Analogies: Determining Meaning from Type of Relationship - HSPT Language Skills

This analogy is relatively simple. A pocket is part of a shirt, so you are looking for the that of which a lace is part. While lace can be a type of plaited fabric, here, the best option is to understand it as meaning the long string used in things like shoes. The lace is part of a shoe as a pocket is part of a shirt.

While not all buildings have domes, all domes are placed upon the tops the buildings that have them. The best way to express this analogy is, “As a dome is on the top of a building, so is a capital on top of X.” While “capital” can mean the main city of nation or state, it likewise can mean the “head” of a column. Think of the columns that you have seen on some buildings. On the ends, there are designed “pedestals” of differing characters. These are the “capitals” on the columns. Just as a dome is on the top of a building, so is a capital on the top of a column. Do not be fooled by the other options that are tempting because of their general relationships to “capital.” None of them work correctly in the analogy.

A district is a part of a given city. For instance, a city might have a “market district” in which a number of food salespeople have shops for selling bulk quantities to potential restaurants in town. There might be an “Italian district” in which a number of Italians live and have set up shops and restaurants, giving the area a distinctive Italian appearance and character. The analogy could thus be rewritten, “As a district is part of a city, so too is an hour part of X.” An hour is part of a day. While it is a period of time, a measure of time, a moment (in the grand scheme, at least), and even “a portion” (of a longer time), it is only part of a day. The analogy requires a part-whole relationship.

An atom is the basic part from which molecules are constructed; therefore, this is a part-whole analogy. A minute is part of a larger measure of time. Here, you have to be careful. Two options are justifiably tempting, namely “hour” and “century.” Now, “molecules” are the “first rung” of combined atoms. We could, of course, say that organs are made up of atoms; however, this could be stated as “organs are made up of tissues, which are made up of cells, which are made up of molecules, which are made up of atoms.” Notice that “molecule” is the immediate product of atoms, not a distant one (as in the case of organs in relation to elements). This means that “hour” is a better option than “century.”

While not all buildings have domes, all domes are placed upon the tops the buildings that have them. The best way to express this analogy is, “As a dome is on the top of a building, so is a capital on top of X.” While “capital” can mean the main city of nation or state, it likewise can mean the “head” of a column. Think of the columns that you have seen on some buildings. On the ends, there are designed “pedestals” of differing characters. These are the “capitals” on the columns. Just as a dome is on the top of a building, so is a capital on the top of a column. Do not be fooled by the other options that are tempting because of their general relationships to “capital.” None of them work correctly in the analogy.

A eulogy is a type of speech given at a funeral, generally made to praise the recently deceased person. The word actually means good speech. The “eu-” prefix comes from the Greek for good. The English “euphony” means good sounding. The bridge sentence for our analogy could be written, “Just as a eulogy is given at a funeral, so is a monologue given at X.” A monologue is a type of speech that is given by a single character in a play. In contrast with a dialogue, which is between multiple people, the monologue is said by one alone—like “thinking out loud.” The “mono-” means one and can be found in English words like “monopoly” and “monastery.” Notice that only “play” names a type of event at which a monologue is given.

The peak is the highest point of a mountain, and the consummation is the point of completion of some task or undertaking. While the word “goal” and “zenith” are potential synonyms for the word, the only acceptable option is “undertaking,” for it is an undertaking that reaches its consummation, as a mountain is “completed” by its peak.

A "link" is one of the small metal pieces in a longer chain. It also can mean any portion of a long “chain” of things (understood metaphorically). Hence, we speak of the “missing link” between apes and men—that is, the missing intermediary stage / being in the great chain of beings. The analogy could be written, “As a link is part of a chain, so is a chapter a part of X.” “Book” is the only option of something of which a chapter is a portion. (A chapter, of course, could be a part of a thesis, a novel, a report, etc.).

A filament is a small fiber, thread, or wire. In the case of a “bulb” it must mean “wire,” particularly if “bulb” is understood as being short for “light bulb” (as it can be). Old-fashioned, incandescent light bulbs use a filament to produce light. Thus, the analogy could be written, “As a filament is used by a bulb to produce light, so is graphite used by X for its regular activity.” Graphite is the substance used in pencils for writing. The only instrument listed among the possible answers is “pencil,” so this is the correct choice.

A "balcony" has a "railing" to keep people safe, much like a "road" has a "guardrail" to keep cars and their drivers safe.

A group of "cattle" is called a "herd;" similarly a group of "seagulls" is called a "flock."

A scribe is a person who writes a text by hand. The word “scribe” is not only related to the “script” found in “manuscript” but also to “scribble,” “ascribe,” and “inscribe.” It comes from the Latin for to write. The analogy could be read, “As a scribe works on a manuscript, so a cobbler works on X.” The only option here is “shoe,” for the other words are attempting to have you think of a simple synonym for the dessert known as “cobbler” or a description of a cobbler as a repairman. Although we generally say that scribes produce manuscripts and that cobblers merely repair shoes, the analogy does hold when we use the broader sense noted above, namely that of “working on.”

A seed gives rise to descendents—whether we are discussing the seed of plants or the “seed” of animals (sperm). A tributary is a body of water that runs into a larger one, feeding it as well as helping to create it. It could be said that just as a seed gives rise to descendents—even for generations from one seed—so too does a tributary give rise to a river. Among the options, this is the only one that fits the analogy in any manner.

"Minerals" are extraceted from a "mine," much like "timber" is extracted from a "forest."

"Ivory" is a precious material that comes from "elephants," just as valuable "pearls" come from "oysters.

"Orchards" are the place where "apples" are grown; therefore "vineyards" are where "grapes" are grown.

"Steel" is made of raw "ore," just as "rubber" is made from "sap."

Grains of sand comprise the content of a sandbank, which is a small deposit of sand found in shallow water. The relationship is thus part-to-whole. The analogy could be rewritten, “As a grain is a constitutive part of a sandbank, so is a key part of X.” Among the options provided, only “typewriter” functions well enough. In the days before computers, typewriters were the mechanical equivalent to a computer keyboard, allowing people to produce letters using a mechanical device and enabling them to write more rapidly and clearly. While the relation is not quite equivalent to that of the grains of sand and the piles of sand that are made thereby in sandbanks, it is a close enough part-whole relationship, particularly given that no other option comes close.

The most natural meaning for “tie” is the action of knotting a piece of fabric or even the type of clothing accessory that is worn around a man’s neck for decoration. The word can likewise mean something more general, like fastener or to fasten. The ties on a railroad track are the parts that hold it together. As you look at your potential answers, you will realize that none of them describes what a handle “holds together.” (Indeed, that is a rather strange notion anyway); however, the railroad tie is a part of the whole structure that is a track; therefore, you could say, that just as a tie is part of a track, so is a handle part of a door. This is the best option.

The word “nucleus” comes from the Latin for “kernel” or “nut.” In general, it can mean anything that is central in a given object. As you likely know from biology class, the nucleus is the name for the center of a cell. (It is, at least, “central” in a general manner. It does not necessarily need to be in exact center, of course). Just as a nucleus is the center of the cell, so is the “core” the center part of fruit, often containing the seeds.