Question

Medicine: Illness :: Law:?

• A. Punishment
• B. Crime
• C. Court
• D. Discipline

Hint:

In analogies, identify the relationship first—is it purpose, function, result, etc.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

In analogy questions, the relationship between the initial word pair must be replicated in the second word pair.

Given pair: Medicine : Illness

Options for the second word with Law:

• Punishment
• Crime
• Court
• Discipline

Determine the Relationship in the Given Pair

The pair Medicine : Illness illustrates a purpose/remedy \(\Rightarrow\) problem relationship: Medicine is employed to address or cure an illness. This can be symbolized as \(\text{Tool/Remedy} \Rightarrow \text{Target Problem}\).

Replicate the Relationship for “Law : ?”

Applying the same structure, \(\text{Tool/Remedy} \Rightarrow \text{Target Problem}\):
Law functions as a social remedy/tool. Therefore, the corresponding target problem is that which law is primarily designed to address or regulate.

Analysis of Each Option

(A) Law : Punishment

• \(\Rightarrow\) Punishment is typically a result of law enforcement, not its primary target problem.
• \(\Rightarrow\) The structure becomes \(\text{Tool} \Rightarrow \text{Consequence}\), which does not mirror \(\text{Remedy} \Rightarrow \text{Problem}\).

(B) Law : Crime

• \(\Rightarrow\) Crime is the fundamental problem that law seeks to prevent, define, and manage.
• \(\Rightarrow\) This aligns with the structure \(\text{Remedy} \Rightarrow \text{Problem}\), analogous to Medicine : Illness.

(C) Law : Court

• \(\Rightarrow\) A court is an institution for legal interpretation and application.
• \(\Rightarrow\) The structure becomes \(\text{Tool} \Rightarrow \text{Place/Institution}\), which does not mirror the original relation.

(D) Law : Discipline

• \(\Rightarrow\) Discipline can be an outcome or secondary effect of effective laws.
• \(\Rightarrow\) The structure becomes \(\text{Tool} \Rightarrow \text{Byproduct}\), which again fails to mirror the remedy \(\Rightarrow\) problem relation.

Correct Choice and Rationale

Correct Answer: Crime

Rationale: Medicine : Illness represents \(\Rightarrow\) Remedy \(\Rightarrow\) Problem. Similarly, Law : Crime represents \(\Rightarrow\) Social remedy/regulation \(\Rightarrow\) Social problem. The relationship is thus preserved: law's primary purpose is to prevent, define, and respond to crime, just as medicine's purpose is to treat illness.

Key Takeaways

• \(\Rightarrow\) Pattern: Remedy \(\Rightarrow\) Problem.
• \(\Rightarrow\) Medicine \(\Rightarrow\) Illness (health context).
• \(\Rightarrow\) Law \(\Rightarrow\) Crime (social/legal context).
• \(\Rightarrow\) Punishment/Discipline are outcomes; Court is a location—neither represents the target problem.