CHAPTER XIV: ANIMALS

Animals get featured in GRE ANALOGIES in many other ways too. One of the ways they appear is in the form of their movements. For instance, the movement of a BEAR is termed LUMBERing; the movement of a DUCK, WADDLing; the movement of a PEACOCK, STRUTting or SWAGGERing; and that of a SNAKE, SLITHERing. Hence, we happen to get pairs like SNAKE: SLITHER BEAR: LUMBER DUCK: WADDLE PEACOCK: STRUT Another association we can see is that of HIBERNATION of animals and MIGRATION of birds. In winter animals hibernate, while birds migrate. Hence, ANIMALS: HIBERNATION BIRDS: MIGRATION Yet another relationship we can see is as follows: BIRD: MOLT: FEATHERS SNAKE: SLOUGH: SKIN HUMAN: SHED: HAIR

Birds molt(drop) their feathers when they age much as snakes slough( drop) their skin as they age, or humans shed(drop) their hair as they age. When birds MOLT their feathers they shed the feathers. An exact antonym for MOLT is FLEDGE, to sprout wings. MOLT x FLEDGE It’s from FLEDGE we get FLEDGLING, a young bird that has just started to learn flying. Consequently, any BEGINNER in any field can be termed a FLEDGLING. Below are a few synonyms of BEGINNER: FLEDGLING NOVICE TRAINEE TYRO APPRENTICE ROOKIE ACOLYTE DISCIPLE NEOPHYTE A NOVICE or NEOPHYTE has very little experience in his field. One with no experience at all we call a GREENHORN, just as one with too much experience we call VETERAN. GREENHORN x VETERAN A veteran is like a MASTER, one who has mastered his skill. Here are a few synonyms of MASTER: MAESTRO CONNOISSEUR EXPERT PROFESSIONAL NOVA VIRTUOSO The last term ‘VIRTUOSO” is from VIRTUOSITY, great skill. Just as deep INSIGHT is called PROFUNDITY or PERSPICACITY, high SKILL is called VIRTUOSITY. INTUITION (INSIGHT): PROFUNDITY (PERSPICACITY) in the same way as SKILL (EXPERTISE): VIRTUOSITY (MASTERY)

Here is one of the previous GRE sentence completion problems: Winsor McCoy, the cartoonist, could draw with incredible ___________ : his comic comic strip about Little Nemo was characterized by marvelous draftsmanship and sequencing.

A. sincerity

B. efficiency

C. virtuosity

D. rapidity

E. vivacity The questioner wants us to find out about McCoy’s drawing skill: in the second part of the statement the questioner gives us the hint that McCoy’s draftsmanship (drawing skill) is marvelous (wonderful). That means McCoy could draw with wonderful skill or virtuosity. Hence, we get C as the choice. Now, let’s take look at a few previously featured GRE ANTONYMS : TYRO x EXPERT CONNOISSEUR (EXPERT) x DILETTANTE (AMATEUR, DABBLER) ROOKIE x PROFESSIONAL FLEDGE x MOLT Below are two of the previously asked ANALOGIES: ROOKIE: PROFESSIONAL RECRUIT: SOLDIER A RECRUIT is a fresher like a ROOKIE, just as a SOLDIER is experienced as a PROFESSIONAL. NEOPHYTE: EXPERIENCE BUNGLER: SKILL DAREDEVIL: CAUTION In the above pairs, the first term lacks the second.