Analogy Explanation: Light : Blind :: Speech : ?

This question tests your ability to understand and apply analogical reasoning. An analogy presents a relationship between two words and asks you to find a word that has the same relationship with a third word.

Understanding the First Pair: Light : Blind

The relationship between 'light' and 'blind' is based on perception and inability. Light is the stimulus that enables sight. Being 'blind' means having the inability to see or perceive light. Essentially, blindness is a condition related to the lack of visual perception.

Analyzing the Second Pair: Speech : ?

We need to find a word that relates to 'speech' in the same way 'blind' relates to 'light'. Speech is the ability to produce vocal sounds to communicate. We need to find a condition representing the inability related to speech.

• tongue: While the tongue is crucial for producing speech, being without a tongue (or having certain tongue issues) is a physical cause, not the direct state of inability itself in the context of the analogy.
• dumb: This word directly signifies the inability to speak. This parallels the relationship where 'blind' signifies the inability to see light.
• sound: Sound is a product of speech, but the inability related to speech isn't directly 'sound'. The inability to hear ('deaf') affects speech, but 'dumb' is the direct opposite state related to speaking.
• chat: Chatting is an activity involving speech; it's not an inability.

Conclusion

The relationship is one of perception/ability versus inability. Just as 'blind' is the inability to perceive 'light', being 'dumb' is the inability to produce 'speech'. Therefore, 'dumb' is the word that fits the analogy.