Analogy
An analogy asks you to find the relationship in the first pair and apply the same rule to the second pair, with words, numbers or letters.
Common word relationships
| Relationship | Example pairs |
|---|---|
| Worker and tool | Tailor : Needle; Carpenter : Saw |
| Worker and product | Baker : Bread; Poet : Poem |
| Part and whole | Petal : Flower; Page : Book |
| Cause and effect | Rain : Flood; Iron deficiency : Anaemia |
| Deficiency and disease | Vitamin C : Scurvy; Iodine : Goitre; Vitamin D : Rickets |
| Adult and young one | Cow : Calf; Hen : Chick; Dog : Puppy |
| Instrument and what it measures | Thermometer : Temperature; Barometer : Atmospheric pressure |
| Synonym / antonym | Big : Large / Hot : Cold |
| Unit and quantity | Kilogram : Mass; Kilocalorie : Energy |
| Individual and group | Cow : Herd; Fish : Shoal |
Number and letter analogies
| Type | Example | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Square | 4 : 16 :: 7 : 49 | n : n² |
| Cube | 3 : 27 :: 5 : 125 | n : n³ |
| Square plus one | 5 : 26 :: 8 : 65 | n : n² + 1 |
| Product of neighbours | 6 : 42 :: 8 : 72 | n : n(n + 1) |
| Letter shift | ACE : BDF :: GIK : HJL | each letter + 1 |
| Letter position | D : 4 :: K : 11 | place in the alphabet |
| Opposite letters | A : Z :: C : X | positions add to 27 |
Worked example 1: word analogy
Vitamin D : Rickets :: Vitamin A : ? (Beriberi, Scurvy, Night blindness, Pellagra)
- Step 1: name the relationship in the first pair: lack of vitamin D causes rickets (deficiency and disease).
- Step 2: apply the same rule to vitamin A: its deficiency causes night blindness.
- Step 3: rule out the rest: beriberi is thiamine deficiency, pellagra is niacin deficiency and scurvy is vitamin C deficiency.
- Check: read both pairs with the same sentence, 'Lack of ___ causes ___'. It fits both.
Night blindness.
Worked example 2: number analogy
3 : 28 :: 5 : ?
- Step 1: test common rules on the first pair: 3² = 9 (no); 3³ = 27, and 27 + 1 = 28 (yes). The rule is n³ + 1.
- Step 2: apply it to 5: 5³ + 1 = 125 + 1 = 126.
- Quick tip: a number just next to a cube or square (28 is next to 27) usually means cube or square ± 1.
- Check: the rule fits the first pair exactly and gives one answer for the second.
126.
Worked example 3: letter analogy
ACE : FHJ :: KMO : ?
- Step 1: write positions: A = 1, C = 3, E = 5 and F = 6, H = 8, J = 10. Each letter moves 5 places forward.
- Step 2: apply +5 to KMO: K (11) → P (16), M (13) → R (18), O (15) → T (20).
- Check: the gaps inside each group stay the same (A_C_E and P_R_T both skip one letter).
PRT.
Bank, SSC, railway and state PSC papers give 'A : B :: C : ?' and 'choose the pair with the same relationship' items, in words, numbers and letters. Placement tests add letter-shift analogies that need quick alphabet positions.
2 marks: “Complete the analogy: Cow : Calf :: Horse : ?” Foal. The relationship is adult and young one.
5 marks: “Explain the types of analogy with two examples each.” Word analogy (worker-tool, part-whole, deficiency-disease), number analogy (n², n³ + 1) and letter analogy (shift, opposite letters), with two examples each and the rule written out.
10 marks: “What is an analogy? Explain the types of analogy with examples and the method of solving them.” Define with the A : B :: C : D format; draw the solving method as a flow; explain word, number, letter and choose-the-pair types with examples; end with exam use.
Say the rule in a sentence, then test it on the second pair. Common rules: worker-tool, part-whole, cause-effect, n², n³, letter + k.