The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is vessel.
This question presents an analogy, which is a comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification. The structure is “A is to B as C is to D,” where the relationship between A and B must be the same as the relationship between C and D.
To solve this, we must first identify the relationship between the first pair of words: “engineering” and “profession.” Engineering is a specific field of work that falls under the broader, more general category of a profession. A profession is a general term for an occupation requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation. Therefore, the relationship is that of a specific example to its general category.
Next, we must apply this same “specific to general” relationship to the second pair of words, “yacht is to _____.” A yacht is a particular type of watercraft, typically used for leisure, sport, or racing. We need to find the word among the options that serves as a general category for a yacht.
Let’s examine the choices:
- Navy: A navy is a branch of a nation’s armed forces that operates on water. While a navy uses ships, it is an organization, not a general classification for a type of boat like a yacht.
- Captain: A captain is the person who commands a ship or boat. This word describes a role or a person associated with a yacht, not the category to which a yacht belongs. The relationship would be “object to its operator,” which is different from our established “specific to general” relationship.
- Vessel: A vessel is a general term for a ship or large boat. This category includes many types of watercraft, such as yachts, cruise ships, cargo ships, and fishing boats. A yacht is a specific type of vessel.
This perfectly mirrors the relationship in the first part of the analogy. Just as engineering is a type of profession, a yacht is a type of vessel. This makes “vessel” the correct and logically consistent answer to complete the analogy.
