SAT Prep - Critical-Reading

An analogy is a comparison between two things that share some similarities. 

Analogy questions test your ability to understand the relationship between ideas in the passage.  The questions will usually reference an idea, or a set of idea's in the passage, and ask you to select a similar situation from the answer choices.  For example, the questions might read:

• Which of the following situations is most similar to the situation described in the passage?
• Which of the following best reflects the situation described in lines 3-4?
• Which one of the following is an example of the type of argument made in the second paragraph?

The questions also might ask you to draw an analogy between two given passages, or to chose a line in one of the passage that best illustrates an idea discussed in the other.  These types of questions include questions like:

• The "rugged outdoors" mentioned in line 4-5 of passage 1 is most similar to which concept in passage 2?
• The author's conclusion mentioned in the last paragraph of passage 1 is most similar to which argument made in passage 2?

In either case, the first thing that you must do is understand the idea that the analogy is asking you about.  For example, lets look at our spider passage again:

 (1)  The Spider has a bad name: to most of us, she represents an odious, (2)  noxious animal, which every one hastens to crush under foot.  Against (3)  this summary verdict the observer sets the beast’s industry, its (4)  talent as a weaver, its wiliness in the chase, its tragic nuptials and (5)  other characteristics of great interest.  Yes, the Spider is well (6)  worth studying, apart from any scientific reasons; but she is said to (7)  be poisonous and that is her crime and the primary cause of the repugnance (8)  wherewith she inspires us.  Poisonous, I agree, if by that we understand (9)  that the animal is armed with two fangs which cause the immediate death (10) of the little victims which it catches; but there is a wide difference (11) between killing a Midge and harming a man.  However immediate in (12) its effects upon the insect entangled in the fatal web, the Spider’s (13) poison is not serious for us and causes less inconvenience than a Gnat-bite.  (14) That, at least, is what we can safely say as regards the great majority (15) of the Spiders of our region.