In the analogy “Protagonist is to heroine as clothing is to ____”, which option best shows the relation of general category to specific example?

Introduction / Context:
This analogy question focuses on the relationship between a general category and a specific example that belongs to that category. A protagonist is the main character in a story, and heroine is a specific kind of protagonist, usually a female lead character. In the second pair, clothing is a general category for items people wear. You must choose which option represents a specific example of clothing in the same way heroine is a specific example of a protagonist.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• First pair: protagonist and heroine.
• Second pair: clothing and an unknown item.
• Options: jeans, villain, hero, shopping, shirt.
• We assume standard meanings: protagonist as main character and clothing as wearable items.

Concept / Approach:
The relation between protagonist and heroine is “general role” to “specific form of that role.” A heroine is a type of protagonist, distinguished mainly by gender in traditional storytelling terms. For the second pair, clothing is the general class. We need a word that names a specific garment belonging to that class. Among the options, jeans and shirt are both types of clothing, but jeans represents a clear, commonly recognised category of trousers and stands out more as a direct, named item in the same way heroine stands out within protagonists.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Step 1: Clarify the first pair. Protagonist means the main character in a narrative. Heroine is a specific type of protagonist, typically female. Step 2: Label the relationship as “broad category to specific example within that category.” Step 3: For the second pair, clothing is a broad category that includes many items like shirts, jeans, jackets, and dresses. Step 4: Among the options, jeans is a specific garment type, just as heroine is a specific kind of protagonist. Step 5: Villain and hero are character roles, shopping is an activity, and shirt is also a garment but the test commonly uses jeans as a standard strong example of clothing in analogy questions.

Verification / Alternative check:
Check each option carefully. Villain and hero belong to the world of characters and do not relate directly to clothing, so they break the domain consistency. Shopping is an action, not an item of clothing. Shirt is indeed a garment, but in many reasoning problems jeans is used as a classic example of a category within clothing, because the pair “clothing : jeans” is very frequently taught. Both shirt and jeans could be garments, but jeans is more distinctive as a named style like heroine is a specific label among protagonists.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Villain and hero would make a new analogy about stories rather than about clothing. They do not belong inside the clothing category and so fail the category membership requirement. Shopping is related to buying clothing but is not itself clothing. Shirt could in principle fit, but in the given set, jeans better mirrors the idea of a specific labelled type within a broader group, and is more parallel to heroine as a named subtype rather than a generic item. Therefore, jeans is the best option.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners may be confused by the mix of storytelling terms and clothing terms, and choose hero or villain just because they look similar to protagonist and heroine. Others may pick shopping due to its association with buying clothes. To avoid such errors, always ensure that the second pair matches the structure of the first: here, both pairs must show “category : member of that category.” When you apply this filter, jeans stands out clearly.

Final Answer:
The analogy is completed as “Protagonist is to heroine as clothing is to jeans”.