Analogy vs. Example

[lsatprepak1]

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to know if anyone has specific ways to help tell the difference between an analogy and an example in the LSAT world. How can you distinguish which one is being used in the stimulus?

Thank you so much!

[Claire Horan]

Hi lsatprepak1,

An anomaly is like an outlier, something that isn't expected and stands out from other data points. One might say, "A mathematics PhD is a bit of an anomaly in law school."

That said, I wonder if you meant to write "analogy" instead because that would be more relevant for the LSAT.

An example is a specific instance of a more general concept or idea. Murder is an example of a crime.

An analogy, on the other hand, compares two different things or ideas in order to show that something that is true about thing #1 is also true about thing #2. In one of the Powerscore courses, there is a question with an analogy between dry skin and cracked earth. It's an ad, and the point of the ad is to convince consumers that skin needs lotion just as earth needs rain.

Note that skin is not an example of earth and lotion is not an example of rain. Skin and earth are merely being compared for persuasive purposes. If you are confused on a particular question, please share—it's much easier to explain using the situation that confused you!