In this verbal analogy question, select the related word from the given alternatives to complete the pair: Cotton : White :: Coal : ?

Introduction / Context:
This verbal analogy question tests your ability to recognise an association based on a typical colour. The given pair is Cotton and White, and you must find which word stands to Coal in the same way. Such problems check simple real world knowledge and your skill in seeing the most natural and commonly accepted link between objects and their attributes, particularly in general intelligence sections of exams.

Given Data / Assumptions:
The first pair is Cotton and White.
The second pair is Coal and an unknown word from the options.
The options given are Fire, Mine, Wood, Black, and Heat.
We assume that Cotton is associated with the colour White in a typical or default sense, and we must find the colour commonly associated with Coal.

Concept / Approach:
In the first pair, Cotton : White, the relationship is object to its typical colour. Cotton, especially in its pure and clean form, is often visualised as white. To maintain the analogy, we must find the word that describes the most common and characteristic colour of Coal. In everyday language, Coal is commonly described as black. Therefore, the analogy compares the usual colours of these substances, and the correct choice must be the colour Black for Coal.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Interpret the relationship in the first pair as object to typical colour: Cotton is usually White.Step 2: Apply the same type of relationship to Coal. We must think of the usual or characteristic colour of Coal.Step 3: Coal, especially in its natural and widely recognised form, appears Black.Step 4: Check the options and confirm that Black is listed as one of the choices.Step 5: Conclude that Black is the only option that creates the same type of object to colour relationship as in the first pair.

Verification / Alternative check:
We can rewrite the analogy as short statements to verify it. Cotton is white in colour. Coal is black in colour. These statements are familiar and widely used in school level science and general knowledge. None of the other options attached to Coal yields such a simple and accurate colour description. Therefore, Black is the word that best preserves the original relationship.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option Fire relates to Coal as something that Coal can produce when burned, but the original pair is not about usage or effects, it is about colour.
Option Mine is the place from which Coal is extracted, which changes the relationship type to object and place rather than object and colour.
Option Wood is another fuel material but is not a colour, so it cannot parallel the colour based link between Cotton and White.
Option Heat is an effect produced by burning Coal but again is not a colour and therefore does not match the pattern seen in the first pair.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent mistake is to jump to associations like where something is found or what it produces, instead of checking what type of relationship the first pair actually represents. In simple analogy questions, it is important to identify whether the link is about colour, function, place, cause, or some other attribute. Once you see that Cotton : White is clearly about colour, the only reasonable completion for Coal is its characteristic colour, which is Black.

Final Answer:
Hence, in the analogy Cotton : White :: Coal : ?, the correct related word is Black.