In the analogy “Oar is to rowboat as foot is to ____”, which option best completes the relationship between a means of propulsion and what it propels?

Introduction / Context:
This analogy examines how movement is produced. An oar is an implement used to move or propel a rowboat through water. The second pair involves a foot and asks what object is propelled by the foot in a similar way. The question therefore tests your understanding of how different tools or body parts provide locomotion to various vehicles or devices.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• First pair: oar and rowboat.
• Second pair: foot and an unknown object.
• Options: walk, loafers, skateboard, running, floor.
• We assume common real world uses of a foot to move devices.

Concept / Approach:
The relationship “oar : rowboat” is “propelling device” to “vehicle that is propelled.” The oar is not the rowboat itself, nor the water, but a tool used to move the boat. Similarly, the foot is a body part that can be used to push or propel certain devices. Among the options, skateboard is a small vehicle that people stand on and push with their foot to make it roll along the ground. This is analogous to using an oar to move a rowboat. The other options either describe actions or items that do not fit the vehicle pattern.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Step 1: Identify the functional relationship in the first pair. An oar is used by a person to move a rowboat. Step 2: Label this as “propelling instrument” to “object being propelled.” Step 3: Think about what a foot can propel in everyday life. A foot pushes ground to walk or run, and also pushes devices like skateboards. Step 4: From the options, skateboard is clearly a wheeled board that is moved forward by pushing against the ground with the foot. Step 5: Confirm that foot : skateboard mirrors oar : rowboat as “means of propulsion” to “vehicle propelled.”

Verification / Alternative check:
Examine the other options. Walk and running are actions, not vehicles or objects being propelled. Loafers are a type of shoe worn on the foot; they are not propelled by the foot in the same sense as a vehicle. Floor is the surface on which we walk, not something that moves. Only skateboard is a movable object that we propel primarily with a foot, just like a rowboat is propelled by an oar.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Walk and running answer the question “what does a foot do?” rather than “what does a foot move?” Loafers answer “what does a foot wear?”. Floor answers “what does a foot stand on?”. None of them matches the structure of “tool or body part used to move a separate object or vehicle.” Therefore, they do not preserve the analogy pattern established in the first pair.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes select walk or running because they quickly associate foot with movement, but they fail to notice that rowboat is a separate object, not an action. This shift from object to action breaks the analogy. To avoid this, always check whether the second term in both pairs belongs to the same broad category, such as vehicles, tools, or actions.

Final Answer:
The correct completion of the analogy is that a foot propels a skateboard in the same way an oar propels a rowboat.