Fury and ire are two words with almost the same meaning. Among the following options, which pair of words shows a similar close relationship in meaning?

Introduction / Context:
This analogy question focuses on synonyms pairs in English vocabulary. The pair Fury : Ire is given as the base relationship. Both fury and ire describe strong anger, with fury suggesting very intense anger and ire meaning anger or wrath. Therefore, the relationship is one of near synonymy. The task is to choose from the options a pair of words that also share a very close similarity in meaning. This tests your understanding of word meanings and subtle differences between relationships like cause and effect, action and result, or synonym pairs.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Fury means intense, often violent anger.
• Ire means anger or wrath, a strong feeling of displeasure.
• The options are Amusement : Happiness, Joke : Laugh, Cry : Whisper, and Convulsion : Spasm.
• We assume dictionary level awareness of these terms and their common usage.

Concept / Approach:
The relation in the base pair is that both words belong to the same emotional category and are close synonyms. For the answer, we need another pair where both words are almost interchangeable, not a cause effect or action result relation. Among the options, Convulsion : Spasm stands out as two words that both refer to sudden, involuntary muscle contractions or body movements. Amusement and happiness are related but not strictly synonyms; amusement is a type of happiness related to being entertained. Joke and laugh have a cause and effect relationship, not synonymy. Cry and whisper are opposite in terms of loudness. Thus Convulsion : Spasm is the pair most similar to Fury : Ire in that both consist of near synonyms.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the relationship in the base pair. Fury and ire both mean strong anger. Step 2: Conclude that the relationship is close similarity in meaning, that is, synonyms. Step 3: Examine each option to see whether the two words in the pair are synonyms. Step 4: Amusement and happiness are both positive emotions, but amusement is enjoyment or entertainment, a subset of happiness, not a direct synonym. Step 5: Joke and laugh form a cause effect pair; a joke makes you laugh, so they are linked but not synonyms. Step 6: Cry and whisper both describe ways of speaking but are opposites in volume; cry is loud, whisper is very soft. Step 7: Convulsion and spasm both describe sudden involuntary muscle movements and can often be used in similar contexts, making them near synonyms. Step 8: Select Convulsion : Spasm as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
We can verify by trying to substitute one word for the other in example sentences. If someone suffers a convulsion, we can also say they had a spasm, especially in casual speech, and the general meaning of a sudden, uncontrolled movement is preserved. In contrast, if someone feels amusement, we cannot simply replace it with happiness in all contexts because amusement implies humour and entertainment. Similarly, a joke is something you tell, and a laugh is the response; they are not interchangeable in sentences. Cry versus whisper are clearly different actions and often contrasted, not synonymous. Therefore only convulsion and spasm share the same kind of close meaning relation as fury and ire.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Amusement : Happiness: These words are related but not equal. Amusement is enjoyment of something funny; happiness is a broader state that can exist without any amusement. Joke : Laugh: A joke is a humorous remark or story, while a laugh is the reaction. This is a cause and effect pair, not a synonym pair. Cry : Whisper: Both relate to speech or sound, but they are opposites in loudness. Cry is loud and emotional; whisper is very soft and secret.

Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates may choose Amusement : Happiness because both are positive feelings, or Joke : Laugh because they frequently appear together. However, analogy questions often require you to distinguish between mere association and true parallels in relationship type. Fury and ire are synonyms, not cause and effect or subset relations. Keeping that focus on synonymy leads you to Convulsion : Spasm, the only pair where both words describe almost the same physical phenomenon. Carefully comparing the nature of each relationship helps avoid these common traps.

Final Answer:
Fury and ire are near synonyms for strong anger, and in the same way convulsion and spasm are near synonyms for sudden muscle movements. Therefore Convulsion : Spasm is the correct answer.