Analogies & Related Pairs

<p>Analogy questions test your ability to see the relationship between a pair of words and then apply the same relationship to a new pair. They appear in both verbal and non-verbal reasoning, and they reward careful, logical thinking.</p>

<h2>What Is an Analogy?</h2>

<p>An analogy follows the pattern: A is to B as C is to D. The relationship between A and B is the same as the relationship between C and D.</p>

<p><strong>Example:</strong> Hot is to cold as tall is to... short. (They are opposites.)</p>

<h2>Common Types of Relationships</h2>

<ul>

<li><strong>Opposites (antonyms):</strong> up → down, old → young</li>

<li><strong>Synonyms:</strong> big → large, fast → quick</li>

<li><strong>Part to whole:</strong> wheel → car, page → book</li>

<li><strong>Whole to part:</strong> tree → branch, hand → finger</li>

<li><strong>Category:</strong> rose → flower, spaniel → dog</li>

<li><strong>Function:</strong> pen → write, knife → cut</li>

<li><strong>Degree:</strong> warm → hot, drizzle → downpour</li>

<li><strong>Male/female:</strong> king → queen, bull → cow</li>

<li><strong>Young/adult:</strong> kitten → cat, puppy → dog</li>

<li><strong>Worker/workplace:</strong> teacher → school, chef → kitchen</li>

</ul>

<h2>How to Solve Analogy Questions</h2>

<ol>

<li><strong>Identify the relationship</strong> between the first pair of words</li>

<li><strong>Express it as a sentence:</strong> "A [relationship] B" — for example, "a kitten IS THE YOUNG OF a cat"</li>

<li><strong>Apply the same relationship</strong> to find the missing word: "a cub IS THE YOUNG OF a lion"</li>

<li><strong>Check</strong> that your answer creates exactly the same type of relationship</li>

</ol>

<h2>Worked Examples</h2>

<p><strong>Example 1:</strong> Glove is to hand as sock is to ?</p>

<p>Relationship: a glove covers a hand. A sock covers a... foot. Answer: foot.</p>

<p><strong>Example 2:</strong> Author is to book as artist is to ?</p>

<p>Relationship: an author creates a book. An artist creates a... painting. Answer: painting.</p>

<p><strong>Example 3:</strong> Bark is to tree as skin is to ?</p>

<p>Relationship: bark is the outer covering of a tree. Skin is the outer covering of a... body (or human). Answer: body.</p>

<p><strong>Example 4:</strong> March is to April as Wednesday is to ?</p>

<p>Relationship: April comes immediately after March. The day immediately after Wednesday is... Thursday. Answer: Thursday.</p>

<h2>Trickier Analogies</h2>

<p><strong>Example:</strong> Cloud is to sky as island is to ?</p>

<p>A cloud is found in the sky. An island is found in the... sea. Answer: sea.</p>

<p><strong>Example:</strong> 4 is to 16 as 5 is to ?</p>

<p>4² = 16. So 5² = 25. Answer: 25. (The relationship is squaring.)</p>

<h2>Common Mistakes</h2>

<ul>

<li>Choosing a word that is related to C but does not mirror the A-to-B relationship</li>

<li>Getting the direction wrong: if A is part of B, then C must be part of D (not D part of C)</li>

<li>Rushing and picking the first association that comes to mind instead of matching the exact relationship</li>

</ul>

<h2>Practice Tips</h2>

<ul>

<li>Always state the relationship in a sentence before looking at the options — this prevents careless errors</li>

<li>Learn the common relationship types listed above so you can quickly categorise what you see</li>

<li>If more than one answer seems possible, pick the one where the relationship most precisely matches</li>

<li>Practise making up your own analogies — the more you create, the faster you spot them in exams</li>

<li>Work through practice papers regularly to build speed and confidence</li>

</ul>