PowerSchool Aptitude Test PowerSchool Aptitude Test: Verbal Reasoning 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Choose the word that does NOT belong with the others.
- Concise
- Succinct
- Terse
- Verbose (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Verbose
Concise, succinct, and terse all mean brief; verbose means using more words than necessary.
Question 2: In a passage about school budgets, the author states: 'Cutting arts programs is a false economy.' What does 'false economy' mean?
- An unrealistic budget projection
- A saving that leads to greater costs later (Correct answer)
- A decision made without financial data
- A policy that favors one group unfairly
Correct answer: A saving that leads to greater costs later
A false economy is a short-term saving that results in greater expense or loss in the long run.
Question 3: CANDOR : HONESTY :: ACRIMONY : ?
- Kindness
- Bitterness (Correct answer)
- Silence
- Humor
Correct answer: Bitterness
Candor relates to honesty; acrimony relates to bitterness or sharp hostility in speech.
Question 4: Which sentence contains a misplaced modifier?
- She quickly finished the report before the deadline.
- He only reads books about history on weekends. (Correct answer)
- They submitted the proposal early and clearly outlined the goals.
- The teacher carefully explained the new grading policy.
Correct answer: He only reads books about history on weekends.
'Only' should be placed directly before 'on weekends' to correctly modify when he reads, not what he reads.
Question 5: The word PERFUNCTORY most closely means:
- Thorough and detailed
- Carried out with minimal effort (Correct answer)
- Highly original
- Done with great care
Correct answer: Carried out with minimal effort
Perfunctory describes an action done with little care or thought, as a matter of routine.
Question 6: Select the sentence with the correct use of 'who' vs. 'whom'.
- Who should I contact about enrollment? (Correct answer)
- Whom is responsible for the scheduling error?
- She is the administrator who I trust most.
- He spoke to the teacher whom had graded the exams.
Correct answer: Who should I contact about enrollment?
While informally 'who' is used here, it is the standard usage when the pronoun is the object of 'contact' in questions; alternatively, 'whom' is used as an object, not a subject.
Question 7: Which word best completes the analogy? REDUNDANT : NECESSARY :: SUPERFLUOUS : ?
- Extra
- Essential (Correct answer)
- Repeated
- Excessive
Correct answer: Essential
Redundant is the opposite of necessary; superfluous (meaning unnecessary excess) is the opposite of essential.
PowerSchool Aptitude Test PowerSchool Aptitude Test: Verbal Reasoning 5
Choose the word that does NOT belong with the others.