Analogies are ways to describe different things by noting how they are the same in certain respects. One common analogy is to compare the human brain to a computer. On the analogy section of an SAT or GRE test, you will need to be able to look at two sets of words and make the same sort of comparison between the words in each set. Here’s an example, using a common format for this type of question:

SHELL : PECAN

a) sandwich : filling
b) helmet : head
c) peel : banana
d) icing : cupcake
e) fur : dog

You can read this question format as follows: “‘shell’ is to ‘pecan’ as ‘X’ is to ‘Y.’” That is, the relationship between ‘shell’ and ‘pecan’ is the same as the relationship between ‘X’ and ‘Y’ (the two words in the correct answer).

Which answer would you choose? A shell is a hard protective barrier over something relatively soft, and that’s the function of a helmet protecting a head. However, a shell goes all the way around a pecan, and a helmet does not go all the way around a head. Neither does a sandwich completely contain its filling or icing completely cover a cupcake on all sides. A dog is (almost) completely covered with fur, but it’s not a protective barrier in the same sense. That leaves us with answer (c), because a banana peel protects the soft fruit inside, and completely covers it.

Here’s another example:

REHEARSAL : PERFORMANCE

a) recital : concert
b) draft : publication
c) test : examination
d) preliminary : secondary
e) characters : play

The correct answer here is (b). A rehearsal is the practice session before a performance, not intended to be heard or seen by the final audience. A draft of a paper or publication is writing in “practice” mode, making changes and corrections, until it is ready to be released to its final audience. The word pair at (d) has the same sense, but not exactly, because “secondary” does not necessarily mean “final” (there might be something tertiary or quaternary as well).

We’ll do more analogy practice in future posts. If you have any questions about the analogy section of the GRE and SAT, leave them in the comments section.