The explanation of the Analogy question type follows. If you prefer skipping this explanation, scroll down to the Directions immediately before the Sample Questions button. Analogy questions test your ability to recognize the relationship between the words in a word pair and to recognize when two word pairs display parallel relationships. To answer an analogy question, you must formulate the relationship between the words in the given word pair and then select the answer containing words related to one another in most nearly the same way.
Some examples are relationships of kind, size, spatial contiguity, or degree.
It is usually helpful to express that relationship in a phrase or sentence. Then look for the answer choice containing the word pair whose relationship is closest to that of the given pair and can be expressed in a similar fashion. Occasionally, more than one of the answer choices may seem at first to express a relationship similar to that of the given pair. Try to state the relationship more precisely, or identify some aspect of the relationship that is paralleled in only one choice pair. Remember that a single word can have several different meanings.