HSPT: Function analogies: what the thing is for
Learn the main function links (tool and action, instrument and what it measures, protector and what it guards against) and how to reject choices about material, place or user.
How do you solve an analogy when the first word is a tool or object?
Short answer
Ask what the object does and say it as a sentence: A ___ is used to ___. The answer pair shows a different object doing its own job, in the same order.
Know first: The bridge-sentence method for analogies, What common tools and devices do
Step 1 of 5
A function analogy asks what a thing does
Many analogies start with an object: a tool, a device or a piece of gear. The link is almost always its function, the job it was made for.
The trap choices know you'll think of other facts about the object: what it's made of, where it's kept, who uses it, what can go wrong with it. Those are real facts, but they aren't the job.
| Link | Bridge sentence | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Tool and action | A ___ is used to ___. | SCISSORS : CUT |
| Instrument and what it measures | A ___ measures ___. | PEDOMETER : STEPS |
| Tool and what it works on | A ___ turns or fixes a ___. | WRENCH : BOLT |
| Protector and what it guards against | A ___ protects against ___. | RAINCOAT : SOAKING |
Pick the row first. Then the bridge sentence is ready made.
Step 2 of 5
Test every pair with the job sentence
Worked example: SHOVEL : DIG
Which pair has the same relationship as SHOVEL : DIG?
- Abroom : closet
- Bsweep : broom
- Cbroom : sweep
- Dbroom : straw
- 1
Build the job sentence
A shovel is used to dig. Object first, action second.
- 2
Test each choice
A broom is used to closet. No.
A sweep is used to broom. No, the order is flipped.
A broom is used to sweep. Yes.
A broom is used to straw. No. - 3
Name the traps
Closet is where a broom is kept, the place trap. Straw is what some brooms are made of, the material trap. Sweep : broom has the right words in reverse order.
Answer
broom : sweep. It's the only pair where the object comes first and its job comes second.
Find the wrong step
A student answers this question: Which pair has the same relationship as SPEEDOMETER : SPEED? (A) stopwatch : time (B) car : dashboard (C) stopwatch : runner (D) stopwatch : pocket
- 1
Reads the pair: a speedometer and speed.
- 2
Builds the bridge A speedometer is used by a driver.
What went wrong
That bridge doesn't use the second word at all. It brings in a user, which is outside the pair.
- 3
Picks (C) stopwatch : runner, since a runner uses a stopwatch.
The fix
Use both words: A speedometer measures speed. Then a stopwatch measures time. The answer is (A) stopwatch : time.
Step 3 of 5
Try it yourself
Check yourself · Question 1
Which pair has the same relationship as KNIFE : SLICE?
Answer: C
Bridge: A knife is used to slice. A needle is used to sew. Object first, action second.
Check yourself · Question 2
Which pair has the same relationship as UMBRELLA : RAIN?
Answer: D
Bridge: An umbrella protects against rain. Sunscreen protects against sunburn. Both pairs go from protector to the thing it guards against.
Trap answer: glove : finger
Right kind of object, wrong link
- Why it looks right
- A glove is protective gear, just like an umbrella, so the pair looks like a match.
- Why it's wrong
- An umbrella guards against rain. A glove isn't guarding against a finger. It covers the finger.
- The right answer
- sunscreen : sunburn, because sunscreen protects against sunburn.
Check yourself · Question 3
Which pair has the same relationship as STAPLER : FASTEN?
Answer: B
Bridge: A stapler is used to fasten. A lock is used to secure. Each object comes first and its job comes second.
Common mistake
Building the bridge around where an object is kept or who uses it.
- Why it's tempting
- Those facts come to mind fast, and they're true.
- Do this instead
- Ask what the object is for. Say A ___ is used to ___ and make sure both words of the pair fit in it.
Step 4 of 5
What to remember
Remember
- When the first word is an object, the link is usually its job.
- Use the matching bridge: used to, measures, works on, or protects against.
- Reject pairs about material, place, user or something that can go wrong, and check that the object comes first in both pairs.
Step 5 of 5
Practice on a real question
Use what you just learned on this question, then check the explanation.
In your own words
What job sentence did you build for the object in the practice question? Which wrong choice named a place, a material or a user instead of a job?