The Structure of CMAT Analogies

An analogy is a statement that suggests two terms are related to each other in the same way that two other terms are related to each other in the same way that two other terms are related to each other. The CMAT analogy items are written as equations in the form "A : B :: C : D." This can be read as either "A is related to C in the same way as B is related to D."

In each CMAT analogy item, one term is missing and you must choose which of the four answer options correctly completes the analogy.

For example: Plane : Air  :: Car : (a.motorcycle, b. engine, c. land, d. atmosphere)



The first step in solving a CMAT analogy is to decide which two of the three given terms form a complete pair. In the example, this could either be "Plane is related to Air" (the first term is related to second term) or " Plane is related to Car" (the first term is related to the third term).

On the CMAT, the first term is never related to the fourth term. Therefore, this example could not be read as "Plane is related to (a. motorcycle, b. engine, c. land, d. atmosphere)."

The solution to a CMAT analogy item requires that you select the option that forms a second pair of terms that are in the same relationship to each other as the terms in the complete pair. In this example, none of the available options form a second pair of terms if the analogy is seen as a relationship between two vehicles-Air is definitely not a vehicle. However, when the complete pair is seen as "Plane travels on Air," the second pair, and the correct answer, becomes obvious as "Car travels on c. land":

Plane : Air :: Car : (a. motorcycle, b. engine, c. land, d. atmosphere)

The missing term in a CMAT analogy - the term represented by the four answer options- could be in any one of the four positions. All of the possible formats for CMAT analogies are represented in the following examples:

  • Salt: Hypertension :: Sugar : (a. cholesterol, b. carbohydrates, c. hyperthyroidism, d. diabetes)

Solution- The answer is "d. diabetes"; salt contributes to or aggravates the symptoms of hypertension, and sugar does the same for diabetes.

  • Seek: Find :: (a. lacate, b. book, c. retrieve, d. listen) : Hear

Solution- The answer is"d. listen"; one seeks something in order to find it, and one listens to something in order to find it, and one listens to something in order to hear it.

  • Induction: (a. confirmation, b. graduation, c. ordination, d. resistance) ::Soldier : Priest

Solution- The answer is "c. ordination"; induction is the ceremony for becoming a soldier, and ordination is the ceremony for becoming a priest.

  • (a. curse, b. epidemic, c. immunity, d. patient) :Shade :: Inoculation : Parasol

Solution- The answer is "c. immunity"; a parasol produces a shade, and an inoculation produces immunity.

Regardless of how the terms in a CMAT analogy are presented, there is only one valid and logical relationship that exists between each pair of terms.



Types of Relationships in CMAT Analogies

There are many ways in which a pair of words can be related. Sometimes the relationship is obvious as soon as you read the terms. Sometimes, however, you have to formulate a statement before the relationship becomes apparent. Although there are many possible types of relationships, within a particular item only one or two types will be present.

The relationships found in CMAT items can be grouped into four broad categories: semantic, classification, association, and logical/mathematical. Each of these groups contains several sub-classifications.

When you take the CMAT, you do not need to classify each item. Nevertheless, reviewing these types of relationships may help you see the relationships between pairs of words that form CMAT analogy items.

Semantic

This type of analogy can be thought of as involving definitions of the terms. Relationships of this have to do with what a word stands for and how that word is linguistically connected to others.
The words may be any part of speech.

1. Synonym or Definition- The terms have the same or similar meanings.
Teach: Instruct Both words mean "to impart Knowledge."
Edge: Border Both words refer to a boundary.
Empty: Vacuous Both words mean "lacking in substance."
Eire: Ireland Both words are accepted names for the same country.

2. Antonym or Contrast- The terms have opposite meanings or are used to express unlike concepts.
Rarely: Frequently The word rarely means "not often" or "infrequently."
Order: Chaos Chaos is a state of total disorder, the opposite of order.
Legalize: Outlaw To outlaw something is not to legalize it but to make it illegal.

3. Intensity- One term expresses a greater size or degree of something than the other. This category can be difficult if you misinterpret the analogy as a simple synonym or antonym.
Joyful: Ecstatic To ecstatic is to be widely and intensely joyful.
Slam: Close To slam is to close forcefully and loudly.
Stream: Torrent A torrent is a swift-flowing stream.

