7 Tips in Answering

Reading Comprehension Questions

1.) Before reading the passage, read the questions first (not the choices). If
you know the questions, then you can choose what to take note while reading.

2.) Pay attention to the first and last sentences in the each paragraph.
Usually, those sentences state the main idea of the passage.

3.) Most passages have clues about the important ideas. Phrases like “note
that,” “clearly,” and “do not overlook” give you hints on which ideas to focus
on.

4.) Read ALL the choices. Do not rush answering if you think you found the
correct answer. The next answer might be a better answer.

5.) Take note of the difference between the true answer and correct answer.
Carefully read the passage and understand the ideas it communicates. Be
sure that your answer is based on the passage and not your own opinion.

6.) Do not spend a lot of time in one question. If you cannot find the
answer even if you refer to the passage, eliminate the obviously wrong
choices, and choose your answer from the remaining choices.
7.) Review your answers. If you finished the exam early, go back to the
questions where you have doubts. Reread the passage and answer the
question.

Tips and Tricks in Answering Word

Analogy Questions Part 1
Analogy is one of the types of questions that is always included in the Civil
Service Examination, both professional and sub-professional. This type of
question is one of the trickiest questions in English. In this post, we are going to
discuss some of the tips that you can use in answering this type of question.
Before discussing the first tip, you should note that there are two types of
word analogy. The first one is called single-word analogy and the second is called
double-word analogy. Here are some examples.

Single Word Analogy

_____: king :: bench : judge
a. queen
b. court
c. throne
d. knight
Double Word Analogy
prize : contestant::
a. trophy: presenter
b. diploma: principal
c. medal: runner
d. book: author
e. mortgage: lender

Do you know the answers to the questions above?

Now, let us proceed to the tips in answering analogy questions.
Tip 1: Take note of the relationships among the words.

It is important to know the relationship among words and their particular order
as shown in the next example.

petal: flower
A. hands: nail
B. car: road
C. monitor: computer
D. daughter: mother

The relationship above is an example of a part to whole relationship. In the

question, petal is a part of a flower. Petal is also a vital part of a flower. Among
the choices, we can see that only hands and nail have the same relationship.
However, the order is reversed. In hands and nail, the relationship is now whole
to part. Remember, order is important. If the question is part is to whole, the
answer should also be part to whole.
Below are some of the common relationships used in word analogy questions.

Here, the relationship is part to whole. Water is part of an

Cause and effect

rain : flood
virus : flu
Association:
addition : addend
chef : toque
Degree:
hut : mansion
glance : stare
Sequence:
preschool : grade school
engagement : marriage
Function:
net : fishing
scissors : cutting
Characteristics:
cheetah : fast
snow : cold
Synonym:
benevolent : kind
courage : bravery
Antonym:
hot : cold
loose : tight

2. In this post, we are going to look at a single word analogy question and discuss
how to answer it. In single word analogy, we are just looking for one word, not a
pair of words.
Consider the example below.

Question: [ ____ : launch] [breakfast:lunch]

Choices:

a. sandwich
b. dinner
c. eggs
d. countdown
Analysis
One of the best ways to answer analogy questions is to know the meaning of the
words. If you do not know the meaning of the words, then it is likely that you will
just have to rely on your best guess. That is why it is important to always improve
your vocabulary by reading, writing, etc.
In the example above, I think we all understand the meaning of lunch and
breakfast, so we only need to know about “launch.” Well, launch is not really a
difficult word. Companies launch products, scientist launch rockets. So, to launch
means to start something (start a product, start a rocket so it can take off). Now,
that we know the meaning of all the words, we analyze what goes into the blank.

First, it is quite tempting to choose sandwich and eggs because they are related to
breakfast and lunch. However, choosing sandwich or eggs would mean that
“launch” should be strongly related to them as breakfast relates to lunch. Looking
closely, it is easly to see there is none. So, it seems that (a) and (c) are not the
correct answer. Therefore, we are left with dinner (b) and countdown (d).
Let’s try putting dinner in the blank. Well, it has some connection. You probably
have dinner if you launch something. But then, breakfast and lunch are both ‘eating
events’ and so there is no connection between the launch and dinner. Launch is
not necessarily an eating event!
[dinner: launch] [breakfast:lunch]
Remember that we are looking for the relationship between [breakfast:lunch] that
is the same as the relationship of [dinner:launch] and looks like we can’t find any.
Can you think of one?
Now let’s put countdown. Can you see the relationship between countdown and
launch?
[countdown: launch] [breakfast:lunch]
When there is a launch, there is usually a countdown. And when does the
countdown happens? A countdown happens before a launch. Is this relationship
connected to [breakfast:lunch]. Oh yes, breakfast happens before lunch. So, we
can see that the relationship between the pair words is the order in which they
happen.
Hmmm, you can probably argue that [dinner:launch] is also a correct answer since
it is possible to have dinner before a launch. Yes, it’s possible, but it’s not absolute.
Meaning, we can have dinner after a launch. But breakfast ALWAYS happens
before dinner. And nobody does a countdown after a launch — it’s
ALWAYS before. So, the correct answer is (d) for countdown.

1. Definition
brother: sibling:: mother: ______

a. father
b. sister
c. parent
d. daughter
Correct Answer: c. parent
Explanation: A brother is a sibling by definition. A mother is a parent by
definition.
2. Synonyms or Sameness
pity: compassion:: grief:_____

a. sorrow
b. comfort
c. blunt
d. regret

Correct Answer: a. sorrow

Explanation: Pity and compassion are synonyms. Grief and sorrow are
synonyms.
3. Antonyms or Oppositeness
attentive:careless::firm: _____
a. stiff
b. flexible
c. substantial
d. alert

Correct Answer: flexible

Explanation: Attentive and careless are antonyms. Firm and flexible are also
antonyms.
4. Cause and Effect
rain: flood::smoke: _____

a. pollution
b. fire
c. inhale
d. heat

Correct Answer: a. pollution

Explanation: Rain is the cause of flood. Smoke is the cause of pollution.

5. Whole and Part

flower: petal: computer: _____

a. printer
b. keyboard
c. scanner
d. spreadsheet

Answer: b. keyboard
Explanation: A petal is an essential part of a flower. A keyboard is an
essential part of a computer. Other parts such as pinter and scanner are just
accessories. A spreadsheet is a software and is not included as a hardware.
6. Objects and Their Functions
This is the example in first part of this series.
7. Objects and Their Characteristics
ball:round::paper: ____

a. light
b. white
c. rectangular
d. smooth
Answer: c. rectangular
Explanation: Although all the choices are characteristics of a paper, round
describes shape.
8. Objects and Their Groups
fish:school::cow: _____

a. flock
b. herd
c. pack
d. pride

Answer: herd
Explanation: School is the term used to call a group of fish and herd is used for
cows, antelopes, etc. The term pack is used for wolves, coyote, etc. while pride
is used for lions.
Aside from the examples above, you should also watch out for things that go
together (spoon:fork::bread:butter), problem
and solution (thirsty:drink::tired:rest), verb tenses (walk:walked::seek:sought),
and performer and their actions (singer:sings::actor:acts).
There are so many relationships that could exist between words, so it is
important that you analyze the words carefully before answering
word analogy questions. That’s it. In the next post, we are going to summarize
what we have learned in this series.