Analogy questions ask you to determine the relationship between a pair of words and then pick the pair of words with the same relationship. For example, if I see the pair “GEOLOGY: ROCKS,” I will pick the analogous pair “ENTOMOLOGY: INSECTS,” since in both cases, A is “the study of” B. The best fundamental approach to analogies is to mentally articulate the relationship between the first and second word. Then, apply the relationship to each of the five choices, and see which one fits. Again, define the relationship before you look at the choices. That all sounds pretty simple, but the GRE wouldn’t be a standardized test without tricks and traps. Here are some strategies to make the most of the analogy section:

1. Refine Your Relationship if Necessary: There is a particularly frightening moment that befalls every analogy test taker: you’ve confidently articulated the relationship between the pair, and it fits more than one of the answer choices. No, you may not choose both. I’ve already checked with the ETS, and that’s not an option. So, what do you do? Your best option is to narrow your relationship. Make it more specific, and hopefully only one answer choice will be left standing. Let’s check out an example:

CROWN:HILL

Belabor: argue

Vertex:pyramid

Phylum: arthropod

Undercarriage: aircraft

Floor:sea

Let’s say I see CROWN:HILL, and I determine the relationship to be “a crown is part of a hill,” which is true. I feel I’ve overcome an obstacle by finding a secondary definition of “crown,” i.e. not the one that goes on a king’s head, and I’m confident in my choice. I go through my choices, and–gasp!–I notice that the vertex is part of a pyramid, the undercarriage is part of an aircraft, and the floor is part of the sea. Hmm. Maybe, I was a bit hasty in determining my relationship. Let’s make it more specific: a crown is the highest point of a hill. Now, only one choice works. A vertex is the highest point of a pyramid.

2. Don’t Forget Secondary Meanings: Many English words have more than one definition, and you bet the GRE will exploit this as much as possible. If there’s a familiar word with an unfamiliar definition, chances are you’ll see it on the GRE. After all, the only thing worse than an unfamiliar word is a familiar word whose selected definition is unfamiliar. At least with the unfamiliar word, you immediately know your fate. The familiar word, on the other hand, is a traitorous trickster donning a disguise of friendship, only to attack when you least expect it. Okay, enough of the metaphor. Here’s an example:

VOLATILE: TEMPER

Whimsical: information

Exorbitant: price

Erratic: course

Taciturn: chatter

Inchoate: project

Immediately, I see a word like volatile and a word like temper, and I feel safe. They seem pretty related already. I know that someone with a temper, or a sudden outburst of anger, can be characterized as volatile, or liable to sudden change. It’s not the strongest relationship, but what else could it be? So, my relationship is “B is characterized as A.” When I apply my relationship to the choices, however, nothing quite seems to work. One small exception is “price is characterized by exorbitant,” which, though it feels weak because price is not essentially exorbitant, is the closest thing I have to an analogous relationship. Well, I’ve wasted all this time because I did not use the right definition of temper. I should have noticed a stronger relationship between ‘volatile’ and another definition of temper–disposition, mood, or temperament. With this less often used but more original definition, I find that “to be volatile is to have an unpredictable temper.” Going through the answer choices, I have a satisfying analogy: to be erratic is to have an unpredictable course, path, or direction.