Analogies: Part to Whole and Cause to Effect

Recognize analogies built on part-whole and cause-effect relationships.

Many analogies use relationships beyond synonyms and antonyms. In a part-to-whole analogy, the first word is a part of the second: 'page : book :: petal : flower'. Sentence: 'A page is part of a book. ' Check the second pair: 'A petal is part of a flower. ' It fits. Order matters: 'book : page' would be whole-to-part, a different relationship. In a cause-to-effect analogy, the first word causes the second: 'virus : illness :: drought : famine'. Sentence: 'A virus can cause illness.

' Check: 'A drought can cause famine. ' It fits. Now a harder one: 'spark : fire :: ___ : flood'. Sentence: 'A spark can start a fire. ' What can start a flood? 'Downpour' fits; 'river' does not, because a river is where the flood happens, not what causes it. The skill is precision: the second pair must match the exact relationship and the exact order of the first.

• 1Part to whole: page is to book.
• 2Cause to effect: drought is to famine.
• 3The second pair must match the relationship AND the order.