In this word analogy, “Money is to Poverty as Education is to ______”. Select the word that best represents the lack or absence of education in the same way poverty represents the lack of money.

Introduction / Context:
This analogy uses a relationship of absence or lack. Poverty is a condition that arises when there is a severe lack of money. We must select a word that describes the condition that arises when there is a lack of education, so that the relationship is parallel: “Money : Poverty :: Education : ?”. Such analogies test understanding of abstract nouns describing social and personal conditions.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• First pair: Money → Poverty. • Second pair: Education → ? • Options: knowledge, greediness, illiteracy, unsuccess. • We interpret poverty as the state of being extremely poor due to insufficient money or resources.

Concept / Approach:
The key is to recognise that poverty is a state caused by shortage or absence of money. We must therefore look for a word that names a state caused by shortage or absence of education. Illiteracy, meaning the inability to read and write, is directly linked to lack of education. Knowledge is a positive result of education, greediness is unrelated to education level, and unsuccess is not a standard English noun. Thus, illiteracy is the only meaningful parallel.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Clarify the first relationship. Money is a resource; poverty is the condition that appears when this resource is severely lacking. Step 2: Apply the same logic to education. Education is a resource in the form of learning and schooling. We must ask: what condition arises when education is missing? Step 3: Examine the options. Knowledge is what education creates; its absence would be ignorance, not knowledge itself. Greediness is a personality trait, not directly related to educational opportunity. Illiteracy means the inability to read and write, typically due to lack of educational access. Unsuccess is not a correct or commonly used English word. Step 4: Therefore, illiteracy is the condition most clearly linked to lack of education, just as poverty is linked to lack of money.

Verification / Alternative check:
We can build parallel sentences: “Lack of money causes poverty” and “Lack of education causes illiteracy”. Both are natural and widely accepted statements. Trying to substitute knowledge or greediness would break this parallel. “Lack of education causes knowledge” is clearly false, and “Lack of education causes greediness” is not a standard or necessary connection. This confirms that only illiteracy preserves the same type of causal relationship.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
• Knowledge: Represents what education provides, not what results from its absence. • Greediness: A character trait that can appear in educated or uneducated people; it is not defined by educational level. • Unsuccess: Grammatically incorrect and not a recognised term describing a standard social condition.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners are tempted by knowledge because it is strongly associated with education. But analogy questions often focus on opposite or absence relationships, just like money and poverty. Keeping track of whether the second word represents presence or absence helps avoid such confusions and points to illiteracy as the correct answer.

Final Answer:
The word that correctly completes the analogy is Illiteracy.