4. Word Part/Meaning- One term explains what the other term means.
-ism: Practice     One meaning of the suffix -ism is the practice of something; for example, criticism is the act or practice of criticizing.
Not: Un- The prefix un- means "not"; for example, something unalterable cannot be changed.
Penta-: Five The prefix penta- means five; for example, a pentagon is a five sided polygon.

Classification

The classification type of analogy concerns the hierarchy of words and concepts. For example, when you outline a topic, you list main headings, subtitles, and so on. In a classification analogy, one word could be a heading for the other word, or both words might fall under the same heading.
1. Category- One term is a subordinate or superordinate class of the other. In other words, one term is a type or example of the other one.
Species: Genus 
A species is a subdivision of a genus.
Emotion: Love 
Love is one type of emotion.
Measles: Disease
Measles is an example of disease.
2. Membership- Both terms are parts of the same thing or members of a larger category.
Wheel: Fender 
Both are parts of the hand.
Fingers: Thumbs
Both are digits of the hands.
Love: Fear
Both are examples of emotions.
3. Whole/Part- One term is a part of another term.
Wheel: Car
A wheel is part of a car.
Galaxy: Star 
A galaxy is made up of stars.
Year: Century
A century consists of one hundred years.

Association

The association type of analogy represents the largest group. This type deals with relationships between two distinct but related ideas. The terms are often nouns but may be any part of speech.

1. Object/Characteristic-

 One term is a characteristic, source, or location of another term.

One term is an attribute, characteristic, or description of the other:
Parrot: Beak
A parrot has a beak as its jaws.
Monster: Ferocious
A monster usually has a ferocious disposition.
Imaginary: Fable 
A fable is a story about imaginary characters.

One term is an attribute that the other term lacks:
Hair: Bald 
A person who has no hair is bald.
Inept: Skill
An inpet person is lacking in skill. 
Deliberate: Hate
A deliberate action does not involve haste.

One term is the source of the other or the material out of which the other is composed:
Book: Paper
A book is printed on paper.
Flour: Bread
Bread is made from flour.
Cable: Wire 
A cable is composed of wires.

One term gives the location or setting of the other:
Nepal: Rupees
A rupee is a denomination of the currency USD in Nepal.
Stomata: Leaf
Stomata are tiny pores in a leaf.
Parthenon temple is in Athens, Greece.

2. Order- 

The terms are in a sequential or reciprocal relationship to one another.

The terms have a time or other sequential relationship, but one does not cause the other:
Dawn: Sunrise
The dawn occurs just before sunrise.
7:11
These are consecutive prime numbers.
Alpha: Omega 
These are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.
The terms have a reciprocal relationship so that one concept cannot exist without the other:
Aunt: Niece
A niece is related to an aunt through the same person; the niece's parent is the aunt's sibling.
Weight: Mass 
On earth, anything with a mass also has weight, due to the force of gravity acting upon it.
Object: Transitive
In a sentence, a transitive verb must have a direct object that links to the subject.

One word is a grammatical transformation of the other:
Bring: Brought
The verb changes from present to past tense.
My: Mine 
The possessive form changes from adjective to pronoun.
Datum: Data
The noun changes from singular to plural.

3. Agent/Object-

There are many possibilities within this group, all of which involve one term that causes. creates, provides, requires, uses, or in some other way relies on the other term.
Some of the most common types of agent/object analogies include the following examples.

Cause/Effect- One term causes the other:
Rain: Flood---Excessive rain can cause a flood.
Hunting: Fasting--- Fasting from food results in hunger.
Crime: Punishment--- Punishment is a consequence of crime.

Creator/Creation- One term creates the other:
Robin: Nest---A robin builds a nest.
SuitL Tailor---A tailor makes a suit.
Homer: Iliad--- Homer wrote the epic poem the Iliad.

One term provides the other or makes it possible:
Education: Teacher---A teacher provides education.
Food: Nutrition--- Food provides the body with nutrition.
Postage: Mail--- Postage covers the cost and enables mail to be delivered.

One term represents the function or purpose of the other:
Knife: Cut---  A knife is used to cut something.
Sound: Audiometer--- The purpose of an audiometer is to measure sound.
Salute: Respect--- A salute shows respect.

One term is a tool or object used by the other: 
Plumber: Wrench--- A plumber uses a wrench to work on a pipe.
Seamstress: Needle--- A seamstress uses a needle to pull thread through cloth.
Violinist: Bow--- A violinist uses a bow to play the violin.

Note:- Many times instead of words, pictures are used.