The word “bigger” is used to compare something that is “more big” than another something. We cannot say “more big” because it is incorrect use of language, so we say “bigger.” Likewise, we cannot say “more bad” as that too is incorrect use of English. To solve this analogy you have to determine which word is used to describe something that is “more bad.” The correct answer is “worse.” “Badder” is not a word.

The relationship in "eating is to feasting" is that while "eating" and "feasting" both mean consuming food, the word "feasting" has a more intense meaning that that of "eating." "Eat" means to take in for nourishment while "feast" means to eat a lot, often at great expense. There is an increase in degree between the words "eat" and "feast." The pair that shares this relationship is "walking is to running," so it is therefore the best choice. "Sprinting is to running" has the appropriate relationship but is in the reverse order and shows a decrease in degree, because "sprinting" is a less intense action than is "running".Because of this, it is not the appropriate choice. Considering the other choices, the "sky" is made up of "air", "nice" and "kind" are synonyms, and "hopscotch" is a type of "game."