Which option is not a division of a term according to signification?

• A. Univocal
• B. Equivocal
• C. Analogous
• D. Universal

Answer: (D)

The main idea tested is how a term can carry its meaning across different things. In traditional logic, terms can be used in three ways based on signification: univocal, equivocal, and analogous.

A univocal use means the term has exactly the same signification in all the things it denotes. For example, when we say that a dog barks and that a dog is an animal, the word dog is used with one and the same meaning throughout.

Equivocal use means the term has entirely different significations in different things, even though the word is the same. For instance, “bank” can mean the side of a river or a financial institution; the meanings are not related.

Analogous use is when the term is applied to related things in related senses, sharing some similarity but not identical meanings. Think of “healthy” as applied to a person and to food: the senses are connected and indicate well-being, but they are not the same meaning in every respect.

Universal is not a division of signification. It concerns the scope or extent of the term (its applicability to all things of a kind) rather than a relation of signs across different uses.