On this page, we break down sections of the SSAT Middle & Upper-level exams (Secondary School Admission Test), provide free SSAT practice questions, and supply thorough explanations for each question. The order of appearance of subjects on this page is the same as on the real SSAT:
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The SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test) is a standardized test administered by the Enrollment Management Association (EMA), used for admissions purposes by many private and independent schools around the world, particularly in the United States. It is designed to assess the academic abilities and potential of students seeking admission to primary school (grades 3-4), middle school (grades 5-7), and high school (grades 8-11).
If 3x - 2 = 7 + x, what is the value of "x"?
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The correct answer is (B).
To find the value of "x," you need to isolate "x" on one side of the equation. Follow these steps:
Step 1: Start with the given equation: 3x - 2 = 7 + x
Step 2: Get rid of the constant term on the right side (7) by subtracting x from both sides of the equation: 3x - 2 - x = 7 + x - x 2x - 2 = 7
Step 3: Now, move the constant term (-2) to the other side of the equation by adding 2 to both sides: 2x - 2 + 2 = 7 + 2 2x = 9
Step 4: Finally, to find the value of "x," divide both sides of the equation by the coefficient of "x" (which is 2): 2x / 2 = 9 / 2 x = 4.5
So, the correct answer is not listed among the options. However, we can choose the closest answer, which is (B) 4.
The table below shows the number of books read by five students in a month:
Student | Number of Books Read |
---|---|
Alice | 12 |
Ben | 9 |
Chloe | 15 |
David | 8 |
Emily | 10 |
What is the average number of books read per student in a month?
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The correct answer is (C).
To find the average number of books read per student, add up the total number of books read by all five students and then divide by the number of students (which is 5 in this case).
Step 1: Add up the total number of books read: 12 + 9 + 15 + 8 + 10 = 54
Step 2: Divide the total by the number of students (5): Average = 54 / 5 = 10.8
So, the correct answer is not listed among the options. However, we can choose the closest answer, which is (C) 10.
Last night, Farida and Aya played a game in which a player flips a coin. When the coin landed on heads, Aya gave Farida $2. When the coin landed on tails, Aya gave Farida $1. The girls played the game 6 times. What is the largest sum of money Farida could have won?
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The correct answer is (D).
The information given states that if the coin landed on heads, Aya gave Farida $2, and if the coin landed on tails, Aya gave Farida $1. Thus, Farida would have gained the largest sum of money if the coin landed on heads every time. According to the latter scenario, Farida gained $2 × 6 = $12. Therefore, the largest sum of money Farida could earn is $12, and the correct answer is (D).
In the figure, 𝐴𝐵 ≥ 3, 𝐶𝐷 ≥ 4, and 𝐴𝐷 ≤ 10. What is the maximum length of 𝐵𝐶?
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The correct answer is (B).
To obtain the maximum length of 𝐵𝐶, find the maximum length of 𝐴𝐷 and the shortest length of 𝐴𝐵 and 𝐶𝐷. 𝐴𝐷 ≤ 10; thus the maximum length of 𝐴𝐷 is 10. 𝐴𝐵 ≥ 3, thus the shortest possible length of 𝐴𝐵 is 3, and the shortest possible length of 𝐶𝐷 is 4, since 𝐶𝐷 ≥ 4.
𝐴𝐵 + 𝐵𝐶 + 𝐶𝐷 = 𝐴𝐷. Put in the desired values:
3 + 𝐵𝐶 + 4 = 10
𝐵𝐶 = 3
Since one may conclude that the maximum length of 𝐵𝐶 is 3, the correct answer is (B).
The Quantitative section of the SSAT Middle & Upper Levels consists of 50 questions, which are divided into two parts with 25 questions each (60 minutes in total).
These sections are designed to evaluate a student's comprehension and proficiency in geometry, algebra, and other quantitative concepts.
Click here for specific and accurate SSAT Upper-Level PrepPack
select the one word or phrase whose meaning is closest to that of the word in capital letters.
FRUGAL
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The correct answer is (C) — Thrifty
"Frugal" means showing careful and economical use of resources. "Thrifty" is a synonym for "frugal" as it also means showing an economic and prudent approach to spending. Both words convey the idea of being careful with money and resources. Option C, "Thrifty," is the word closest in meaning to the given word "Frugal".
Select the answer choice that best completes the meaning of the sentence.
Dusk is to Evening as Dawn is to
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The correct answer is (E).
The analogy is based on the relationship between the first pair of words, "Dusk" and "Evening." Dusk is the time just before evening, and in the same way, "Dawn" is the time just before morning. So, the correct pair of words that completes the analogy is "Dawn : Morning." Option E is the correct answer.
Select the one word or phrase whose meaning is closest to that of the word in capital letters.
EDIFICE
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The correct answer is (D). To find the number of students who own at least one pet, multiply the number of students in the classroom by the percentage of students who own at least one pet: 32 × 12.5% = 32 × 0.125 = 4. Therefore, the number of students who do not own any pets is 32 – 4 = 28.
Select the answer choice that best completes the meaning of the sentence.
Volatile is to stable as abnormal is to
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The correct answer is (A) common.
Volatile is the opposite of stable, just as abnormal is the opposite of common.
Volatile means "unstable or tending to break into violence."
Answer (B), variable, is incorrect because it is similar in meaning to volatile, which is part of the first word pair, not the second. Variable means "tending to change."
Answer (C), normalcy, is incorrect because it is a noun and not an adjective like stable.
