Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Wordsmith Wednesday

Last week's "contest" went over well, so I thought I'd give it another go but with a different twist:  analogies.  Although I assume most of you know how these work, I'll provide a basic explanation.

An analogy is a symbolic statement in which two word pairs share the same relationship.  For example:

Captain : boat :: pilot : airplane

The colon (:) stands for the words "is to" and the double colon (::) stands for the word "as."  (Captain is to boat as pilot is to airplane)

The "relationship sentence" (which explains the direct connection between the pairs of words) would be:     A captain is the person who controls a boat just as a pilot is the person who controls an airplane.  Each pair of words fits into the same simple sentence that directly explains the relationship between the words.

I'll talk another day about the different Types of Analogies, but let's see how you all do with these.  They're pretty simple.

And the winner is:  Paul Schmidt!  You were first, Paul, (and 2nd and 3rd...)but I have to say, both girls outshone you on the accuracy of their sentences!  OK...yours were not INACCURATE, but they were less complex and specific.  Congratulations to all three and thanks for humoring me by playing along!  Come again next week!   I'll catch you on Sunday, Paul, to give you your "reward." 

1.  tired : exhausted :: ________ : furious
a) calm
b) unhappy
c) angry
d) amused

2.  summon : dismiss ::  _____ : ______
a) call : reply
b) intend : try
c) intervene : meddle
d) gather : disperse

3.  concur : disagree :: comprehend : __
a) forget
b) learn
c) misunderstand
d) envision

4.  engorge : fill :: _____ : _______
a)  assert : deny
b) deploy : regain
c) encourage : block
d) initiate : begin

5.  architect : blueprint :: _____ : ______
a) navigator : map
b) watchdog : leash
c) gardener : fertilizer
d) detective : culprit

6.  welder : heat :: _____ : _____
a) bricklayer : wall
b) carver : statue
c) teacher : chalk
d) tailor : thread

7.  drowsy : alert :: _______ : inept
a) prepared
b) competent
c) uncomfortable
d) finished

8. tiger : feline :: _______ : _________
a) cow : bovine
b) ant : marsupial
c) owl : lupine
d) bear : canine

9.  circumference : circle :: ___ : square
a) area
b) perimeter
c) radius
d) boundary

10.  praise : deride :: ________ : avoid
a) affect
b) insist
c) confront
d) assume

Play here or on FB...answers will be posted by day's end.  The first one to get all answers correct AND give me sensible and accurate relationship sentences for each, will earn himself a $10 Starbucks gift card.

9 comments:

paul.schmidt said...
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paul.schmidt said...
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paul.schmidt said...
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Lori Waggoner said...

Would you quit clogging up my comment box, Paul?! :-)

Lori Waggoner said...

WHAT?!! Where'd they go?

paul.schmidt said...

1. c
You can feel exhausted when you are tired as you can feel furious when you are angry.

2. d
You can summon people and then dismiss them as you can gather objects and then disperse them.

3. c
You can concur or disagree with a statement as you can comprehend or misunderstand a statement or idea.

4. d
A filled container can be engorged as beginning a task is intitiated.

5. a
An architect uses a blueprint for their job as a navigator uses a map.

6. d
A welder uses heat as a tailor uses thread.

7. b
The opposite of drowsy is alert as the opposite of competent is inept.

8. a
A tiger is a feline as a cow is a bovine.

9. b
A circumference outlines a circle as a perimeter outlines a square.

10. c
The opposite of praise is deride as the opposite of confront is avoid.

I found time and learned to type.

paul.schmidt said...

I am not sure my sentences are correct but I felt oblegated to type something decent after three idiotic deleted comments CLOGGED your nice clean blog.

jennifer h said...

I am sure my sentences are not precise enough, but this is all I have time for.
1. B
Being tired is a precursor to becoming exhausted like being angry is a precursor to becoming furious.

2. D
To summon is to call someone to be present, and to dismiss is to allow someone to leave in the same way that to gather is to call a group of people or things together and to disperse is to release a group of people or things to leave.

3. C
Concur is the opposite of disagree like comprehend is the opposite of misunderstand.
4. D
Engorge is a synonym for fill like initiate is a synonym for begin.

5. A
An architect reads a blueprint like a navigator reads a map.

6. D
A welder uses heat for his task in the same way a tailor uses thread.
7. B
Drowsy is the opposite of alert in the same way competent is opposite of inept.

8. A
A tiger is a member of the feline family of animals in the same way a cow is a member of the bovine family of animals.
9. A.
The circumference is the distance around a circle in the same way the perimeter is the distance around the square.
10. C.
To praise is the opposite of deride like confront is the opposite of avoid

Alicia said...

1. C "Just as tired is the more mild form of exhausted, so angry is the more mild form of furious."
2. D "Just as 'dismiss' is the reversal of what was done by 'summon,' so 'disperse' is the reversal of what was done by 'gather.'"
3. C "Just as concur is the opposite of disagree, so comprehend is the opposite of misunderstand."
4. D "Just as engorge is a synonym for fill, so initiate is a synonym for begin."
5. A "Just as an architect works from a blueprint, so a navigator works from a map."
6. D "Just as a welder by definition must work with heat, so a tailor by definition must work with thread."
7. B "Just as drowsy is the opposite of alert, so competent is the opposite of inept."
8. A "Just as a tiger is a member of the feline family (or genus, or whatever it is), so a cow is a member of the bovine family." (i.e., members of a class)
9. B "Just as the circumference is a measure of the outer edge of a circle, so the perimeter is the measure of the outer edge of a square."
10. C "Just as praise is the opposite of deride, so confront is the opposite of avoid."