In the following question, select the related word pair from the given alternatives: Start is to End as which of the following is to its opposite?

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: Up : Down

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This analogy is based on opposite meanings. Start and End represent opposite points in a process or activity. The question asks you to identify another pair of words from the options that have the same clear opposite relationship. Opposites are frequently used in analogy questions as they provide a straightforward semantic structure.



Given Data / Assumptions:

  • The model pair is Start : End, which expresses a clear opposition: beginning versus conclusion.
  • The options are Hot : Water, Love : Care, Green : Go, and Up : Down.
  • We need a pair in which the two words are direct antonyms, not merely related or associated concepts.
  • Only one option should exhibit a strong, simple opposite relation comparable to Start and End.


Concept / Approach:
The structure of the analogy is Word and its Opposite. Start marks the initial point, while End marks the final point. Among the options, Up and Down are well known opposites describing direction. The other pairs show different kinds of relations, such as association or implication, but not strict antonymy. Therefore, we select the pair that best replicates this opposite relationship.



Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Restate the base relationship. Start is the beginning, End is the termination or final point. Step 2: Evaluate Hot : Water. Hot is an adjective describing temperature, and water is a substance that can be hot or cold, so they are not opposites. Step 3: Evaluate Love : Care. Love and care are positively related emotions or attitudes, not opposites. Step 4: Evaluate Green : Go. Green is a colour that in traffic signals is associated with movement or permission to go, but green and go are not linguistic opposites. Step 5: Evaluate Up : Down. Up and Down are direct antonyms describing opposite directions. Step 6: Conclude that Up : Down is the only pair that matches the Start : End type of opposite relation.


Verification / Alternative check:
We can place the pairs in simple contrasting sentences. A journey might start and then end; one can move up or move down. These are parallel in structure and meaning. By contrast, statements such as hot and water are opposite, or love is the opposite of care, do not make sense. Green and go are correlated in the context of traffic signals, but one is not a negation or contradiction of the other, so they do not form an antonym pair.



Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Hot : Water links a quality to an object, not opposites. Love : Care links two similar positive feelings. Green : Go links a colour to an action associated with that colour, but they are not semantic opposites. Only Up : Down provides clear directional opposites in the same way that Start and End are opposite states in a process.



Common Pitfalls:
Some test takers may be distracted by strong associations, such as green meaning go in traffic lights, and mistakenly treat such associated terms as opposites. It is important to distinguish between correlation and true antonymy. In analogy questions, when the model pair is strictly opposite in meaning, the answer pair should also be strictly opposite, not merely related in some context.



Final Answer:
The pair that mirrors the opposite relationship of Start : End is Up : Down.

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