The "spine" is the primary bone in the "back," just as the "skull" is the primary bone of the "head."

"Pork" is the meat that comes from a "pig," while "venison" is the meat that comes from a "deer."

The "femur" is the major bone found in the "leg," just as the "humerus" is a major bone in the "arm."

The "intestine" is part of the body's "digestive" system, just as the "heart" is part of the "cardiovascular" system.

A eulogy is a type of speech given at a funeral, generally made to praise the recently deceased person. The word actually means good speech. The “eu-” prefix comes from the Greek for good. The English “euphony” means good sounding. The bridge sentence for our analogy could be written, “Just as a eulogy is given at a funeral, so is a monologue given at X.” A monologue is a type of speech that is given by a single character in a play. In contrast with a dialogue, which is between multiple people, the monologue is said by one alone—like “thinking out loud.” The “mono-” means one and can be found in English words like “monopoly” and “monastery.” Notice that only “play” names a type of event at which a monologue is given.

Grains of sand comprise the content of a sandbank, which is a small deposit of sand found in shallow water. The relationship is thus part-to-whole. The analogy could be rewritten, “As a grain is a constitutive part of a sandbank, so is a key part of X.” Among the options provided, only “typewriter” functions well enough. In the days before computers, typewriters were the mechanical equivalent to a computer keyboard, allowing people to produce letters using a mechanical device and enabling them to write more rapidly and clearly. While the relation is not quite equivalent to that of the grains of sand and the piles of sand that are made thereby in sandbanks, it is a close enough part-whole relationship, particularly given that no other option comes close.

The most natural meaning for “tie” is the action of knotting a piece of fabric or even the type of clothing accessory that is worn around a man’s neck for decoration. The word can likewise mean something more general, like fastener or to fasten. The ties on a railroad track are the parts that hold it together. As you look at your potential answers, you will realize that none of them describes what a handle “holds together.” (Indeed, that is a rather strange notion anyway); however, the railroad tie is a part of the whole structure that is a track; therefore, you could say, that just as a tie is part of a track, so is a handle part of a door. This is the best option.

The retina is the lining of cells at the back of the eye that are sensitive to light. Even if you did not know the exact function of the retina, you likely knew it was part of the eye; therefore, you could form the bridge sentence, “Just as the retina is part of the eye, so is a letter part of a X.” Among the options, you might be very tempted by “mail,” as to say, “A letter is part of the delivered mail”; however, do not be so tempted, for the better example is a letter (e.g. X, Y, Z) being part of a word. It is a necessary part of the word and is thus closer to the case that holds for the retina of the eye. The other wrong options are related to “letter” taken in the sense of something written and mailed.

Among the many meanings that the word “litter” can have, one is a group of animals all born together. This meaning clearly is implied, given that the first word in the analogy is “pup,” as in young dog. The bridge sentence for the analogy could be written, “As a pup is a member of a litter, so is a chick a member of X.” The only name for a group of animals is “brood,” meaning a group of young animals, particularly birds born together. The option “poultry” is a mere descriptive term for fowl that have been domesticated. It is not the name of the group itself, and doesn't include the aspect of meaning related to a group of young animals born together.

A clan is a group of related families gathered into a single group. Thus, the analogy could be reformulated, “As families are the parts making up a clan, so are states the parts making up X.” While the word “state” can merely mean sovereign nation or jurisdiction, in a number of countries the word indicates subsidiary levels of governance, as in the United States and the German Republic. Among the options provided, only “combined” should be the tempting wrong answer, but it is insufficient in that it does not name a larger “thing” into which states are combined. The only option that works in that capacity—for all of its limitations—is “country.”