SSAT Analogies Guide

Learn the major analogy relationships tested on the SSAT Verbal section.

What Are SSAT Analogies?

SSAT analogy questions test whether you can recognize the relationship between two words and then find another pair of words with the same relationship.

Basic method: Turn the first pair into a sentence. Then test each answer choice with the same sentence pattern.

Example: Puppy is to dog as kitten is to cat.

10 Common Types of SSAT Analogies

1. Synonym — two words have similar meanings.
2. Antonym — two words have opposite meanings.
3. Part to Whole — one thing is part of a larger thing.
4. Function — an object is matched with what it does.
5. Worker to Tool — a person is matched with a tool they use.
6. Cause and Effect — one thing causes another.
7. Degree — one word is a stronger or weaker form of another.
8. Category — one word belongs to a larger group.
9. Characteristic — a thing is matched with a typical quality.
10. Sequence — words show order, growth, or stages.

Practice Questions

1. Synonym Analogies

1. Brief is to short as enormous is to:

  1. tiny
  2. huge
  3. quick
  4. narrow
  5. silent

2. Honest is to truthful as timid is to:

  1. brave
  2. shy
  3. angry
  4. loud
  5. clever

2. Antonym Analogies

3. Ancient is to modern as scarce is to:

  1. rare
  2. empty
  3. abundant
  4. old
  5. useful

4. Generous is to selfish as victory is to:

  1. triumph
  2. battle
  3. defeat
  4. prize
  5. effort

3. Part to Whole Analogies

5. Page is to book as petal is to:

  1. garden
  2. flower
  3. tree
  4. root
  5. seed

6. Wheel is to bicycle as chapter is to:

  1. author
  2. library
  3. novel
  4. paper
  5. sentence

4. Function Analogies

7. Knife is to cut as thermometer is to:

  1. heat
  2. measure
  3. cook
  4. freeze
  5. break

8. Umbrella is to protect as lamp is to:

  1. hide
  2. shine
  3. illuminate
  4. repair
  5. carry

5. Worker to Tool Analogies

9. Carpenter is to hammer as painter is to:

  1. brush
  2. wall
  3. frame
  4. museum
  5. canvas

10. Doctor is to stethoscope as astronomer is to:

  1. microscope
  2. telescope
  3. compass
  4. scalpel
  5. camera

6. Cause and Effect Analogies

11. Fire is to smoke as rain is to:

  1. cloud
  2. puddle
  3. wind
  4. sunlight
  5. snow

12. Study is to knowledge as exercise is to:

  1. fatigue
  2. strength
  3. book
  4. silence
  5. hunger

7. Degree Analogies

13. Warm is to hot as pleased is to:

  1. angry
  2. ecstatic
  3. bored
  4. quiet
  5. ordinary

14. Annoyed is to furious as tired is to:

  1. sleepy
  2. exhausted
  3. awake
  4. restless
  5. slow

8. Category Analogies

15. Rose is to flower as salmon is to:

  1. river
  2. fish
  3. ocean
  4. bird
  5. animal

16. Violin is to instrument as oak is to:

  1. forest
  2. leaf
  3. tree
  4. wood
  5. branch

9. Characteristic Analogies

17. Desert is to dry as ocean is to:

  1. salty
  2. small
  3. empty
  4. silent
  5. frozen

18. Ice is to cold as honey is to:

  1. bitter
  2. sweet
  3. heavy
  4. yellow
  5. sticky

10. Sequence Analogies

19. Seed is to sprout as child is to:

  1. parent
  2. adult
  3. school
  4. baby
  5. teacher

20. Dawn is to morning as dusk is to:

  1. midnight
  2. noon
  3. evening
  4. sunrise
  5. day
Show Answer Key

1-B, 2-B, 3-C, 4-C, 5-B, 6-C, 7-B, 8-C, 9-A, 10-B, 11-B, 12-B, 13-B, 14-B, 15-B, 16-C, 17-A, 18-B, 19-B, 20-C

Final SSAT Analogy Strategy

Step 1: Identify the relationship in the first pair.

Step 2: Make a clear sentence: “A page is part of a book.”

Step 3: Test every answer choice using the same sentence pattern.

Step 4: Avoid choices that only “sound related.” The relationship must match exactly.

  • Verbal Practice One