Solving the Analogy: Naïve : Ingenuous :: Intelligible : ?

The question asks us to find the word that completes the analogy. We need to understand the relationship between the first pair of words, "Naïve" and "Ingenuous", and then apply the same relationship to the third word, "Intelligible", to find the fourth word from the given options.

Analyzing the Relationship between the First Pair

• The first word is Naïve. This word describes someone who lacks experience, wisdom, or judgment; often innocent and gullible.
• The second word is Ingenuous. This word describes someone who is innocent, unsuspecting, and simple; often sincere and candid.

Upon examining the meanings, we can see that "Naïve" and "Ingenuous" are very close in meaning. They are synonyms, or words with similar meanings.

Applying the Relationship to the Second Pair

• The third word is Intelligible. This word means capable of being understood; comprehensible.
• Based on the relationship found in the first pair (synonymy), the fourth word should be a synonym for "Intelligible".

Evaluating the Options

Let's look at the given options:

1. Natural: Means existing in or derived from nature; not artificial. This is not a synonym for Intelligible.
2. Understandable: Means able to be understood; comprehensible. This is a direct synonym for Intelligible.
3. Unworthy: Means not deserving respect or attention. This is not related to Intelligible.
4. Difficult: Means needing much effort or skill to do or understand. This is an antonym (opposite) of Intelligible.

Comparing the options, "Understandable" is the only word that is a synonym for "Intelligible". Therefore, the relationship between the second pair is also synonymy, just like the first pair.

The analogy is: Naïve is to Ingenuous as Intelligible is to Understandable.

This type of question tests your vocabulary and your ability to identify relationships between words, such as synonymy, antonymy, part-to-whole, cause and effect, etc.

Conclusion

The word that completes the analogy is "Understandable" because it is a synonym for "Intelligible", mirroring the synonym relationship between "Naïve" and "Ingenuous".

Revision Table: Key Terms and Meanings

Additional Information: Types of Word Analogies

Word analogies can show various relationships. Recognizing these relationships is key to solving them. Some common types include:

• Synonyms: Words that mean the same or nearly the same thing (e.g., happy : joyful).
• Antonyms: Words that have opposite meanings (e.g., hot : cold).
• Part to Whole: One word is a part of the other (e.g., finger : hand).
• Whole to Part: The opposite of part to whole (e.g., tree : leaf).
• Cause and Effect: One word describes the cause, the other the effect (e.g., rain : flood).
• Worker and Tool: Relates a person to the tool they use (e.g., carpenter : hammer).
• Action and Object: Relates an action to the object it is performed upon (e.g., read : book).
• Category and Item: One word is a category, the other is an item in that category (e.g., color : red).

Practicing different types of analogies helps improve vocabulary and logical reasoning skills.