In this question type, you’re given two words that are related in some way, and it is your job to find the pair of words among the choices that exhibits the same relationship. Knowing the words in the original pair is a great first step, but if that’s all there was to it, this question type would be called “Definitions” instead of “Analogies.” An element of logic is also involved, since you need to reason out the link between the words in the original to determine the choice containing the parallel relationship. In this chapter, we’ll teach you all about the kinds of relationships you’re likely to see.

It’s likely that you’ll see roughly seven Analogy questions on your test interspersed throughout the Verbal section. The easiest way to wrap your mind around the concept of GRE Analogies is to see an example, so let’s get right to our X-ray.