Which pair best illustrates a hyponym relationship?

• A. Banana to Fruit
• B. Wheel to Car
• C. River to Water
• D. Book to Read

Answer: (A)

Hyponymy is a relationship where one term is a more specific member of a broader category. In such pairs, the first term names a kind of the second term. Banana is a kind of fruit, so the pair banana to fruit shows a clear hyponym relationship: bananas are examples of fruits, placing them under the umbrella of the fruit category. The other pairings don’t fit this pattern: a wheel is a component of a car, not a kind of car; a river is a type of body of water in everyday sense, but the relationship isn’t a clean taxonomic one; a book is something you read, not a member of a category you read. Thus, the banana to fruit pair best illustrates hyponymy.