Classification — collective nouns: choose the pair that is NOT a standard “animal : collective” match.

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: Man : Mob

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
Three pairs show conventional animal collectives. One pair uses a crowd term for unruly people, not a standard collective noun for a species.



Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Fish : Shoal (or “school”) → standard.
  • Cow : Herd → standard.
  • Sheep : Flock → standard.
  • Man : Mob → “mob” is a disorderly crowd; not a fixed zoological collective like the others.


Concept / Approach:
Check whether the right-hand word is the recognized collective noun for the left-hand species/class.


Step-by-Step Solution:

1) Validate A–C as standard pairings.2) Identify D as a human crowd descriptor, not a species collective.3) Therefore D is the odd one.


Verification / Alternative check:
Lexicon or dictionaries list herd, flock, shoal as conventional collectives; “mob” lacks species specificity.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
They are textbook examples of collectives.


Common Pitfalls:
Assuming any group term counts; in reasoning, conventional pairings matter.


Final Answer:
Man : Mob

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