Question

Nostalgia is to anticipation as _________ is to _________. Which one of the following options maintains a similar logical relation in the above sentence?

• A. Present, past
• B. Future, past
• C. Past, future
• D. Future, present

Hint:

When solving analogies, always look for the underlying relationship between the two concepts in the first pair and apply the same relationship to the second pair, ensuring the concepts are logically consistent.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

The given analogy is comparing two pairs of words:
- Nostalgia is associated with the past, while anticipation is associated with the future.
Thus, the relationship between the two words in the analogy is one of temporal orientation: nostalgia refers to a sentiment about the past, while anticipation refers to an expectation about the future.
Step 1: Break down the analogy.
The analogy presents a relationship between the two words:
- Nostalgia is to anticipation as _________ is to _________.
We can infer that the first term in each pair refers to the past and the second term refers to the future. Therefore, we need to find a pair of words where the first word is related to the past and the second word is related to the future, maintaining the same relationship as nostalgia (past) and anticipation (future).
Step 2: Analyze the options.
- (A) Present, past: This does not match because the first term (present) is not related to the past, and the second term (past) is not related to the future.
- (B) Future, past: This reverses the order of time and does not maintain the same relationship.
- (C) Past, future: This matches the required relationship because the first term refers to the past and the second term refers to the future, just like in the analogy.
- (D) Future, present: This does not follow the correct order of time, as it starts with the future.
Step 3: Conclusion.
Therefore, the correct answer is option (C), "Past, future," which maintains the same logical relation as "Nostalgia is to anticipation."
Final Answer: Past, future