Solving the Word and Number Analogy

The question asks us to find the term that replaces the question mark (?) in the analogy: STYLE : 81 : ARRIVAL :: CRACK : 36 : ?

This is a word and number analogy. We need to identify the relationship between the words and the numbers in the first part of the analogy (STYLE : 81 : ARRIVAL) and the second part (CRACK : 36 : ?). The structure is A : B : C :: D : E : F, where A:B:C forms one related set and D:E:F forms a similarly related set.

Let's look at the first set: STYLE : 81 : ARRIVAL.

Let's try to find a numerical relationship for the words. A common pattern in such analogies is based on the alphabetical position of the letters (A=1, B=2, C=3, ..., Z=26). Let's calculate the sum of the letter positions for the words.

• For STYLE: S(19) + T(20) + Y(25) + L(12) + E(5) = $19 + 20 + 25 + 12 + 5 = 81$.

The sum of the letter positions for STYLE is 81, which is the middle number in the first set.

• For ARRIVAL: A(1) + R(18) + R(18) + I(9) + V(22) + A(1) + L(12) = $1 + 18 + 18 + 9 + 22 + 1 + 12 = 81$.

The sum of the letter positions for ARRIVAL is also 81, which is the middle number in the first set.

So, the relationship in the first set seems to be: Word1 : Sum of Letter Positions (Word1) : Word2 where Sum of Letter Positions (Word2) = Sum of Letter Positions (Word1).

Now let's look at the second set: CRACK : 36 : ?

Applying the same logic, the middle number (36) should be the sum of the letter positions for the first word in this set, CRACK.

• For CRACK: C(3) + R(18) + A(1) + C(3) + K(11) = $3 + 18 + 1 + 3 + 11 = 36$.

The sum of the letter positions for CRACK is 36, which is indeed the middle number in the second set.

Following the pattern from the first set, the missing term (?) should be a word whose sum of letter positions equals the middle number of the second set, which is 36. We need to find an option word with a sum of letter positions equal to 36.

Let's calculate the sum of letter positions for each option:

• Option 1: SMELL
  S(19) + M(13) + E(5) + L(12) + L(12) = $19 + 13 + 5 + 12 + 12 = 61$.
• Option 2: STREAM
  S(19) + T(20) + R(18) + E(5) + A(1) + M(13) = $19 + 20 + 18 + 5 + 1 + 13 = 76$.
• Option 3: RIDE
  R(18) + I(9) + D(4) + E(5) = $18 + 9 + 4 + 5 = 36$.
• Option 4: ROSE
  R(18) + O(15) + S(19) + E(5) = $18 + 15 + 19 + 5 = 57$.

Comparing the sums, the word RIDE has a sum of letter positions equal to 36.

Therefore, RIDE is the term that replaces the question mark.

The analogy follows the pattern where the sum of letter positions of the first word equals the middle number, and the third word also has a sum of letter positions equal to that same middle number.

Set 1: STYLE (sum 81) : 81 : ARRIVAL (sum 81)

Set 2: CRACK (sum 36) : 36 : RIDE (sum 36)

Revision Table: Analogy Logic Summary

Additional Information: Letter Position Analogies

Analogies based on letter positions are common in logical reasoning and verbal ability tests. Understanding the concept of assigning numerical values to letters (A=1, B=2, ..., Z=26) is crucial. Other variations might involve:

• Sum of letter values.
• Product of letter values.
• Sum or product of specific letters (e.g., first and last).
• Manipulations based on letter position (e.g., squaring the sum, reversing digits).
• Relationships based on the number of letters in the word.
• Skipping letter positions (e.g., A=1, C=2, E=3...).

Practice with different types of word and number analogies helps improve problem-solving speed and accuracy.