Question

In each of the following two sets I & II, find the word or pair of words different from the other three words or pair of words:

Set I: J. Lake, K. Brook, L. Stream, M. River
Set II: J. Weighty-Heavy, K. Broad-Wide, L. Big-Large, M. Tiny-Small

• A. I-J, II-J
• B. I-K, II-M
• C. I-K, II-J
• D. I-J, II-K

Hint:

Look for the underlying category, flowing water versus still water in Set I, and size versus weight in Set II.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Question.
In each set, three of the four items share a common property and one item does not, and we need to find the odd item out in both Set I and Set II separately.

Step 2: Key Approach.
Look past the surface meaning of each word and find the underlying category each item belongs to. The odd one out is the item whose category does not match the other three.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation.
Set I has Lake, Brook, Stream and River. Brook, Stream and River are all watercourses, bodies of water that flow or move from one place to another. A Lake, on the other hand, is a still, standing body of water that does not flow anywhere. So Lake breaks the pattern of the other three, making J the odd one out in Set I.
Set II has the synonym pairs Weighty-Heavy, Broad-Wide, Big-Large and Tiny-Small. Broad-Wide describes width, Big-Large describes overall size, and Tiny-Small also describes overall size, so K, L and M are all synonym pairs for physical size or dimension. Weighty-Heavy, however, is a synonym pair for weight, which is a measure of mass, not of size or dimension. Since J describes a different physical property from the other three pairs, J is the odd one out in Set II.

Step 4: Final Answer.
The odd one out is J in Set I (Lake, a still body of water, unlike the flowing Brook, Stream and River) and J in Set II (Weighty-Heavy, about weight, unlike the size based Broad-Wide, Big-Large and Tiny-Small). This matches option (1), I-J, II-J.