The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer to complete the analogy is influenza.
This analogy is built upon a fundamental relationship of cause and effect. To understand the puzzle, we must first analyze the connection between the words in the initial pair: “twirling is to dizziness”. The action of twirling is a direct cause, and the resulting sensation of dizziness is its immediate physiological effect. When a person twirls around repeatedly, the fluid in their inner ear is disturbed, leading directly to the feeling of being dizzy. In short, the first word is the cause, and the second word is the direct result.
We must apply this same “cause leads to effect” logic to the second pair of the analogy: “virus is to…”. A virus is a microscopic infectious agent, a pathogen that replicates inside the living cells of other organisms. When a virus successfully infects a host, it can cause illness. Therefore, the missing word must be a condition, sickness, or disease that is a direct result of a viral infection.
Examining the provided options, influenza is the only one that fits this relationship. Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is a contagious respiratory illness that is specifically caused by influenza viruses. The virus is the causative agent, and influenza is the resulting disease. This mirrors the twirling and dizziness relationship perfectly.
The other two options are incorrect because they do not follow this cause and effect pattern. A physician is a medical doctor. While a person with a viral illness might seek treatment from a physician, the physician is part of the solution, not a direct effect of the virus itself. The relationship is more complex than a simple cause and result. Likewise, bacteria are another distinct category of microorganisms. A virus does not cause bacteria; they are both different types of germs that can cause infections. They are parallel concepts, not a cause and effect pair. Thus, the only word that logically completes the analogy is influenza.
