Content Areas Study Guide for the MAT

Language

This area addresses vocabulary, word meanings, grammar, and usage. It will present some analogies devised to see if you can define graduate-level words, and others designed to assess your knowledge of word parts, grammar, and wordplay (such as anagrams, patterns, and rhymes).

Composition and Rhetoric

These items involve aspects of usage, which is to say, habits of language use among native English speakers, especially those related to word function, word meaning, colloquial expressions, figurative language, and sentence construction.

Examples

LION’S : SHARE :: BETTER : (a. bear’s , b. fraction , c. part , d. contribute )

Among the first three words, you can identify a relationship between the first and second: LION’S SHARE is an idiomatic expression referring to the major portion of something. So, the missing word must be the second half of an idiomatic expression that also conveys the idea of more than half, but starts with the word BETTER. The correct answer is “part.”

LOGOS : LOGIC :: (a. ethos , b. sycophancy , c. pathos , d. riposte ) : EMOTION

Among the three given words, you can identify a relationship between the first two: LOGOS refers to a persuasive writing strategy that appeals to LOGIC or reason. So, the missing term must refer to the type of persuasive writing strategy that appeals to EMOTION. The answer is therefore “pathos.”

Grammar

These items involve aspects of English grammar—the process of correctly combining words (and punctuation) to communicate effectively, or how the parts of the language fit together to form coherent sentences.

Examples

THEY : THEIR :: SUBJECTIVE : (a. objective , b. conditional , c. possessive , d. prepositional )

Among the three given words, you can identify a relationship between the first and third terms: THEY is the SUBJECTIVE form of the indefinite pronoun for a group. So, the missing term must identify the form of the indefinite pronoun for a group represented by the word THEIR. This means the correct answer is “possessive.”

(a. telling , b. walked , c. sling , d. deception ) : GERUND :: BROKEN : PAST PARTICIPLE

Among the final three parts of the above analogy, you can identify a relationship between the second and the last: BROKEN is an example of a PAST PARTICIPLE. So, the missing term must be an example of a GERUND. The answer is therefore “telling.”

Word Denotations (Meanings)

The branch of linguistics concerned with meaning is called semantics. Semantic-based analogies on the MAT® include synonyms, antonyms, intensity or degree, contrast, expression, and definition.

Examples

PEDOLOGY : SOIL :: (a. hydrogenous , b. aerology , c. hydrology , d. wattage ) : WATER

Among the three given words, you can identify a relationship between the first and second: PEDOLOGY is the study of SOIL. So, the missing word must be a term meaning the study of WATER. The answer is therefore “hydrology.”

EFFECTIVE : (a. sorrowful , b. lucky , c. wistful , d. happy ) :: EFFICACIOUS : SERENDIPITOUS

Among the three given words, you can again identify a relationship between the first and second: A fancy word for EFFECTIVE is EFFICACIOUS. So, the missing term must be a word for which SERENDIPITOUS is a fancy alternative. The answer is therefore “lucky.”

Word Connotations

To connote is to signify or suggest. Hence, this group of analogies typically involves inclusionary or hierarchical relationships, or concepts associated by classification, characterization, affiliation, or predication.

Examples

CLUTCH : HOLD :: (a. loathe , b. adulate , c. collude , d. assuage ) : DISLIKE

Among the three given words, you can identify a relationship between the first and second: To CLUTCH is to HOLD something tightly (with intensity). So, the missing term must be a word that means to dislike something intensely. The answer is therefore “loathe.”

WHALE : (a. Volkswagen , b. Ford , c. John Deere , d. Porsche ) :: NARWHAL : RANGER

Among the three words that are given, you can identify a relationship between the first and second: A NARWHAL is a type of WHALE. This means the missing word must be that of which a RANGER is a type. So, the answer is “Ford.”

Word Parts

Knowing roots, prefixes, and suffixes can help you figure out some tough analogies when you cannot recall a word’s dictionary definition.

Examples

MEIO : CAND :: LESS : (a. glow , b. sweet , c. honest , d. seek )

Among the given parts of the analogy, you can identify a relationship between the first and the third: MEIO- is a prefix meaning smaller or LESS (as in “meiosis”). So, the missing part of the analogy must identify the meaning of the prefix CAND-, which is white or glow. The answer is therefore “glow.”

FESS : (a. rot , b. joyful , c. speak , d. haste ) :: ATION : PROCESS

Among the three given parts of the analogy, you can identify a relationship between the final two: -ATION is a suffix meaning action or PROCESS (as in “maturation”). So, the missing part of the analogy must identify the meaning of the suffix -FESS. The answer is therefore “speak.”

Word Pronunciations and Sounds

This last group of language analogies is non-semantic, meaning the underlying relationships will usually be logical or phonetic in nature, based on letter or sound patterns, or involve rhymes, homophones, similar sounds, commonly confused words, or some other type of wordplay.

Examples

SEW : SUIT :: BEAU : (a. beat , b. built , c. boot , d. bought )

The relationship among the first three terms in the analogy is found between the first and the third: SEW rhymes with BEAU. So, the answer must be a word that rhymes with SUIT, which means the correct answer choice is “boot.”

LIP : LOP :: (a. pill , b. lips , c. slip , d. spoil ) : POLL

Among the words given here, a relationship is found between the second and the last: If you write the word LOP backwards and repeat the last letter, you get POLL. So, the missing word must be what you get when you write the word LIP backwards and repeat the last letter. Hence, the answer is “pill.”