SSAT Practice Test

SSAT Practice

Jim has 4 red, 5 green, and 7 blue jelly beans in his pocket. What is the minimum number of jelly beans he must take out to ensure he has at least one of each color?

a. 3

b. 4

c. 9

d. 13

e. 16

Let's assume he first picks out all the blue ones and then picks out all the green ones. The only way we can be absolutely sure that he has at least one of each color is for him to take out enough to cover all the blue and green ones as well as one of the red ones.

Thus, the answer is (D) 13.

If A:B=5:3 and B:C=8:5, then what is A:C=?

a. 13:8

b. 3:2

c. 15:40

d. 2:3

e. 8:3

Since A:B=5:3=40:24 and B:C=8:5=24:15, we can say that A:C=40:15=8:3.

Thus, the answer is (E) 8:3.

What is the regular price of a jacket that is $40 on a 20% off sale?

a, $32

b. $40

c. $48

d. $50

e. $58

We know that 20% off the regular price is $40, so $40 is 80% of the original price. If we divide by 4 (which gives us 20% of the original price) and then multiply by 5, we will have 100% of the original price. Performing this operation, we find the original price is $50.

Thus, the answer is (D) $50.

What is the cost of carpeting a room that is 20 feet by 15 feet if the cost of carpet is $0.50 per square foot?

a. $75

b. $150

c. $225

d. $300

e. $375

We have to first find the area of the carpet, which is 300 square feet, and then multiply by the cost per square foot, which gives us $150.

Thus, the answer is (B) $150.

What is the probability that five coin flips will result in two heads?

a. One-tenth

b. One-fifth

c. Three-tenths

dTwo-fifths

e. One-half

Since there are 5 coin flips, there are 25 possible outcomes. Out of these, 10 satisfy the necessary conditions.

Thus, the answer is (D) two-fifths.

Analogies

Acre is to land as:

a.Pound is to fat

b.Inch is to height

c.Letter is to paper

d.Chocolate is dessert

e.Year is to age

An acre is a unit of land. Pound isn’t a unit of fat: we link the idea of pounds and fat together, but a pound is a unit of weight, which is made up not only of fat, but also muscle, water, etc.. An inch is a unit of height. A letter is written on paper, but that’s not the right relationship. Chocolate is a type of dessert, but it isn’t a unit of dessert. Year and age go together: you use years to mark age, but a year isn’t a unit of age, so it doesn’t work.

The correct answer is (B) inch is to height.

Wanderlust is to travel as:

a.Love is to regret

b.Confusion is to migrate

c.Knowledge is to read

d.Desire is to dream

e.Guilt is to confess

Wanderlust is a noun that specifically means “a strong desire to travel.” So, wanderlust is an emotion that inspires the action to travel. Love might cause a person to feel regret, but it doesn’t necessarily have to. Confusion and migrate have no inherent relationship. Knowledge might come from reading, and the desire for knowledge might inspire one to read, but knowledge itself doesn’t cause reading. Desire might inspire a person to dream, but there’s no real inherent relationship. Guilt is a feeling of having done wrong, and a confession is an action of admitting to have committed a wrongdoing, so guilt is an emotion that inspires the action to confess. The best answer is (E) guilt is to confess.

Incantation is to words as:

a. Strain is to notes

b. Oration is to audience

c. Coterie is to garments

d. Reverie is to happiness

e. Spontaneity is to ascetics

An incantation is a made up of words. A strain is a type of song, and songs are made up of notes. An oration may be given to an audience, but it isn’t made up of an audience. A coterie is a close group of people, which has nothing to do with garments, but if you didn’t know what a coterie was and thought it sounded like it might have something to do with coats, you might have fallen for it. A reverie is a state of being lost in thought, which might lead to happiness, but happiness itself doesn’t make up a reverie. Spontaneity means the quality of being unpredictable and ascetics are people who abstain from all forms of self-indulgence, so this pair has no relationship.

The correct answer is (A) strain is to notes.