When facing an exercise that requires matching column entries, your success largely depends on your ability to identify relationships between the items listed. This skill, known as
relationship identification, is the cornerstone of many logic-based exercises.
Think of each relationship as a thread that links two items. For instance, if column A includes the word 'canine', you might look for 'dog' in column B. 'Canine' and 'dog' share a definitional relationship; one is a synonym for the other. Similarly, if you see 'baking' in column A, you might connect it with 'oven' in column B, as baking is an activity performed with an oven. Here, the relationship is cause and effect.
- Review the items in both columns separately
- Identify possible types of relationships (synonyms, cause and effect, category and example)
- Use these relationships as a guide to find the corresponding pairs
As you practice, you'll become more adept at recognizing various types of relationships, making the exercise easier and improving your critical thinking skills.