This is the third and the last part of the Word Analogy Tutorial Series. In the first part and second part of this word analogy series, I have given you examples on how to analyze word analogy (or verbal analogy) questions. Those examples are, of course, not enough as there are many relationships that can exist between and among words.  In this post, we are going to look at some of the most common word analogy relationships.

1. Definition

brother: sibling:: mother: ______

a. father
b. sister
c. parent
d. daughter 

Correct Answer: c. parent
Explanation: A brother is a sibling by definition. A mother is a parent by definition.

2. Synonyms or Sameness

pity: compassion:: grief:_____

a. sorrow
b. comfort
c. blunt
d. regret

Correct Answer: a. sorrow
Explanation: Pity and compassion are synonyms. Grief and sorrow are synonyms.

3. Antonyms or Oppositeness

attentive:careless::firm: _____

a. stiff
b. flexible
c. substantial
d. alert

Correct Answer: flexible
Explanation: Attentive and careless are antonyms. Firm and flexible are also antonyms.

4. Cause and Effect

rain: flood::smoke: _____

a. pollution
b. fire
c. inhale
d. heat

Correct Answer: a. pollution
Explanation: Rain is the cause of flood. Smoke is the cause of pollution.

5. Whole and Part

flower: petal: computer: _____

a. printer
b. keyboard
c. scanner
d. spreadsheet

Answer: b. keyboard
Explanation: A petal is an essential part of a flower. A keyboard is an essential part of a computer. Other parts such as pinter and scanner are just accessories. A spreadsheet is a software and is not included as a hardware.

6. Objects and Their Functions

This is the example in first part of this series.

7. Objects and Their Characteristics

ball:round::paper: ____

a. light
b. white
c. rectangular
d. smooth

Answer: c. rectangular
Explanation: Although all the choices are characteristics of a paper, round describes shape.

8. Objects and Their Groups

fish:school::cow: _____

a. flock
b. herd
c. pack
d. pride

Answer: herd
Explanation: School is the term used to call a group of fish and herd is used for cows, antelopes, etc. The term pack is used for wolves, coyote, etc. while pride is used for lions.

Aside from the examples above, you should also watch out for things that go together (spoon:fork::bread:butter), problem and solution (thirsty:drink::tired:rest), verb tenses (walk:walked::seek:sought), and performer and their actions (singer:sings::actor:acts).

There are so many relationships that could exist between words, so it is important that you analyze the words carefully before answering word analogy questions. That’s it. In the next post, we are going to summarize what we have learned in this series.