worksheets library | Analogy Worksheets - Free Printable

Let's solve each analogy step by step and explain the reasoning behind the correct answer.

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1. hairdresser is to client as doctor is to patient / medicine / customer

- A hairdresser serves a client.
- Similarly, a doctor serves a patient.
- "Medicine" is something a doctor gives, not who they serve.
- "Customer" is too general; "patient" is more specific and accurate in this context.
✔ Answer: patient

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2. courage is to adventurer as fear is to bravery / explorer / coward

- Courage is a trait of an adventurer.
- Fear is a trait of a coward.
- "Bravery" is similar to courage — it's not a person.
- "Explorer" is like an adventurer but doesn't match the emotional trait.
✔ Answer: coward

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3. land is to dirt as ocean is to rich / finger / water

- Land is made of dirt.
- Ocean is made of water.
- "Rich" and "finger" are unrelated.
✔ Answer: water

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4. perplex is to confuse as irritate is to happy / annoy / mad

- "Perplex" means to confuse — synonyms.
- "Irritate" means to annoy — synonyms.
- "Happy" and "mad" are emotions but not synonyms of "irritate".
✔ Answer: annoy

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5. desert is to sun as pasture is to cats / fish / sheep

- The sun heats or affects the desert.
- A pasture is where sheep graze.
- So, just as the sun is associated with the desert (in terms of environment), sheep are associated with a pasture.
- Cats and fish don’t live in pastures.
✔ Answer: sheep

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6. astronomer is to telescope as barber is to saw / scissors / pen

- An astronomer uses a telescope.
- A barber uses scissors to cut hair.
- "Saw" is for wood, "pen" for writing.
✔ Answer: scissors

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7. spoon is to feed as spade is to dig / scoop / carve

- A spoon is used to feed.
- A spade is used to dig.
- "Scoop" is possible, but digging is the primary purpose.
- "Carve" is not typically done with a spade.
✔ Answer: dig

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8. power is to watt as mass is to liter / kilogram / mile

- Power is measured in watts.
- Mass is measured in kilograms.
- Liter is volume, mile is distance.
✔ Answer: kilogram

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9. lion is to lioness as horse is to mare / drone / swan

- Lion → lioness (female counterpart).
- Horse → mare (female horse).
- "Drone" is a male bee, "swan" is unrelated.
✔ Answer: mare

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10. blow is to blew as find is to forgot / froze / found

- "Blow" → "blew" (past tense).
- "Find" → "found" (past tense).
- "Forgot" and "froze" are past tenses of other verbs.
✔ Answer: found

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11. flash is to camera as mouse is to rat / computer / dessert

- Flash is part of a camera.
- Mouse is part of a computer.
- "Rat" is an animal, "dessert" is food — not relevant.
✔ Answer: computer

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12. ribbon is to present as icing is to cake / cut / typewriter

- Ribbon decorates a present.
- Icing decorates a cake.
- "Cut" is an action, "typewriter" is unrelated.
✔ Answer: cake

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✔ Final Answers:

1. patient
2. coward
3. water
4. annoy
5. sheep
6. scissors
7. dig
8. kilogram
9. mare
10. found
11. computer
12. cake

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📌 Summary of Reasoning:

Each analogy follows a pattern such as:
- Person → object they use (e.g., doctor → patient)
- Emotion → person who has it (e.g., fear → coward)
- Part → whole (e.g., dirt → land, water → ocean)
- Synonym relationship (e.g., perplex → confuse)
- Tool → function (e.g., spoon → feed)
- Unit of measurement (e.g., watt → power)
- Gender pair (lion → lioness)
- Past tense (blow → blew)
- Component → device (flash → camera)
- Decoration → item decorated (ribbon → present)

These analogies test vocabulary, logic, and understanding of relationships between words.

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