On the more difficult analogy questions, you'll have to utilize the secondary meaning of a word in order to arrive at the correct answer. For example, consider the following analogy question:
| INVESTMENT : APPRECIATE |
| |
movie : enjoy |
| |
energy : dwindle |
| |
flower : bloom |
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cuisine : devour |
| |
granary : store |
On a first attempt, you perhaps create the following sentence relationship between the two words in capital letters: 'An investment is something that you can appreciate because it brings you wealth and fortune'. However, upon inspection of the possible word choices, none of the provided word pairs fit. Do you enjoy a movie because it brings you wealth and fortune? No, and likewise the other word pairs don't work. You may be tempted to answer movie:enjoy because it is almost valid, but remember that on the GRE analogy questions, the relationships are meant to be precise, and so it's in your best interest to look for a better relationship between the two provided words in capital letters.
Notice that that the word 'appreciate' means to acknowledge and to understand, but in an economic sense, 'appreciate' also means to increase, in which case the relationship between the two provided words in capital letters is: 'When an investment grows, it appreciates'. When using the secondary meaning of the word 'appreciate', the answer choice flower:bloom is a perfect match, because when a flower grows, it blooms.
Test Tip |
The relationships on the GRE analogy questions are precise, and so when you have exhausted all possible relationships and still you cannot find a good answer, consider using secondary or tertiary meanings of words in an attempt to arrive at the right answer. |