Answer (D), strangeness, is incorrect because it is a noun. Moreover, even in adjective form, it would not be the opposite of abnormal but its synonym.
Answer (E), abstract, is incorrect because it is unrelated to abnormal.
The SSAT Verbal section consists of two parts: the synonym section, which evaluates vocabulary strength, and the analogy section, which assesses the ability to logically relate different ideas. In total, there are 60 questions (30 synonyms and 30 analogies) to be completed within a 30-minute time limit for both the Middle and Upper levels.
Click here for a detailed SSAT Upper-Level PrepPack.
Read the text and answer the two following questions
Water occupies 71% of our planet's exterior. About 96.5% of the water found on Earth's crust resides in the oceans and seas. Of the remaining 3.5%, 1.7% is in glaciers and ice caps in Antarctica and Greenland, 1.7% can be found in groundwater, and 0.001% in the atmosphere as clouds, vapor, and precipitation.
Water moves continually through the cycle of evaporation and transpiration, condensation, precipitation, and runoff. While evaporation refers to the shift of any liquid to gas, transpiration is the process of water movement through a plant and evaporation from its aerial parts. Runoff is the flow of water over the Earth's surface; it is formed when the amount of rain is greater than the soil is able to absorb.
Which phase in the water cycle concerns vegetation?
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The correct answer is (C).
Answer (C) is the best answer because the passage says, "While evaporation refers to the shift of any liquid to gas, transpiration is the process of water movement through a plant and evaporation from its aerial parts" (lines 5-7).
Answer (A) is incorrect because, according to the passage, evaporation is a general term that refers to any liquid; it does not necessarily involve plants.
Answer (B) is incorrect because the passage draws no connection between condensation and plants.
Answer (D) is incorrect because the passage draws no connection between runoff and plants.
Answer (E) is incorrect because the passage draws no connection between precipitation and plants.
The passage is about:
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The correct answer is (A).
Answer (A) is the best answer because the passage lists glaciers separately from sea water: "About 96.5% of the water found on Earth's crust resides in the oceans and seas. Of the remaining 3.5%, 1.7% is in glaciers and ice caps in Antarctica and Greenland …" (lines 1-3).
Answer (B) is incorrect because according to the first sentence, "Water occupies 71% of our planet's exterior," and the following sentences do not describe additional parts of the planet containing water but break down this 71% into various types. The clouds are already included in the 71%.
Answer (C) is incorrect because the passage offers no information on the length of the phases.
Answer (D) is incorrect because the passage makes no reference to this issue.
Answer (E) is incorrect because, according to the passage, precipitation comes after evaporation, not before: "Water moves continually through the cycle of evaporation and transpiration, condensation, precipitation, and runoff" (lines 4-5).
Read the text and answer the two following questions
If you believe in anything very strongly — including yourself — and if you go after that thing alone, you end up in jail, in heaven, in the headlines, or in the largest house in the block, according to what you started after. If you don’t believe in anything very strongly — including yourself — you go along, and enough money is made out of you to buy an automobile for some other fellow’s son, and you marry if you’ve got time, and if you do you have a lot of children, whether you have time or not, and finally you get tired and you die.
If you’re in the second of those two classes, you have the most fun before you’re twenty-five. If you’re in the first, you have it afterward. You see, if you’re in the first class you’ll frequently be called a darn fool — or worse. That was as true in Philadelphia about 1727 as it is today. … It stands to reason! But there are a lot of darn fools who get their pictures in the schoolbooks — with their names under the pictures.
And the sensible fellows, the ones that had time to laugh, well, their pictures are in there, too. But their names aren’t — and the laughs look sort of frozen on their faces.
The author's sentiment toward "darn fools" appears to be
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The correct answer is (D).
Answer (D) is the best answer because the author tells us throughout the passage that the people who are called 'darn fools' have a good chance of achieving great things.
Answer (A) is incorrect because the passage contains no interaction between the author and the people called 'darn fools.' 'Friendly' is an adjective that describes one's attitude in an interaction.
Answer (B) is incorrect because the opposite is true: the author appreciates the people who are called 'darn fools.'
Answer (C) is incorrect because 'loyal' is an adjective that refers to a relationship in which trust is relevant. There is no such a relationship between the author and those called 'darn fools.'
Answer (E) is incorrect because callous means "cruel, insensitive," and the author views the people called 'darn fools' favorably.
The author implies that until the age of 25 people in the first class-
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The correct answer is (E).
Answer (E) is the best answer because 'people in the first class' refers to those described first in the opening paragraph. They go after what they believe in. In line 8, the author says that they have the most fun after age 25, most likely after realizing their goals. Therefore, before age 25, they are still working toward their goals.
Answer (A) is incorrect because line 8 tells us that the people in the first class — those who believe in something (including themselves) — have the most fun after 25, not before.
Answer (B) is incorrect because the passage does not indicate that the people in the first class renounce all of life's pleasures.
Answer (C) is incorrect because the people described in this answer belong to the second class, not the first.
Answer (D) is incorrect because the people described in this answer belong to the second class, not the first.
The SSAT Reading Comprehension section evaluates a student's ability to comprehend grade-appropriate passages through follow-up multiple-choice questions. The passages in the Middle & Upper-Level are around 250-350 words in length (the number of passages varies), and there are a total of 40 follow-up questions. Students have 40 minutes to complete this section.
Click here for a thorough SSAT Upper-Level PrepPack.
If you have any further questions, feel free to contact Eitan, TestPrep-Online's expert for the SSAT, at ask_eitan@testprep-online.com
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