Question

Find the word that completes the bottom row of words:
rule command dictate
doze sleep

• A. snore
• B. govern
• C. awaken
• D. hibernate
• E. stringent

Hint:

In word matrices, if you see a synonym group, always check if the words are arranged by "degree." Just as "dictate" is a more extreme version of "rule," "hibernate" is a more extreme version of "sleep."

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Concept: This is a matrix-style analogy problem where the relationship between words in each row must be identical. We look for a progression in intensity, duration, or specificity within the semantic group.

Step 1: Analyze the top row: rule, command, dictate.
• Rule: To exercise authority.
• Command: To give an authoritative order.
• Dictate: To lay down authoritatively; to prescribe with absolute power. The relationship is an increase in intensity or authority. Each word is a synonym of the previous one but represents a more absolute or forceful version of the action.


Step 2: Apply the pattern to the bottom row: doze, sleep, …
We need a word that represents an increase in the intensity or duration of the state of "sleeping."
• Doze: To sleep lightly; to nap (Short/Light).
• Sleep: A natural state of rest (Standard).
• Hibernate: To spend the winter in a dormant state; a very deep, prolonged sleep (Extreme/Long).


Step 3: Evaluate the options.
• Snore: A sound made while sleeping, not an intensity of sleep.
• Govern: Related to "rule" (top row), but does not fit the "sleep" theme.
• Awaken: The opposite of sleeping.
• Hibernate: Fits the progression from light $\to$ standard $\to$ extreme. (Correct)