Identify these questions

Typically, these types of questions involve working out the relationship between two given words, and then applying that same rule to work out the relationship between another two words.

The relationship may be:

A thing and what it does

A thing and what its larger category is

An abstract thing and a specific type of it

An opposite

These questions test your ability to work out how two words relate to one another, and to be able to apply that rule in creating a relationship of the same kind between two different words.

In the exam, you can identify these types of questions by looking out for this type of

arrangement: Item A is to Item B as Item C is to Item D

The strategy to answer these questions

To help solve these questions more easily, it is important to have a good vocabulary as this will help you to identify the words given.

One of the best ways to approach these questions is to draw a line between the two words given, and along that line, write down what the relationship between them is.

The first thing to do is draw up a diagram like the one below, starting with the relationship between the first two words and ask yourself "What truly connects them?"

Let’s see this in action now.

Example Question/s

DOG is to ANIMAL as QUARTZ is to?

(a) vegetable (b) mine (c) mineral (d) material

SWIMMING is to POOL as SCIENCE is to?

(a) experiments (b) teacher (c) scientist (d) laboratory

For example, you could say that science is done by a scientist, or science involves experiments. This is a common error. However, you can avoid this type of error by making sure you first establish the relationship that links the first two words together and then applying that same relationship to derive the unknown word.

Watch video for explanation of the following question/s:

Snake is to rattlesnake as dog is to

A: hound
B: mammal
C: canine
D: pet
E: leash

Migrate is to penguin as

A: roam is to nomad
B: pet is to cat
C: bite is to piranha
D: reproduction is to turtles
E: relocate is to person

Stratagem is to honesty as

A: mysterious is to curiosity
B: lightness is to ease
C: resourcefulness is to ability
D: obscure is to clouded
E: generosity is to malevolence

Odourless is to scent as Elasticity is to

A: energy
B: shape
C: apples
D: flexibility
E: physics

Key Rules to remember

• Build the 'relationship-bridge' and substitute answer choices
• Ask yourself: What is that strong and definite relationship?
• Ask yourself: What links the relationship together? What types of relationships can there be?

Practice time!

Now, it's your turn to practice.

Click on the button below and start your practice questions. We recommend doing untimed mode first, and then, when you're ready, do timed mode.

Every question has two solutions videos after you complete the question. The first is a quick 60 second video that shows you how our expert answers the question quickly. The second video is a more in-depth 5-steps or less explainer video that shows you the steps to take to answer the question. It's really important that you review the second video because that's where you'll learn additional tips and tricks.

Once you're done with the practice questions, move on to the next checkpoint.

Now, let's get started on your practice questions.

---