Word analogies
Two words are linked in some way. Find the word that is linked to a third word in exactly the same way.
What the question looks like
Puppy is to dog as kitten is to ( ? )
How Thena would solve it
Say the link as a short sentence.
A puppy is a young dog.
Say the same sentence with the third word.
A kitten is a young cat.
Milk and purr go with kittens, but they don’t finish the sentence. The answer is cat.
Answer: cat
The usual mistakes
Picking a word that just goes with it
Use the sentence: only one option finishes it.
Turning the link round
Keep the order: puppy to dog, so kitten to its grown-up.
A link that’s too loose
Make the sentence exact, such as "is a young", not "is to do with".
Try ten
Ten word analogies questions
A new set every time, marked when you finish.
Have paper and a pencil ready for working out.
Questions parents ask
How do you answer Word analogies questions?
Say how the first two words are linked in a short sentence ("a puppy is a young dog"), then say the same sentence with the third word. The option that finishes it is the answer.
More in what words mean
- Closest in meaningThe word that means the same, not the opposite.
- Opposite meaningsThe word most nearly opposite, not the same.
- Two odd ones outThe two words that don’t go with the other three.
- One word, two meaningsOne word that fits two pairs with different meanings.
All 21 kinds of verbal reasoning question
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