1.) BIRD : NEST ::
(A) dog : doghouse
(B) squirrel : tree
(C) beaver : dam
(D) cat : litter box
(E) book : library
2.) DALMATIAN : DOG ::
(A) oriole : bird
(B) horse : pony
(C) shark : great white
(D) ant : insect
(E) stock : savings
3.) DOCTOR : HOSPITAL ::
(A) sports fan : stadium
(B) cow : farm
(C) professor : college
(D) criminal : jail
(E) food : grocery store
4.) CUB : BEAR ::
(A) piano : orchestra
(B) puppy : dog
(C) cat : kitten
(D) eagle : predator
(E) fork : utensil
5.) TENET : THEOLOGIAN ::
(A) predecessor : heir
(B) hypothesis : biologist
(C) recluse : rivalry
(D) arrogance : persecution
(E) guitarist : rock band
1.) C. If you used to general a sentence such as "A bird spends time in a nest", then
you would have quickly seen the need to make your sentence more specific to eliminate
some of the choices. In any event, choices D (cat : litter box) and E (book : library)
should have been relatively easy to eliminate. If you chose the sentence "A bird lives in
a nest", you would have had 3 equally good answers so you would need to revise your
sentence. A bird builds a nest and a beaver builds a dam.
2.) A. This is a "type of" analogy question. You may have noticed how easily choices B
and C could be eliminated because they are in the reverse order of the questioned pair.
Choice E is sort of correct in that stocks are a type of savings instrument, but A is
clearly better as the oriole is a species of bird and the analogy is between 2 living things
just as the question is. Choice D is good, but once again choice A is better because A
also is a "species of" in addition to a "type of".
3.) C. This is a "place where" analogy question. If you simply made a sentence around
the preposition "is found in", (A doctor is found in a hospital) however, you would have
quickly realized you had to become a little more specific. A doctor works in a hospital
and a professor works in a college.
4.) B. A good question for this analogy would be "A cub is a young bear". Choice C is
close, but the order is reversed. (If we had written C as kitten : cat instead of cat :
kitten, we would have provided you with 2 equally correct answers.
5.) B. Ah, you say, they snuck in a vocabulary analogy they warned me about. A tenet
is a belief and a theologian is someone who studies religion. A hypothesis is something
a biologist will study as part of his or her professional endeavors. (If you faced a
vocabulary issue with this analogy, I strongly recommend a SAT vocabulary book. In
fact, even if you knew the meaning of these words, you should still check out a SAT
vocabulary book as there are bound to be a few words with which you will not be
familiar.)
VERBAL ANALOGIES: AN INTRODUCTION
Verbal analogies provide excellent training in seeing relationships between concepts.
From a practical standpoint, verbal analogies always appear on standardized tests (like
the SAT, the GRE, and other professional exams). Increasingly, too, employers may
use these word comparisons on personnel and screening tests to determine an
applicant’s quickness and verbal acuity. So it is worth your while to master this skill,
and besides, they’re fun to do.
The student portion of the Web site contains three analogy exercises of varying levels.
You can do them alone, either with or without a dictionary, or with friends. Before
you begin, however, study the information on this page so that you see the many
possible relationships suggested in each pair of words. If you wish to practice with
other samples, your instructor can give you additional exercises on the instructor
portion of this Web site.
How to "Read" Analogies
The symbol ( : ) means "is to" and the symbol ( : : ) means "as." Thus, the analogy,
"aspirin : headache : : nap : fatigue," should be read "aspirin is to headache as nap is
to fatigue." Stated another way, the relationship between aspirin and headache is the
same as the relationship between nap and fatigue.
Tips for Doing Analogies

Try to determine the relationship between the first pair of words.

Eliminate any pairs in your answer choices that don’t have the same
relationship.

Try putting the first pair into a sentence: "Aspirin relieves a headache."
Therefore, a nap relieves fatigue.

Sometimes paying attention to the words’ parts of speech helps. For example
"knife" (noun) : "cut" (verb) : : "pen" (also a noun) : "write" (also a verb).
Common Relationships Between Word Pairs
1. Sameness (synonyms)
boring : monotonous
wealthy : affluent : : indigent : poverty-stricken
2. Oppositeness (antonyms)
genuine : phony
zenith : nadir : : pinnacle : valley
3. Classification Order (general - specific)
food : fruit : peach
orange : fruit : : beet : vegetable
4. Difference of Degree (or Connotative Values)
cool : cold : frozen
slender : skinny
clever : crafty : : modest : prim
5. Person Related to Tool, Major Trait, Skill, or Interest
writer : novel
entomologist : insects : : philosopher : ideas
6. Part and Whole
wheels : bicycle
eraser : pencil : : tooth : comb
7. Steps in a Process
birth : life : death
cooking : serving : : word processing : printing
8. Cause and Effect (or Typical Result)
poison : death
fire : scorch : : blizzard : freeze
9. Thing and Its Function
shovel : dig
scissors : cut : : pen : write
10. Qualities or Characteristics
gold : valuable
aluminum : lightweight : : thread : fragile
11. Substance Related to End Product
cow : milk
silk : scarf : : wool : sweater
12. Implied Relationships
light : knowledge
clouds : sun : : hypocrisy : truth
13. Thing and What It Lacks
spinster : husband
atheist : belief : : indigent : money
14. Symbol and What It Represents
dove : peace : : four-leaf clover : luck
Uncle Sam : U. S.