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Part–Whole Relationship

Introduction

Part-Whole analogies test your ability to recognise when one term is a component, member, or constituent of another. This pattern is important because many reasoning questions ask you to map parts to their wholes (or vice-versa) quickly and accurately.

Pattern: Part–Whole Relationship

Pattern

The key concept is: identify whether the first pair shows a part → whole (or whole → part) relationship, then apply that same directional relationship to complete the second pair.

Step-by-Step Example

Question

Petal : Flower :: Leaf : ______
(A) Plant (B) Tree (C) Branch (D) Fruit

Solution

  1. Step 1: Identify the relationship in the first pair.

    A Petal is a part of a Flower - this is a part → whole relationship.

  2. Step 2: Apply the same direction to the second pair.

    A Leaf is a part of a Plant (the whole). Among the options, 'Plant' is the correct whole.

  3. Final Answer:

    Plant → Option A

  4. Quick Check:

    Petal : Flower (part → whole) and Leaf : Plant (part → whole) - relation matches ✅

Quick Variations

1. Whole → Part (e.g., Car : Engine :: Tree : ______ (Branch)).

2. Member → Group (e.g., Player : Team :: Soldier : Army).

3. Component → Assembly (e.g., Keyboard : Computer :: Wheel : Bicycle).

4. Fractional parts (e.g., Slice : Cake :: Page : Book).

Trick to Always Use

  • Step 1 → Rephrase the pair as "X is part of Y" or "Y contains X" to lock direction.
  • Step 2 → Try each option in that sentence - the one that reads naturally is the correct choice.

Summary

Summary

  • Determine direction first: is it part → whole or whole → part?
  • Convert the relation into a short sentence: "X is part of Y" or "Y contains X".
  • Substitute each option into that sentence; choose the one that makes a correct factual statement.
  • Eliminate options that are related but not the correct part/whole (e.g., similar objects or functions).

Example to remember:
Petal : Flower :: Leaf : Plant

Practice

(1/5)
1. Wheel : Car :: Wing : ______
easy
A. Plane
B. Hangar
C. Engine
D. Tail

Solution

  1. Step 1: Identify the relationship.

    A Wheel is a part of a Car - part → whole.

  2. Step 2: Apply the same relationship.

    A Wing is a part of a Plane - part → whole.

  3. Final Answer:

    Plane → Option A

  4. Quick Check:

    Wheel : Car :: Wing : Plane - part-to-whole relation preserved ✅
Hint: Rephrase as 'X is part of Y' and substitute each option to see which reads correctly.
Common Mistakes: Choosing 'Tail' - both are parts of a plane, but the analogy requires the same part-whole direction, not another component of the same object.
2. Engine : Train :: Heart : ______
easy
A. Body
B. Blood
C. Vein
D. Chest

Solution

  1. Step 1: Identify the relationship.

    An Engine is a part of a Train - part → whole.

  2. Step 2: Apply the same pattern.

    The Heart is a part of the Body - part → whole.

  3. Final Answer:

    Body → Option A

  4. Quick Check:

    Engine : Train :: Heart : Body ✅
Hint: Convert the relation to 'X is part of Y' to verify direction.
Common Mistakes: Choosing 'Chest' - it's a location, not the whole system containing the heart.
3. Chapter : Book :: Episode : ______
easy
A. Movie
B. Film
C. Series
D. Screen

Solution

  1. Step 1: Recognize the relationship.

    A Chapter is a part of a Book - part → whole.

  2. Step 2: Apply same logic.

    An Episode is a part of a Series (a TV series or web series) - part → whole.

  3. Final Answer:

    Series → Option C

  4. Quick Check:

    Chapter : Book :: Episode : Series ✅
Hint: If the first term is a smaller segment of a larger unit, maintain the same ratio.
Common Mistakes: Choosing 'Movie' - movies don’t have episodes, series/shows do.
4. Player : Team :: Soldier : ______
medium
A. Camp
B. War
C. Country
D. Army

Solution

  1. Step 1: Identify the first relationship.

    A Player is a part of a Team - member → group.

  2. Step 2: Apply the same rule.

    A Soldier is a part of an Army - member → group.

  3. Final Answer:

    Army → Option D

  4. Quick Check:

    Player : Team :: Soldier : Army ✅
Hint: Use 'X belongs to Y' when the first is a member of a group.
Common Mistakes: Choosing 'War' - that’s an event, not the whole group.
5. Keyboard : Computer :: Page : ______
medium
A. Paragraph
B. Book
C. Pen
D. Chapter

Solution

  1. Step 1: Recognize the structure.

    A Keyboard is a part of a Computer - component → device.

  2. Step 2: Apply the same pattern.

    A Page is a part of a Book - component → whole.

  3. Final Answer:

    Book → Option B

  4. Quick Check:

    Keyboard : Computer :: Page : Book ✅
Hint: Identify whether the relation is between component and device or segment and collection.
Common Mistakes: Choosing 'Chapter' - a chapter contains pages, not vice versa.

Mock Test

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