Verbal analogies: name the relationship first
An analogy tests whether you can identify a relationship and transfer it. The failure mode is picking a word that merely feels related.
State the link as a sentence
Before looking at the options, finish the sentence: "a ledger is the thing an accountant works with". Then apply the identical sentence to the second pair.
Relationship types worth recognising
Tool and user, part and whole, cause and effect, degree of intensity, category and member, and opposition. Most items are one of these.
The associative trap
For scalpel, the option "hospital" sits in the same world but has the wrong relationship. Proximity of meaning is not the relationship being tested.
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Questions people ask
Do these favour strong readers?
Yes, which is why vocabulary-heavy items are balanced against non-verbal ones.
Does the direction matter?
Yes. Keep the order the same on both sides of the analogy.