An archipelago is a group or chain of islands. In the same geographical analogy, a massif is a large group or block of what landform?

Introduction / Context:
This analogy question comes from physical geography and tests your understanding of specialised landform terms. The first pair Archipelago : Islands tells us that an archipelago is a group of islands clustered together in a sea or ocean. The second pair Massif : ? asks for the type of landform that a massif represents. These terms are often seen in geography texts and in descriptions of mountain ranges and island groups, so recognising them gives you an advantage in both reasoning and general knowledge sections.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• An archipelago is a chain, cluster, or group of islands.
• Islands are landmasses surrounded by water.
• A massif is a term used for a large, compact group or block of mountains or a section of the earth s crust that is more rigid.
• The options are Caves, Hillocks, Mountains, and Forests.
• We assume an exam level understanding of geographical terms related to mountains and islands.

Concept / Approach:
The relationship in the first pair is group name to basic unit. Archipelago is the group name, islands are the units. For the second pair, massif is also a group or block name. In geography, a massif is a large section of a mountain range, often consisting of multiple peaks and ridges that are structurally connected. Therefore the basic unit related to massif is mountains. Caves and forests are different types of features, and hillocks are small hills rather than major mountain masses. So the correct analogy is Archipelago : Islands :: Massif : Mountains.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Interpret the first pair. Archipelago is the name for a group, and islands are the individual landforms in that group. Step 2: Decide that the second pair must also connect a collective term to its elemental landform. Step 3: Recall that massif is used for large groupings or blocks in mountainous regions, often named as specific massifs in the Alps or Himalayas. Step 4: Determine that the basic landforms within a massif are mountains. Step 5: Review the options: caves, hillocks, mountains, and forests. Step 6: Select Mountains as the correct answer because it matches the unit type of a massif.

Verification / Alternative check:
We can confirm by remembering examples of famous massifs such as the Mont Blanc massif in the Alps. These are not collections of caves or forests, but rather of mountain peaks and rugged high ground. While forests can grow on mountains, the term massif refers to the rocky landform itself, not the vegetation. Hillocks are much smaller than mountains and do not fit the image of a huge compact block. Caves are cavities in rock and do not form grouped landforms on the same scale. Therefore the only consistent mapping is between massif and mountains, just as archipelago maps to islands.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Caves: Caves are hollow spaces within rocks or hills and are not collected into large landform groups called massifs. Hillocks: Hillocks are small hills, and while you might find a group of them, the term massif is reserved for much larger, massive structures. Forests: Forests are areas covered with trees and vegetation and describe plant cover, not the underlying rock structure that massifs represent.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes confuse words like massif with massive and think of any large feature like a forest. However, in geography, massif has a specific technical meaning tied to mountains. Another pitfall is to read hillocks as any elevated feature and choose it incorrectly. Remember that archipelago and massif are both collective terms, and the key is to find the correct basic landform unit that fits each. Islands for archipelago and mountains for massif preserve the same group to unit relationship in both pairs.

Final Answer:
An archipelago is a group of islands, and in the same way a massif is a group or block of mountains, so Mountains is the correct answer.