# Opinions on the best answer for this SAT sample question

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-the-best-answer-for-this-sat-sample-question/508846
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [September 4, 2009, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-the-best-answer-for-this-sat-sample-question/508846 "2009-09-04T11:34:45Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2009, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-the-best-answer-for-this-sat-sample-question/508846/1 "2009-09-04T11:34:45Z")

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Over at [this](http://www.indicareer.com/sample-questions/sat-sample-questions/sat-sample-questions-analogies/sat-sample-questions-analogies.html) website I was working my way through some sample SAT analogy questions, just for fun, and came across this one below to which I apparently got the wrong answer.

So I’m asking here because dopers typically seem to be able to handle themselves in an analogy bar fight when things turn nasty and someone breaks an empty metaphor on the bar and starts pointing it at people. Without looking at the spoilers, what would you have answered?

#9 ZOOLOGY : ANIMALS

A. ecology : pollution  
B. botany : plants  
C. chemistry : atoms  
D. history : people  
E. mathematics : geometry

According to the website, the correct answer is

A. ecology : pollution

My answer was

B. botany : plants

The answer seemed trivially simple to me, but I got it wrong. :smack: What am I missing?

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### Author: ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2009, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-the-best-answer-for-this-sat-sample-question/508846/2 "2009-09-04T11:48:20Z")

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That has to be a mistake. Botany : plants is so clearly the right answer, and I don’t think ecology : pollution works at all.

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### Author: ![StaudtCJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@StaudtCJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StaudtCJ)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2009, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-the-best-answer-for-this-sat-sample-question/508846/3 "2009-09-04T11:49:54Z")

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Weird. I chose what you chose, prior to looking at the spoilers. I agree with you. The one that’s selected as the “right” answer isn’t what I’d pick at all. I see the analogy as \<study\>:\<subject\>, and the website selected answer didn’t fit that criterion. The answer the website picked was more \<study\>:\<small part of the subject\>. Whatever you’re missing, I’m missing it too.

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### Author: ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2009, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-the-best-answer-for-this-sat-sample-question/508846/4 "2009-09-04T11:49:54Z")

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What **Crotalus** said, only my own reaction was slightly less polite.

Ecology is definitely not the study of pollution.

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### Author: ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2009, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-the-best-answer-for-this-sat-sample-question/508846/5 "2009-09-04T11:54:17Z")

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The only **possible** answer is the one you chose. The “correct” answer makes no sense at all.

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### Author: ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2009, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-the-best-answer-for-this-sat-sample-question/508846/6 "2009-09-04T11:56:25Z")

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It’s definitely B. The website must have made a mistake.

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### Author: ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2009, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-the-best-answer-for-this-sat-sample-question/508846/7 "2009-09-04T12:22:05Z")

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> [@Isamu](#):
>
> What am I missing?

The fact that it was on **india** [career.com](http://career.com)? There might be slight language gap.

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### Author: ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2009, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-the-best-answer-for-this-sat-sample-question/508846/8 "2009-09-04T12:27:51Z")

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> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#):
>
> The fact that it was on **india** [career.com](http://career.com)? There might be slight language gap.

😕 Check the link out again. It says **indi** [career.com](http://career.com). Nothing about other countries there.

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### Author: ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2009, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-the-best-answer-for-this-sat-sample-question/508846/9 "2009-09-04T12:30:02Z")

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Me no read so good ☹

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### Author: ![footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9f8e36/32.png) [@footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/footballisplayedwithyourfeet)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2009, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-the-best-answer-for-this-sat-sample-question/508846/10 "2009-09-04T12:36:42Z")

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for the record, I also had it down as B.

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### Author: ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2009, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-the-best-answer-for-this-sat-sample-question/508846/11 "2009-09-04T12:40:20Z")

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B here too. A is wrong.

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### Author: ![KSO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@KSO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KSO)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2009, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-the-best-answer-for-this-sat-sample-question/508846/12 "2009-09-04T13:29:49Z")

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B is absolutely the correct answer.

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### Author: ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2009, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-the-best-answer-for-this-sat-sample-question/508846/13 "2009-09-04T13:47:42Z")

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> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#):
>
> Me no read so good ☹

Well… After actually clicking the link (which is broken), and going to [indicareer.com](http://indicareer.com), it appears to be a website based in India.

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### Author: ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2009, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-the-best-answer-for-this-sat-sample-question/508846/14 "2009-09-04T14:35:26Z")

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B is the correct answer, but we all know this. Don’t doubt yourself.

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### Author: ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2009, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-the-best-answer-for-this-sat-sample-question/508846/15 "2009-09-04T14:48:29Z")

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I even went and looked up “ecology” and “botany” to make sure these words didn’t mean something different from what I thought they did, and nope. They’re what I thought they were, and answering A) is crazy talk.

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### Author: ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2009, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-the-best-answer-for-this-sat-sample-question/508846/16 "2009-09-04T14:52:02Z")

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OK, thanks everyone. Some of the previous questions on the site were substantially tougher, and then this lowball comes along and I get it wrong, so I kind of did second guess myself.

Thanks for the replies all.

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### Author: ![sugar\_and\_spice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@sugar\_and\_spice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugar_and_spice)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2009, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-the-best-answer-for-this-sat-sample-question/508846/17 "2009-09-04T14:56:15Z")

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I’ve seen mistakes in test prep books before, I sure it can happen on websites too. It’s obviously B.

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### Author: ![batsto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@batsto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/batsto)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-the-best-answer-for-this-sat-sample-question/508846/18 "2009-09-04T15:10:52Z")

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It’s also outdated–there haven’t been analogy questions on the SAT for several years now.

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### Author: ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2009, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-the-best-answer-for-this-sat-sample-question/508846/19 "2009-09-04T15:12:00Z")

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\*What?! \*That was the best part!

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### Author: ![Shredder\_Clay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@Shredder\_Clay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shredder_Clay)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2009, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-the-best-answer-for-this-sat-sample-question/508846/20 "2009-09-04T15:13:13Z")

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Botany:Plants would be the only correct answer. As others are just part of what it studies, like history does include the study of people and ecology does study pollution but they are limited in the example, unlike botany:plants.:smack:

> [@Crotalus](#):
>
> That has to be a mistake. Botany : plants is so clearly the right answer, and I don’t think ecology : pollution works at all.

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