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

A musician performs a concert, so the answer must be something that a dancer performs. While you might think that “gyration” would work, this is a specific action, not a type of event (like concert). Thus, “ballet” is the best answer for this. Even though all dancers do not necessarily perform ballets, this option alone establishes a parallel with dancer in a manner similar to the relationship between musician and concert.

"Cardiovascular" is a medical term relating to the "heart," just as "pulmonary" refers to the "lungs."

An oration is a speech, often one given at a ceremony. It comes both from the Latin for to pray as well as more distantly from the word for mouth. (Think of words like “oral” and “adore.”) Thus, an oration is a type of spoken communication. We could write a bridge sentence like, “As an oration is something that is spoken, so is a transcript something that is X.” A transcript is a written version of some communication. For instance, a transcript of a television show is the written version made for people to read after the show has aired.

A pedant is a person who shows a great deal of learning to the point of being tedious and boring—going through every detail almost in a ridiculous fashion. Thus, “tedious” is an adequate description for a pedant. Someone who “transgresses” goes beyond the boundaries of the law. The “trans-” prefix means across (as in “transfer,” meaning, to carry across), and the “-gress” comes from the Latin for to step. It is related to many words like “grade,” “gradual,” “progress,” and “digress.” The options “judged” and “sentenced” might apply to a transgressor after a court case that acknowledges the guilt. In any case, a transgressor in general can be said to be guilty even before this is acknowledged in a court. This is the best description among those provided.

A pedestrian is someone who travels by walking. You likely use the word to describe people walking in a town in contrast to those who are using motor vehicles or bicycles. The word actually comes from the Latin for “foot” and is related to the similar sounding beginning of the word “podiatrist”—a doctor specializing in care of the foot. Thus the bridge sentence for our analogy could be written as, “Just as a pedestrian travels by walking, so a mariner travels by X.” A “mariner” is a sailor. The word is derived from the Latin for “sea” and is related to the English words “marine” and “submarine.” A sailor travels by sailing.

A person who is generous is likely to give a donation to some cause. Thus, the analogy could be read as, “As a generous person is likely to give a donation, so something that is ancillary is likely to provide or give X.” The word “ancillary” comes from the Latin “ancilla,” meaning female servant. In English, something "ancillary" is something that provides secondary support or aid to an operation or undertaking. Thus, among the options provided, “aid” is the best.

Someone who is “laconic” uses few words. “Shy” is not necessarily synonymous with “laconic,” so a good way to understand this analogy is to form a sentence like, “As someone who is shy is likely to be laconic, so is someone who is depressed likely to be X.” The word “lachrymose” means tearful or likely to weep. The word is taken from the Latin for tear or to cry. The “tear ducts” that produce fluid in the eye are called the lacrimal glands. To be “depressed” is not synonymous with being “lachrymose,” but just like the case with shyness and being laconic, it is likely that someone who is depressed will be given to weeping.

The word “inquire” means “to ask” or “to investigate.” It is related to other words for “asking” such as “query” and “question.” An “inquisitor” is someone who examines another party for some set of information. Thus, the analogy could be formulated, “As an inquisitor is known for examining, so is a recidivists known for X.” A recidivist is someone who has committed a crime and then commits it again (often frequently). The “-cid-” portion of the word comes from the Latin for “to fall” as in “accident.” A re-cidivist is someone who “falls again” into the same old faults. Such a person is likely known for “reoffending.”

"Blindness" is t_he lack of ability to see_, thus this analogy is merely looking for that which is lacking to one who is mute. Used as a noun, a “mute” is a person who is unable to speak. Even if used as an adjective, “mute” can describe someone who is not speaking at a given time: “He remained mute, refusing to speak a word while his ‘friend’ screamed at him.” The mute setting on a television is so called because it stifles the sound.

A deliberative body gathers in order to discuss and consider possible options. The aspect of discussion is very important to the notion of “deliberation.” The word itself comes from the Latin for “to weigh,” and we often speak of “weighing the options,” meaning effectively that we are deliberating. Discourse is discussion on a topic. Thus, the analogy could be rewritten, “As a deliberative group joins for the sake of discourse, something that is polemical joins (or acts) for the sake of X.” Note that the analogy does need to have some reworking because “polemical” is not quite the same in character as “deliberative.” The word “polemical” means “related to controversial and critical writing or speech.” Polemics are strong verbal / written attacks on positions / topics. Thus, something that is polemical is done for the sake of argument.

One usually "owes" a "debt," just as one can also "reap" _or collect_a "reward."

Cupidity is an excessive desire for wealth. The word comes from the Latin for “to desire,” from which the name of “Cupid” is likewise derived. Thus, our analogy could be rewritten, “As cupidity is an excessive desire for wealth, so is exhibitionism an excessive desire for X.” An exhibit is a public display of art or any other organized set of items. Exhibitionism is the strong desire to be seen by others (as if to put oneself on exhibit). As such, it is an excessive desire for attention.

A "curmudgeon" is often "grumpy," just as an "idealist" is often "dreamy."

A "genius" is "brilliant" while an "idiot" is "moronic."

"Incite" is the opposite of "quell". So we are looking for a word that means the opposite of "lazy".

Something that is “tepid” is lukewarm. The word can be used to describe barely warm water as well as a personality or action that is not very enthusiastic. The first part of the analogy can be read as, “As being barely hot is to something extremely hot.” The second half of the analogy is best matched by the word “freezing,” for this is a greater degree of the coolness implied in “chilled.” Thus, the whole analogy would run, “As something blazing is hotter to a greater degree than something tepid, so too is something freezing cooler to a greater degree than something chilled.”

When someone is attentive, he or she pays heed to the details of a situation, not allowing them to be overlooked or ignored. Quite to the contrary, being preoccupied means that a person is concerned with other things and is not “mentally present.” For instance, you might say, “Sam was preoccupied with his worries about losing his job and thus completely missed the fact that the light had changed from red to green.” The words “attentive” and “preoccupied” are thus relatively antonyms to each other. The word “overjoyed” is obviously an antonym of “miserable,” the only word that even remotely functions as an opposite to being joyous.

The word “gregarious” comes from the word for “a flock” in Latin. The word “congregation” literally means “a gathering together of the flock.” (It is in part for this reason, among others, that all of these varied forms of “flock” language are used by Christians). The word “gregarious” means “friendly” or sociable, as though to say, “able to get along with the flock.” Thus, the words “gregarious” and “unfriendly” are antonyms. Among the options provided for such a contrast with “ready,” only “unprepared” fits this use. All of the others are either wholly unrelated (“agreeable” and “accepting”) or synonymous (“equipped” and, perhaps, “instructued”).

To "spurn" someone is to reject that person completely. For instance, one could say, “Herbert spurned any contact with his poor relatives, for he thought them wholly worthless and unintelligent, unworthy of any time.” This is quite the opposite of “accept” and is thus an antonym to the latter. Thus, we are looking for an antonym of “hamper.” Now, you might use the word “hamper” in discussing a type of basket for storing dirty clothes; however, there is no such option among the words provided. (Even the case of “garbage” is not useful, as it is definitely not an antonym). The word “hamper” can also mean to obstruct or make difficult, as when one says, “Thomas decided to hamper the progress of the group by tying their legs together while they sleep. He did not want them to progress on the trip.” The best option among those given is thus “aid,” which is quite the opposite from obstructing or making difficult.