Similarities
About Similarities
Similarities tasks ask whether a person can identify the shared concept, class, or principle behind two things that look different on the surface. That makes them verbal, but also somewhat abstract, because the response depends on concept formation rather than on simple recall of one isolated fact.
This kind of item became prominent in twentieth-century intelligence testing as examiners looked for ways to capture verbal reasoning, not just vocabulary size. Asking how two things are alike proved useful because stronger answers often move from concrete description toward broader categorical or functional abstraction.
Today, the task is usually interpreted at the intersection of crystallized knowledge and verbal reasoning. It complements vocabulary and antonym-style items by showing whether language is organized conceptually rather than stored only as isolated definitions or familiar phrases.
This public version keeps the background and interpretive context visible while the interactive task remains locked.
Instructions
- You will answer 18 items asking how two things are alike.
- Type your answer explaining the similarity between the pair.
- Scoring: Best answer (2 pts), partial answer (1 pt), incorrect 0 pts.
- Your answers will be verified at the end.
- Timing: 1 minute 30 seconds per item.
- Press Begin to start.
Try it
Explain the similarity. This is only a practice example.