Analogies

1. Analogies What are they and why should I know how to make and/or solve them?

2. Analogy: A definition • What do a dam and a road block have in common?

3. Think about each structure • What does a dam look like? • What does a roadblock look like?

4. Now think about the function of a damn and the function of a roadblock • What does a dam do? • What does a roadblock do?

5. The foundation of an analogy • A dam holds water back • A roadblock holds traffic back • Dam is to Water as Roadblock is to Traffic

6. A definition… • An analogy refers to a similarity between two thing that are otherwise not alike. • For example: Your doctor will urge you to eat a well-balanced diet and exercise regularly, arguing the your heart should be properly maintained just like a well-maintained electric pump.

7. Analogies in school… • Teachers often use analogies to help you understand important concepts. • For example: • A world history teacher explaining the concept of excommunication might say, “Being excommunicated from Church is like being expelled from school.” • A science teacher explaining how a geyser works might say, “Steam is to a geyser as lava is to a volcano.” • A literature teacher introducing an epic poem could point out, “An epic is to literature as a symphony is to music.”

8. So exactly what purpose do analogies serve? • Forming analogies is an important and ongoing aspect of how we view the world around us. • They test our vocabulary. • They test our ability to see relationships • They test our knowledge of subject matter • They test our knowledge of every day affairs • They foster critical thinking skills

9. So exactly how does an analogy work? • They are designed to test your verbal reasoning skills by asking you to first establish a relationship between a pair of words and then to recognize a similar relationship between another pair of words. • Example: Which of the following pairs best expresses a relationship similar to that expressed in the original pair? • Crumb:Bread:: • A. ounce:unit • B. splinter:wood • C. water:bucket • D. twine:rope • E. cream:butter

10. So now I know what an analogy is..how do I solve them? • Analogies are verbal riddles. Follow this 3 step procedure for solving them… • 1. Relate • 2. Apply • 3. Select

11. Relate • Crumb and Bread. (stem) • Establish a clear relationship between these two words by forming a sentence connecting them. • Example: A crumb is a small piece of bread. • Note the sentence is short and specific. • The relationship is solid and tangible. • The sentence you form must be short, and show relationship between the 2 words. There is a crumb of bread on the plate. Does not do this.

12. Apply • Look at the choices you are given and apply your sentence to each of those choices. • A. ounce:unit Is an ounce a small piece of a unit? • B. splinter:wood Is a splinter a small piece of wood? • C. water:bucket Is water a small piece of a bucket? • D. twine:rope Is twine a small piece of rope? • E. cream:butter Is cream a small piece of butter?

13. Select • The answer that best matches the relationship between the original pair of words is the correct answer. • So the correct answer for this example would be • B since a crumb is a small piece of bread in the same way a splinter is a small piece of wood.

14. 4 types of anlaogies we will study are… • Is a Type of • Is a Part of • Is a Place where • Is Used to • Studying analogies will help build our vocabularies • Improve our verbal reasoning skills • Make our writing more clear and concise • Improve our critical thinking skills