This is the second installment of the analogy strategy tips. In the first installment, we learned the fundamental approach to analogies–define the relationship before you look at the answer choices–and we learned two tips: “refine the relationship” and “secondary meanings.” Here are a few more tips to beat the analogy portion:

3. Beware of Distracters: Distracters are employed by test-makers for nearly all multiple choice standardized tests, and they are especially effective–not to mention easy to create–on analogies. Distracters prey on our inevitably wavering attention. For this reason, it is crucial that you strictly maintain a methodical approach. Define the relationship; apply the relationship to answer choices. Period. Once you begin to lose sight of the method, you may fall prey to distracters. Let’s see an example:

ASHES: FIRE

Singe:flames

Driveway:gravel

Leaves: autumn

Hurricane: storm

Mud: rain

Obviously, there is a certain answer choice that just leaps off the page. When we read ASHES:FIRE, our eyes are drawn to the choice “singe:flames.” Our brains instinctively recognize semantic similarities before they recognize logical relationships; the connection between fire and flames is automatic while the relationship “ashes are a byproduct of fire” takes some thought. When you see choices that are semantically similar to the original pair, be careful, but do not rule them out. This is why we stick to the method. If you define the relationship before you look at the choices, you will bypass distracters, and notice that “mud is a byproduct of rain.”

4. Part of Speech: Just as many familiar words have unfamiliar definitions, certain words have unfamiliar parts of speech. The familiar words ‘right’ and ‘list’ are most familiar in their noun forms, but both words have unfamiliar definitions as verbs. To ‘right’ oneself is to restore oneself to an upright position. To ‘list’ can mean to lean to one side. These may be words you hear every day, but these definitions are far from ordinary. The good news is, on the GRE, all the parts of speech in the answer choices will parallel the parts of speech of your capitalized words. Use this to your advantage. If you are unsure which part of speech a capitalized word should be, just look at your answer choices to guide you:

FLAG: STRENGTHEN

Enervate: invigorate

Create: fabricate

Mangle: abuse

Whisper: announce

Hallow: consecrate

In this example, I see the word “flag” and, immediately, I imagine Old Glory flapping in the wind. As a result, I tenuously attempt to relate a flag to “strengthen.” Ideas of strength abound in the United States’ national anthem, as do references to the flag, but I’m still struggling to make a concrete relationship. How could I avoid this problem? Simple. Look down! Notice that all the words in the answer choices are verbs. Thus, flag is not used as a noun but a verb. Because the use of ‘flag’ as a verb is a little rare, I’m not completely sure of its definition, but I have a feeling it’s negative. When presented next to ‘strengthen,’ my guess is ‘to flag’ means ‘to weaken.’ My relationship is simple: look for a pair of verbs that are antonyms. The only antonym pair in the bunch is ‘enervate: invigorate,” and I’m correct. By the way, “to flag” in this context means “to become feeble or less intense.”

5. Common Relationships: After you do a few analogy problems, you’ll probably realize that, even if the words are new, the relationships tend to repeat themselves. The more familiar you become with these stock relationships, the better. Here are a few common relationships. There are certainly more than what is listed below, but some of these are sure to show up on the test:

Definition

SQUANDERER: WASTES

By definition, a squanderer spends too much money–or wastes.

Group and Member

BOOK: NOVEL

A novel is a type of book; it is a member of the group “books.”

Antonyms

GENEROUS: RAPACIOUS

Generous is the opposite of rapacious, or greedy.

Antonyms w/ differing parts of speech

EQUANIMITY: AGITATED

A person demonstrating equanimity is not–or is the opposite of–agitated.

Synonyms

REFLECT: RUMINATE

Reflect and ruminate can both mean to think deeply about a subject.

Synonyms with differing parts of speech

LOQUACITY: TALKATIVE

A talkative person exhibits loquacity, the quality of being loquacious.

Part to Whole

BRANCH: TREE

A branch is part of a tree. If you need to narrow, a branch is an appendage of a tree.

Degree

INDULGENCE: DEBAUCHERY

Debauchery is an extreme form of indulgence, involving excessive drinking and promiscuity

Function

PACIFIER: SOOTHE

The function of a pacifier is to soothe.

Creator and Creation

CHEF: SOUFFLE

A chef creates a soufflé.

Manner

WHISPER: TALK

To whisper is to talk quietly.

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