Which pair illustrates a complementarity relationship between words?

Which pair illustrates a complementarity relationship between words?

• A. Employer and employee
• B. Bread and water
• C. Moon and sun
• D. Teacher and student

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is how two words can form a complementary pair—two roles that rely on and complete each other within a single system. In an employer–employee relationship, each word defines a distinct, mutually dependent role: the employer provides a job, sets terms, and oversees work; the employee performs the tasks and contributes labor. Together they make the employment relationship possible, each defining the other’s place and function.

Other pairs don’t fit this same mutual-role framework as cleanly. Bread and water are both basic resources but don’t define or complete one another in a single social role. The Moon and Sun are opposites in a cycle, not partners in a shared relational system. A teacher and a student describe a teaching/learning dynamic, which is complementary as well, but the strongest, most complete example of complementary roles in everyday usage is the employer–employee pairing, where each side’s existence and function depend on the other.