Analogy — Complete the pair: Contamination : Food :: Infection : ? Choose the term that stands to “Infection” in the same way that “Food” stands to “Contamination”.

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: Body

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
Analogy questions test whether you can identify the precise relationship binding the first pair and then apply the same relationship to complete the second pair. Here, “Contamination : Food :: Infection : ?” asks you to map the agent–affected/host relationship from the first pair onto the second, selecting the target that mirrors the role of “Food”.



Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Contamination is a state or condition that affects food.
  • Infection is a state or condition that affects a living organism (a host).
  • Candidate answers include entities or causes related to disease: Germs, Disease, Body, Microbes, None of these.


Concept / Approach:
The first pair encodes “affected object” rather than “cause”. Food is not the cause of contamination; it is the substrate that becomes contaminated. Therefore, in the second pair, we need the entity that becomes infected (the host), not the causal agent of infection (e.g., germs, microbes) and not a downstream condition (e.g., disease).



Step-by-Step Solution:

1) Identify relation in the stem: Contamination → affects → Food (object/host).2) Transfer relation: Infection → affects → ?3) Among options, the thing that gets infected is the “Body” (or a person/host). “Germs/Microbes” are causes; “Disease” is a diagnostic state/result.4) Therefore, Infection : Body mirrors Contamination : Food.


Verification / Alternative check:
Check part of speech and role parity: “Contamination” and “Infection” are conditions; “Food” and “Body” are recipients/hosts, preserving structural symmetry (Condition : Host). Substituting other options breaks this symmetry by switching to causes or outcomes.



Why Other Options Are Wrong:

  • Germs: Causal agents of infection, not the infected host.
  • Disease: A broader pathologic state; not the host.
  • Microbes: Synonymous with causal agents; wrong role.
  • None of these: Invalid since “Body” fits perfectly.


Common Pitfalls:
Confusing cause with effect or host; picking “Germs/Microbes” because they co-occur with infection but do not play the same role as “Food” in the first pair.



Final Answer:
Body

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