HSPT: Classifications: sort by meaning or by word type
Spot the odd word out when three words share a meaning or a part of speech and the fourth breaks the pattern.
What should you check when the odd word out isn't about a topic at all?
Short answer
Check two patterns: three words that mean nearly the same thing with one opposite, and three words of the same part of speech with one of a different type. The answer is the word that breaks the pattern.
Know first: Nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs, Synonyms and antonyms
Step 1 of 5
Some groups are about how words work
Some classification questions use words that don't name things at all. They describe people, or show actions, or tell how something is done. A topic group like animals won't help with these.
Instead, the group is usually one of two kinds. Either three words mean nearly the same thing and one means the opposite, or three words are the same part of speech and one is a different type of word.
| Pattern | Example set | Odd one | Check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three synonyms, one opposite | brave, bold, fearless, cowardly | cowardly | Do three words mean the same thing? |
| Three verbs, one noun | whisper, scatter, borrow, kindness | kindness | Can each word follow they? |
| Three adverbs, one joining word | slowly, gladly, often, because | because | Does each word tell how or when? |
Often doesn't end in -ly, but it tells how often, so it's an adverb like the others.
Step 2 of 5
Check meaning first, then word type
Worked example: Ancient, elderly, aged, youthful
Which word does not belong with the other three?
- Aancient
- Belderly
- Caged
- Dyouthful
- 1
Check meaning
Ancient, elderly and aged all mean old. Youthful means young, the opposite.
- 2
Check word type
All four are adjectives: a very elderly person, a very youthful person. Word type doesn't separate them, so meaning decides.
- 3
Why the others tempt you
Ancient usually describes things, and elderly describes people, so either can look odd. Those are shades of the same meaning. Only youthful reverses it.
Answer
youthful. It is the only word that means young.
Wrong: Odd one out of gentle, honest, calmly, polite: honest, because it's the only word about telling the truth.
Right: Odd one out of gentle, honest, calmly, polite: calmly, because it's the only adverb.
When all four meanings differ, a meaning group won't produce three and one. Switch to word type: gentle, honest and polite describe a person, and calmly describes how someone acts.
Step 3 of 5
Find the pattern that splits three from one
Check yourself · Question 1
Which word does not belong with the other three?
Answer: A
Generous, giving and charitable all mean willing to share with others. Selfish means the opposite.
Check yourself · Question 2
Which word does not belong with the other three?
Answer: C
Courage, wisdom and honesty are nouns that name qualities: the courage, the wisdom, the honesty. Bravely is an adverb that tells how someone acts.
Trap answer: wisdom
A meaning group that doesn't hold
- Why it looks right
- Courage and bravely are close in meaning, so it feels as if the odd word must be outside that pair.
- Why it's wrong
- Two words that share a meaning aren't a group of three. The pattern that splits the list three and one is word type: three nouns and one adverb.
- The right answer
- bravely, the only adverb. The other three name qualities.
Check yourself · Question 3
Which word does not belong with the other three?
Answer: B
Hinder, obstruct and impede all mean get in the way of. Assist means help, the opposite.
Common mistake
Searching for a topic, like animals or tools, when the words describe or show action.
- Why it's tempting
- Many classification questions sort things by topic, so you look for one out of habit.
- Do this instead
- When the words don't name things, run two checks: do three of them mean the same thing, and are three of them the same part of speech?
Step 4 of 5
What to remember
Remember
- When the words describe or show action, check meaning and word type, not topic.
- Three synonyms and one opposite: the opposite is the answer.
- Three words of the same part of speech and one of another: the different type is the answer.
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
Was the practice question sorted by meaning or by word type? Which quick test told you?