In this category analogy, “Malaria is to Disease as Spear is to ______”. Choose the term that stands to “Spear” in the same way “Disease” stands to “Malaria”.

Introduction / Context:
This analogy question uses a simple classification relationship. Malaria is a specific example that belongs to the broader category disease. You must select what broader category a spear belongs to, in order to mirror that relationship. Recognising type and category pairs is a basic but important skill in verbal reasoning, often tested in aptitude exams.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Malaria is a specific illness caused by parasites transmitted by mosquitoes. • Disease is the general category for illnesses such as malaria, dengue, and typhoid. • Spear is a pointed weapon with a long shaft, historically used in hunting and combat. • Options: death, weapon, sword, wound. • The target is to find a term that categorises spear as disease categorises malaria.

Concept / Approach:
The first pair illustrates a “specific example : broader class” relationship. Malaria is a type of disease. For the second part, spear is also a specific item that belongs to a bigger class. It is not itself an injury, but an instrument that can cause injury. The appropriate broad class name for spear is weapon. Sword is another specific weapon, while death and wound are results that weapons may cause, not categories to which spear belongs. Thus, the correct match is weapon.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Make the first pair explicit. Malaria is a disease. So the pattern is “example : category”. Step 2: Apply this idea to spear. We ask: spear is a type of what? Step 3: Check each option. Death is the end of life, usually an outcome, not a category of objects. Weapon is a general term for instruments used in fighting or self defence, including spears, swords, guns, and arrows. Sword is another specific weapon. Wound is an injury, again a possible result of using a spear. Step 4: Since spear is one variety of weapon, weapon plays the same category role as disease does for malaria. Step 5: Therefore, the completed pair is “Spear : Weapon”.

Verification / Alternative check:
We can form parallel sentences to test the relationship. Malaria is a disease. Spear is a weapon. These are both natural classification statements. If we try to substitute another option, for example, “Spear is a wound”, the sentence becomes incorrect. Similarly, “Spear is a death” does not make sense. “Spear is a sword” is also wrong because both spear and sword are individual types in the same class, not one being a broader category of the other. This confirms that weapon is the only correct classification term.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
• Death: A possible result of injuries from weapons, but not the class name for spear. • Sword: Another example of a weapon, similar in kind to spear, not the broader category. • Wound: An injury that a spear can cause, but again an effect, not a category that contains spear.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners sometimes confuse cause, effect, and category when solving analogies. For example, because malaria can cause death, they might pair spear with death. However, the original pattern is not cause and effect; it is type and category. Keeping this in mind and focusing on what each word actually is, rather than what it can cause, leads directly to the correct answer weapon.

Final Answer:
The correct word that completes the analogy is Weapon.