Analogy completion — choose the best word to complete the relationship: ant, fly, bee :: hamster, squirrel, __

Introduction / Context:
This verbal analogy asks you to detect the category pattern connecting two trios of living things. The first group consists of insects (ant, fly, bee). The second group lists two specific small mammals (hamster, squirrel) followed by a blank. To complete the pattern, you must supply the appropriate category term that parallels how the first trio is related.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• First set: ant, fly, bee (all insects).
• Second set: hamster, squirrel, __ (both are small mammals within the order Rodentia).
• We seek a single best completion that preserves the same type of grouping relationship.

Concept / Approach:
In classic analogies, a list of exemplars is often followed by the hypernym (the category label) to show parallel structure. Because ant, fly, and bee are members of the category 'insect,' the second list should similarly resolve to the category that includes both hamster and squirrel, namely 'rodent.' Picking another exemplar (like 'mouse') would change the structure from exemplar→exemplar→exemplar to exemplar→exemplar→exemplar, which does not mirror the category-based closure implicit in the first set's logic.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Test replacements: If we chose 'mouse,' the set becomes three rodents (hamster, squirrel, mouse), which parallels the structure of the first set but does not shift to a category label. However, the cue of three named insects in the first set points to the understood category 'insect.' Thus it is most consistent to answer with the category label 'rodent.'

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• mouse: is a rodent exemplar, not the category.
• cat: a carnivorous mammal; not in Rodentia.
• spider: an arachnid, not a mammal.
• mammal: too broad; hamster and squirrel are mammals, but the tighter, parallel category is 'rodent'.

Common Pitfalls:
Choosing another example instead of the category. In analogy problems, check whether the pattern expects a hypernym rather than another hyponym.

Final Answer:
rodent