If ‘→’ denotes increasing order of intensity, then the meaning of the words [drizzle → rain → downpour] is analogous to [ ______ → quarrel → feud]. Which one of the given options is appropriate to fill the blank?
bicker
bog
dither
dodge
ANSWER
(A) bicker. Bicker → quarrel → feud goes from a petty squabble to an angry argument to a long, bitter hostility, just as drizzle → rain → downpour goes from light rain to heavy rain.
Official answer: ASource: Official answer key, GATE 2024 IN (IISc Bengaluru)
Work out the pattern in the given chain. A drizzle is light rain, rain is ordinary rain and a downpour is heavy rain. All three words name the same thing, and each one is more intense than the one before it.
The second chain must follow the same pattern. A quarrel is an angry argument. A feud is a bitter quarrel that lasts a long time, often between families or groups. So the blank needs a word for a disagreement that is milder than a quarrel.
(A) bicker: to argue about small, unimportant things. This is a petty argument, milder than a quarrel, so it fits.
(B) bog: wet, muddy ground, or (in 'bog down') to get stuck. It has nothing to do with arguing.
(C) dither: to be unable to make up one's mind. It is about indecision, not disagreement.
(D) dodge: to avoid something by moving quickly or by trickery. It has nothing to do with arguing.
Only 'bicker' completes the chain bicker → quarrel → feud, which matches drizzle → rain → downpour. The answer is (A).
KEY IDEA
In an intensity analogy, every word in a chain names the same kind of thing at a different strength. First find what the other two words have in common (here, disagreement). Then pick the option that belongs to that same kind and sits at the weakest end, below 'quarrel'.
WATCH OUT FOR
Choosing a word that merely sounds like conflict (such as 'dodge', which is about avoiding something) or that suggests weakness without being about arguing (such as 'dither', which is about indecision). The blank has to be the same kind of thing as 'quarrel' and 'feud', only milder.
From the GATE 2024 IN paper. Every question of this paper · Download the full paper · All 32 Grammar & vocabulary questions, with notes
