Changes in Intensity

What is the relationship between the given words? "Wet" and "soaked" are synonyms of increasing intensity, so the answer must be two synonyms of increasing intensity. "Arid" is a more intense version of dry, so that must be the correct answer.

"Navy" is a darker version of the color blue, therefore the answer must be a darker version of the color red. That immediately eliminates "purple" and "orange." "Pink" is a lighter shade of red, so it is eliminated. "Scarlet" is a bright red, but it is not dark. The best choice is "burgundy," which is a dark shade of red.

"Drenched" is a more intense version of "wet," just as "angry" is a more intense version of "upset." A "page" is a part of a "book" and a "step" is a part of a "stair," so those can be eliminated since they don't fit the type of analogy. While a "desert" is very "dry," it is not a more intense version of the same word. If "tornado" and "wind" were reversed and read "wind is to tornado," this analogy would work. As it is written, however, it is the opposite of the first pair.

To complete the analogy, you must determine the relationship between the first two words. "Clean" and "spotless" are synonyms of increasing intensity, so the answer must be two synonyms of increasing intensity. "Filthy" is a more intense version of dirty, so that must be the correct answer.

To "sob" is to cry intensely, to cry for a long time. "Sob" is therefore a more intense version of the word "cry." To solve this analogy you need to consider which one of these words represents a more intense version of "walk," and the correct answer is obviously "run."

Since "gigantic" means "of very great size or extent; huge or enormous," we can think of it as meaning "really big." So, we need to pick out an answer choice in which the first word is an adjective, and the second word is an adjective that is a more extreme version of the first one. While "hardy is to weak" may look like a potentially correct answer, "hardy" actually means "robust; capable of enduring difficult conditions," so "hardy" is actually an opposite of "weak," and we're looking for two words with similar meanings. Since "minuscule" means "extremely small; tiny," "small is to minuscule" is the correct answer, because just like "gigantic" is a more extreme version of "big," "minuscule" is a more extreme version of "small."

This analogy compares degrees of magnitude, with the first term being "mild," meaning low in intensity or gentle. The second term is "extreme," which can mean intense. The only answer choice that follows this pattern is "average is to large."

Both "flurries" and "blizzard" describe amounts of snow that falls, with "flurries" being another word for snowflakes, and thus a little snow, and "blizzard" being a large snowstorm, so a lot of snow. So, we need to look for an answer choice with the first word describing a small amount of something and the second word describing a larger amount of something. Thus, the best answer choice is "drizzle is to downpour," because a "drizzle" describes a small amount of rain, while a downpour describes an episode of very heavy rain.

"Dark" is a more extreme degree of dim. "Cold" is a more extreme degree of cool.

This analogy compares two terms where one is the more extreme form of the other. Red is higher than pink on a "gradient of redness," although the color pink exhibits characteristics of "redness." Likewise, hot is higher than warm on a "gradient of temperature," although the concept of warmth entails characteristics of heat.