Word Classification / Odd One Out guide
Word Classification questions give a group of words and ask which option belongs with them (or which is the odd one out). The key is to name the group's shared property precisely enough that it includes the members and excludes everything else.
The method
- State the property the given words share, as exactly as you can.
- Test each option against that property.
- Make the property narrow enough to exclude the non-members.
- For odd-one-out, find the single word your precise property leaves out.
Common mistakes
- Using a category reading too broad to exclude the distractors.
- Being misled by a secondary meaning of a word.
- Confusing what a thing does with what category it is in.
- Settling on a property that admits more than one 'answer'.
Frequently asked questions
What if two options seem to fit?
Your shared property is too broad. Tighten it until exactly one option belongs (or exactly one is excluded, for odd-one-out).