Penology is the branch of study related to punishment of crime. In the same way, seismology is the branch of study related to what?

Introduction / Context:
This analogy question links specialised fields of study to the subjects they deal with. The first pair Penology : Punishment tells us that penology is the study of punishment, especially in the context of crime and prisons. The second pair Seismology : ? asks you to recall what seismology focuses on. Reasoning questions like this test your general awareness of scientific and social science terminology along with your ability to see parallel relationships between terms and their domains.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Penology is concerned with the theory and practice of punishment, especially imprisonment and rehabilitation.
• Punishment is the main subject area for penology within criminology and law.
• Seismology is another specialised field ending with the suffix -logy, which means study of.
• The options are Medicine, Earthquakes, Law, and Liver.
• We assume basic general knowledge of earth science vocabulary.

Concept / Approach:
The relation in the first pair is field of study to its primary subject matter. Penology is not simply a law but the study related to punishment. Similarly, seismology is a field of earth science that deals with earthquakes and seismic waves. The prefix seismo comes from a Greek word meaning shake or quake. Therefore, the subject that seismology studies is earthquakes. The correct parallel is Penology : Punishment :: Seismology : Earthquakes.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recognise that penology is derived from penalty and deals with punishment of crime and management of prisons. Step 2: Understand that the relationship is subject of study rather than tool or result. Step 3: Recall that seismology is a part of geology and earth science dealing with seismic activity. Step 4: Seismic activity includes earthquakes and vibrations inside the earth. Step 5: Among the options provided, Earthquakes is the only subject that directly matches seismology. Step 6: Select Earthquakes to complete the analogy correctly.

Verification / Alternative check:
We can confirm this by recalling common uses of the words. Scientists who study earthquakes are called seismologists. They use seismographs to record earthquake waves. The news often mentions seismological departments when describing how the strength of an earthquake was measured. Medicine is the field dealing with diseases and treatment in humans and animals. Law covers rules and regulations but is not specifically seismology. Liver is an organ in the body and has nothing to do with seismic events. Thus only Earthquakes fits as the subject of seismology in exactly the same way that punishment is the subject of penology.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Medicine: Medicine is concerned with diagnosis and treatment of diseases, totally unrelated to seismic waves or earth movements. Law: Law is the system of rules for society, and while penology is related to law and punishment, seismology is an earth science, not a legal field. Liver: Liver is a body organ important for metabolism and detoxification. It is not an area of study that uses the suffix -logy in seismology.

Common Pitfalls:
One common mistake is to assume that all -logy words are related to medicine or biology. This may tempt some students to consider Medicine or Liver, but the prefix seismo must also be taken into account. Another pitfall is mixing penology with law in a simplistic way and then looking for a similarly simplistic partner for seismology. The better approach is to remember that both penology and seismology are specialised studies and to recall their core subject matters. Doing so quickly leads to Punishment and Earthquakes as the correct pairings.

Final Answer:
Penology is the study of punishment, and in the same way seismology is the study of earthquakes, so Earthquakes is the correct answer.