June 2008 LSAT Section 2 Question 10

Helen: Reading a book is the intellectual equivalent of investing money: you're investing time, thereby foregoing o...

Brandon1504 on April 21, 2022

How is a simile an analogy?

If I am to assume Helen makes an analogy then I understand how the answer is correct however I don’t understand how a simile “reading is like investing money” is an analogy.

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Emil-Kunkin on April 27, 2022

Hi Brandon,

For the purpose of the LSAT, an analogy is any case in which someone presents a related situation in order to further an argument. One could argue by analogy using a simile, a metaphor, or even by outright stating "by analogy, one could argue..." If an author presents a case where someone applies their opponent's reasoning to a different circumstance or set of facts, that is an argument by analogy. The precise literary device they use to do so doesn't matter for the argument structure.