Classification (material → product vs item → category): Three pairs show a raw material used to make finished products; one pair instead names an item that belongs to a broader category. Identify the odd pair.

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: Pitchers : Pottery

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
Many verbal-classification questions contrast a consistent semantic relation with a single, subtly different relation. Here, three pairs express a material → product mapping (a raw or base material is used to produce a finished good), whereas one pair expresses item → category membership (a specific object that is an example of a broader class). The challenge is to detect this relational mismatch quickly and reliably under exam conditions.



Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Twigs : Nest → birds typically use twigs to construct nests; twigs are input material.
  • Wood : Furniture → wood is a standard furniture-making material; clear input–output relation.
  • Gold : Ornaments → gold is worked into jewelry/ornaments; again material → product.
  • Pitchers : Pottery → a pitcher is a type of pottery; this is item → category (hyponym → hypernym), not material → product.


Concept / Approach:
Test each pair with the template “Y is made from X.” If this paraphrase is natural and precise, we have a material → product pair. If the better paraphrase is “X is a kind of Y,” the relation is item → category, which is the outlier here.



Step-by-Step Solution:

Check Twigs : Nest → “A nest is made from twigs.” This fits well.Check Wood : Furniture → “Furniture is made from wood.” Valid and common.Check Gold : Ornaments → “Ornaments are made from gold.” Also valid.Check Pitchers : Pottery → The natural phrasing is “A pitcher is a kind of pottery,” not “pottery is made from pitchers.” Relation differs.


Verification / Alternative check:
Reverse each pair and see whether “X is material of Y” holds. Only the three material → product pairs survive this reversal logically; the pitcher example collapses into taxonomy, not fabrication.



Why Other Options Are Wrong:

Twigs : Nest — true material → product relation.Wood : Furniture — true material → product relation.Gold : Ornaments — true material → product relation.


Common Pitfalls:
Accepting any association within the same domain (household objects, crafts) as equivalent. Always label the exact relation: input material vs class membership.



Final Answer:
Pitchers : Pottery

More Questions from Classification

Discussion & Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment!
Join Discussion