ClassZone: Language Network

Analogy Questions

Analogies involve pairs of related words. In many analogy questions, you are given two words and are asked to find another pair of words that are related in the same way. Here is a typical question:

SHOE : FOOT ::

A. head : hat

B. glove : hand

C. toe : sock

D. brush : teeth

E. toothpaste : brush

The analogy can be expressed this way: "A shoe is to a foot as a ? is to a ?."

Try the following approaches in answering analogy questions:

1.Think about the relationship between the original pair of words. Then state that relationship in a sentence. For example, you might state the relationship expressed in the sample analogy like this:

"A shoe is a covering worn on the foot."

Find another pair of words that shows the same relationship. In the sample analogy, the answer is B, glove : hand. Test the pair of words you have chosen by substituting them in your sentence:

"A glove is a covering worn on the hand."

Here are some relationships that are often used in analogies:

Type of Analogy Example

cause to effect - lightning : thunder :: cloud : rain

part to whole - knee : leg :: elbow : arm

object to characteristic - fire : heat :: ice : cold

object to function - pencil : write :: scissors : cut

word to synonym - far : distant :: close : near

word to antonym - start : end :: right : wrong

word to variation - drive : driver :: conduct : conductor

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