Analogy: Understanding Word Relationships

The question asks us to complete an analogy: Partial : Impartial :: Popular : ? An analogy tests our ability to identify the relationship between a pair of words and apply that same relationship to another pair. In this specific analogy, we need to understand how "Partial" relates to "Impartial" and then find a word that has the same relationship with "Popular".

Analyzing the First Pair: Partial and Impartial

• Partial: This word means showing favoritism or bias towards one person or group more than others. For example, a judge who is partial might favor one side in a case.
• Impartial: This word means not favoring one side or another; fair, unbiased. An impartial judge would treat both sides equally.

The relationship between "Partial" and "Impartial" is that they are antonyms, meaning they have opposite meanings. The word "Impartial" is formed by adding the negative prefix "im-" to "Partial". The prefix "im-" is often used before words starting with 'p', 'b', or 'm' to indicate negation or the opposite.

Applying the Relationship to the Second Pair: Popular

Now, we need to find the antonym of "Popular" using a similar negative prefix, if applicable, or the most common and correct antonym.

• Popular: This word means liked, admired, or supported by many people. For example, a popular song is liked by many listeners.

We are looking for a word that means not liked or disliked by many people. Let's examine the given options:

Evaluating the Options for "Popular"

• Impopular: While "im-" is a negative prefix, "impopular" is not a standard or commonly accepted English word for the opposite of "popular". The prefix "im-" is not typically used with "popular".
• Dispopular: The prefix "dis-" is also a negative prefix (e.g., disable, disagree). However, "dispopular" is not a standard English word.
• Mispopular: The prefix "mis-" usually implies something done wrongly or incorrectly (e.g., misunderstand, misplace). "Mispopular" is not a standard English word and does not convey the meaning of "not popular".
• Unpopular: The prefix "un-" is one of the most common negative prefixes in English, used to mean "not" or "the opposite of" (e.g., happy → unhappy, kind → unkind). "Unpopular" is the correct and widely accepted antonym for "Popular". It means not liked or supported by many people, or disliked.

Therefore, following the antonym relationship established by "Partial : Impartial", the correct antonym for "Popular" is "Unpopular".