The Instructions and Chapter 1

Analogies

Read each sentence. Determine the meaning of the bold word. Next look at the analogy below the sentence. Decide how the first two words are related. In this exercise the first two words will be either antonyms (opposites) or synonyms (words with similar meanings). Next choose a word from the word box to complete each analogy. If the first two words are antonyms you will look in the word box for an antonym of the bold word. Likewise, if the first two words are synonyms you will look for a synonym of the bold word in the word box.
meddle marched standstill
slowly inheritor insignificant
gloomily calm proceed
separate rejected pity
easygoing rapid push

Example:  When she grew old, and her time as mayor was up, she explained about the box to her successor, who also kept the secret carefully, as did the next mayor.

shout : yell :: successor : ___inheritor______

  1. As they came to a halt in the middle of the street or stood stock-still in their houses, afraid to move in their utter blackness, they were reminded of something they preferred not to think about:  that someday the lights of the city might go out and never come back on.

enormous : massive  :: halt :  ______________________

  1. Both the girl and the boy were making urgent wishes.

hidden : visible :: urgent :  ______________________

  1. Again his eyes moved back and forth along the rows of students, and again he nodded, as if someone had confirmed what he'd said.

    forgotten : remembered :: confirmed  :  ______________________

  2. The mayor held out the bag with one hand and put the other behind his back, as if to show he would not interfere.

vital : important :: interfere  :  ______________________

  1. Besides, she had reached the point where the suspense was giving her a stomach ache.

quiet : loud :: suspense  :  ______________________

  1. Lina hesitated a moment, then put her hand inside and fingered the bits of paper.

full : empty :: hesitate  :  ______________________

  1. There was a sigh of sympathy from the class.

lost : missing :: sympathy  :  ______________________

  1. A swift underground river ran through the Pipeworks, and every now and then someone fell into it and was lost.

hazardous : dangerous :: swift  :  ______________________

  1. Lina stared miserably down at a letter B someone had scratched into her desktop long ago.

silence : stillness :: miserably   :  ______________________

  1. Then he stalked back to his desk and flung himself down.

unhurried : slow :: stalked  :  ______________________

  1. He held up a stern finger as he said this and moved his eyes slowly from one face to the next.

best : worst :: stern  :  ______________________

  1. Lina stood on the steps for a moment and gazed across Harken Square, where people walked briskly, bundled up cozily in their coats and scarves, or talked to one another in the pools of light beneath the great streetlamps.

stop : run :: briskly  :  ______________________

  1. He thrust his hands into his pockets.

trade : swap :: thrust  :  ______________________

  1. Messengers connected everyone to everyone else.

same : different :: connected   :  ______________________

Answer Key

  1. standstill
  2. insignificant
  3. rejected
  4. meddle
  5. calm
  6. proceed
  7. pity
  8. rapid
  9. gloomily
  10. marched
  11. easygoing
  12. slowly
  13. push
  14. separate