Optimist is to cheerful as pessimist is to?

Appeared in: RML Lucknow - 2021

Explanation

The question presents an analogy where the second word describes a characteristic trait or mood of the first word.
An 'optimist' is a person who is hopeful, and their characteristic mood is 'cheerful'.
Therefore, a 'pessimist', who is someone that expects negative outcomes, would be characterized by a 'gloomy' mood.
The relationship is 'a person of a certain disposition has this characteristic mood'.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

Option B: Being 'mean' (unkind or spiteful) is a behavioral trait related to interpersonal interaction, not a direct emotional state resulting from a pessimistic outlook.
Option C: Being 'petty' refers to focusing on trivial matters, often in a spiteful way. It is a personality flaw, not the core mood associated with pessimism.
Option D: 'Helpful' is a positive prosocial behavior. It is conceptually opposite to the negative connotation of pessimism and does not describe a mood.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Verbal Analogy as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Accurate Mood Description: In nursing, especially in mental health, using precise terms to describe a patient's mood (e.g., 'gloomy,' 'dysphoric') is vital for the Mental Status Examination (MSE) and ensures clear communication among the healthcare team.
Assessment and Care Planning: Identifying a patient's mood as 'gloomy' or 'pessimistic' can be an early indicator of depression or other mood disorders, prompting further screening and appropriate care planning.
Therapeutic Communication: Understanding the nuances between words like 'gloomy' and 'sad' allows the nurse to better understand the patient's experience and use more effective therapeutic communication techniques.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the relationship between the first pair of words: 'Optimist' and 'Cheerful'. An optimist is a type of person, and 'cheerful' is their characteristic mood or disposition.
Formulate this relationship into a sentence: 'An optimist is characterized by being cheerful.'
Apply this same sentence structure to the second pair: 'A pessimist is characterized by being ______.'
Evaluate the given options to find the word that best completes the sentence.
'A pessimist is characterized by being gloomy' is a logical and fitting statement.
Eliminate the other options as they do not fit the established relationship. 'Mean', 'petty', and 'helpful' are not the primary moods or dispositions of a pessimist.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Verbal Analogy
Stem keywords: Optimist, Cheerful, Pessimist
Lead-in keywords: is to
Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

Q6rFcSFJqf5dR0w-bpdU3T

Reference Book

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) pp. 5380-5382, 2566-2568

Practise the full RML Lucknow - 2021

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.

Attempt this paper Attempt in the NPrep app