Practice Verbal analogy practice: 8 questions with answers Eight verbal analogy practice questions, from easy to hard, with explanations. Pick an answer to check it, and learn the bridge-sentence method.
These questions come from our SSAT practice app. For parents
An analogy question gives a pair of words and asks you to find another pair that’s related in the same way. The Middle and Upper SSAT’s Verbal section has 30 analogy questions.
The bridge-sentence method
Make a sentence that links the first pair. For “Seed is to tree,” a bridge sentence is “A seed grows into a tree.”Make the sentence specific. “A seed is related to a tree” fits almost any pair, so it won’t help. “A seed grows into a tree” rules out most wrong answers.Test each answer choice in the same sentence. “A caterpillar grows into a butterfly” fits. “A leaf grows into a branch” doesn’t.If two choices fit, make the sentence stricter.
Common relationships include part to whole, cause to effect, tool to use, degree (warm to hot), and synonyms or opposites.
The questions start easy and get harder. Try each one before you look at the explanation.
Practice questions Each question and explanation was reviewed by a person. Pick an answer to see if you're right.
Question 1 Trellis is to support as
A banner is to silk B rudder is to steer C harvest is to scythe D arbor is to garden E hull is to vessel
A trellis is a frame built in order to support — holding up whatever climbs on it is the job it exists to do. Check: a rudder is a blade built in order to steer, and it is the only pair naming a thing and then the job that thing exists to do — banner is to silk names an object and the cloth it is cut from, harvest is to scythe names the work before the implement that performs it, an arbor is a structure standing in a garden rather than a task, and a hull is one part of a vessel.
Question 2 Miser is to stingy as sluggard is to
A chore B diligent C restless D idle E careless
Stingy names the fault that makes a person a miser, the adjective states what the label already means. Check: idle names the fault that makes a person a sluggard, and it states the trait itself where the others do not: a chore is the work he will not do rather than a word for the man who will not do it, diligent is the opposite trait, restless is the mark of a fidget who cannot sit still rather than of one who will not stir, and careless names inattention or negligence, a different fault from the habitual laziness that defines a sluggard.
Question 3 Photographer is to camera as
A easel is to painter B gardener is to rake C camera is to photograph D chef is to kitchen E tripod is to lens
A photographer works using a camera as the tool of the trade. Check: a gardener works using a rake as the tool of the trade, and it is the only pair naming a worker before that worker's tool — easel is to painter names the tool before the worker, camera is to photograph pairs the stem's own tool with what it produces and names no worker, a kitchen is the place where a chef works rather than a tool held, and a tripod and a lens are two pieces of camera gear with no worker in sight.
Question 4 Grater is to shred as whisk is to
A knead B grind C peel D fry E whip
A grater is the kitchen tool made to shred. Check: a whisk is the kitchen tool made to whip — the only action in the list a whisk is made for; kneading is done by hand or with a mixer, grinding with a mill, peeling with a peeler or knife, and frying in a pan.
Question 5 Feather is to light as
A anchor is to float B balloon is to air C scale is to weigh D brick is to wall E boulder is to heavy
A feather is known for the quality of being light. Check: a boulder is known for the quality of being heavy, and it is the only pair joining a thing to a quality it truly has — float names what an anchor famously will not do rather than a describing word, air is what fills a balloon, weigh is the job a scale performs, and a wall is the whole a brick helps build.
Question 6 Vineyard is to grapes as mine is to
A shaft B miner C lamp D ore E depth
A vineyard is the ground from which grapes are taken. Check: a mine is the ground from which ore is taken — the only word naming what comes out; a shaft is part of the mine, a miner works it, a lamp is carried in it, and depth describes it.
Question 7 Crack is to shatter as
A sweep is to mop B mend is to rip C scratch is to gouge D sand is to paint E glue is to stick
To shatter is to break into pieces what a crack only partly breaks — the same damage carried further. Check: to gouge is to cut deep into a surface that a scratch only marks — the only pair naming one kind of damage at a lesser and then a greater degree; sweeping and mopping are two ways of cleaning, mending repairs what ripping damages, sanding comes before painting, and gluing is what makes things stick.
Question 8 Deckhand is to captain as dilettante is to
A novice B patron C collector D gallery E connoisseur
A deckhand is the untried figure at the foot of a long climb and the captain is the seasoned figure at its top — one path, its two ends. Check: a dilettante is the untried figure at the foot of a long acquaintance with art and the connoisseur is the seasoned figure at its top, and connoisseur is the only choice naming the practiced end of that path — a novice is rawer still than a dilettante, a patron is the person who pays for the art, a collector is the person who buys it, and a gallery is where it hangs.
For parents
These practice questions come from our SSAT practice app. Each app has more than 1,200 practice questions, every one with a worked explanation.
Checked against official sources. How we make this site Wednesday, September 30, 2026