Analogy questions are one of the five question types in the Verbal Skills section of the HSPT, and they're consistently one of the trickier ones for students. The good news is that analogies follow predictable patterns, and once you can recognize those patterns, they become much more manageable. Here's what you need to know.
Common Types of Analogies on the HSPT
Most analogies on the HSPT fall into one of these seven categories:
1. Synonym Analogies — the two words have the same meaning
- creative is to inventive
- shy is to reserved
2. Antonym Analogies — the two words have opposite meanings
- pretty is to ugly
- uncertain is to confident
3. Intensity/Degree Analogies — one word is a stronger or weaker version of the other
- scalding is to hot (scalding is an extreme version of hot)
- jog is to sprint (a jog is a less intense version of a sprint)
4. Function/Use Analogies — one word describes what the other is used for or used by
- pen is to write (a pen is used to write)
- doctor is to stethoscope (a doctor uses a stethoscope)
5. Type Analogies — one word is a specific example of the other
- Labrador is to dog (a Labrador is a type of dog)
- bronchitis is to illness (bronchitis is a type of illness)
6. Group Analogies — one word is made up of a group of the other
- musicians is to band (musicians make up a band)
- books is to chapters (books are made up of chapters)
7. Having/Lacking Analogies — one word implies having or lacking the other
- fearful is to courage (fearful means you lack courage)
- uncertain is to doubts (uncertain means you have doubts)
Recognizing which type of analogy you're looking at is half the battle — it immediately narrows down what kind of relationship you're looking for between the words.
How to Approach Analogy Questions
Here's a simple two-step strategy that works across all analogy types. Let's walk through an example.
Example: Sky is to blue as grass is to
- a) grow
- b) lawnmower
- c) long
- d) green
Step 1: Create a specific connection phrase between the first two words.
The key word here is specific. You don't want a connection phrase like "the sky is blue" — that's too vague to be useful. Instead, think about exactly how the two words relate: the color of the sky is blue. That's your connection phrase.
Step 2: Plug each answer choice into that connection phrase using the third word.
Now replace "sky" with "grass" and test each answer choice:
- a) grow — "The color of the grass is grow." ✗
- b) lawnmower — "The color of the grass is lawnmower." ✗
- c) long — "The color of the grass is long." ✗
- d) green — "The color of the grass is green." ✓
Correct Answer: D
The more specific your connection phrase is in Step 1, the easier it is to eliminate wrong answers in Step 2 — so it's worth taking an extra second to get it right before moving on.
If you have questions about the HSPT or aren't sure where to start with prep, feel free to reach out at info@elevateprep.com — I'm always happy to help.