Understanding the Word Analogy

This question asks us to find the word that completes an analogy. An analogy shows a relationship between two things, and we need to find another pair of things that share the same relationship. The given analogy is:

Toothpaste : Teeth :: Broom : ?

Let's first understand the relationship between the first pair: Toothpaste and Teeth.

• Toothpaste is a substance used for cleaning Teeth.
• The relationship is: [Tool/Substance for cleaning] : [Thing being cleaned].

Applying the Relationship to the Third Word

Now we apply this same relationship to the third word, Broom. A Broom is a tool.

What does a Broom clean?

Following the relationship [Tool for cleaning] : [Thing being cleaned], we need to find what is typically cleaned using a Broom.

Analyzing the Options

Let's look at the given options to find the one that fits the pattern:

1. Wash: This is an action (the act of cleaning with water or other liquid), not a thing being cleaned. A broom is used for sweeping, which is a type of cleaning, but "Wash" doesn't fit as the object being cleaned.
2. Garbage: A broom is used to sweep up garbage, but garbage is what is removed, not the primary surface or area being cleaned by the broom itself. The broom cleans the surface from which garbage is removed.
3. Clean: This is also an action, similar to "Wash", referring to the process of making something free of dirt. It is not the object that is cleaned by a broom.
4. Floor: A broom is commonly used to sweep and clean a Floor. This fits the relationship perfectly: A Broom is a tool used for cleaning the Floor.

Conclusion

Based on the analysis of the relationship between Toothpaste and Teeth (Toothpaste is used to clean Teeth), the equivalent relationship for Broom is that a Broom is used to clean the Floor.

Therefore, the word that completes the analogy is Floor.

Revision Table: Analogy Relationships

Additional Information: Types of Analogies

Analogies can show various types of relationships between words. Understanding these relationships can help solve analogy questions.

• Part to Whole: Finger : Hand (Finger is part of a Hand)
• Cause and Effect: Rain : Flood (Rain can cause a Flood)
• Tool and Use: Knife : Cut (A Knife is used to Cut)
• Synonyms: Happy : Joyful (Happy is a synonym for Joyful)
• Antonyms: Hot : Cold (Hot is the opposite of Cold)
• Performer and Action: Baker : Bake (A Baker's action is to Bake)
• Object and Characteristic: Ice : Cold (Ice is characterized by being Cold)

The analogy in this question, "Toothpaste : Teeth :: Broom : Floor", falls under the "Tool and Use" or more specifically, "Tool and the object/surface it cleans" type of relationship.