Figure Analogy
Figure Analogy is one of the important non-verbal reasoning topics of the ADRE 3.0 Grade IV paper. In this type of question a pair of figures is shown on one side and the candidate must identify the rule that relates them, then apply the same rule to a second pair in which one figure is missing. No words are used, so the whole relationship has to be read from the shapes themselves — their rotation, reflection, number of sides, shading, position of parts, or the addition and removal of elements. The topic tests visual observation, spatial thinking and the ability to generalise a rule from a solved example and carry it across to a new situation. Because only pictures are involved, the question is language-neutral and is equally fair to all candidates, but it demands quick and accurate perception.
Meaning of a Figure Analogy Question
A figure analogy question is written in the form Figure A : Figure B :: Figure C : ? and is read as "Figure A is to Figure B as Figure C is to what". The first pair (A and B) is called the model pair because it establishes the rule. The second pair is incomplete and the candidate has to select, from four or five given options, the figure that makes C and the answer follow exactly the same relationship as A and B. The rule must be applied in the same direction and with the same force. If, for example, the first figure turns into the second by a quarter turn clockwise, then the third figure must also turn into the answer by a quarter turn clockwise, and not anticlockwise or by a half turn.
The Common Relationships Used in Figure Analogy
- Rotation of the whole figure by a fixed angle, clockwise or anticlockwise.
- Reflection, that is mirror image or water image of the figure.
- Addition or removal of one or more elements such as dots, lines or curves.
- Change in the number of sides, for instance a triangle becoming a square.
- Change of shading, such as an unshaded part becoming shaded.
- Enlargement or reduction in size of the inner or outer figure.
- Change in the position of a dot or a small mark inside a shape.
- Interchange of the inner and the outer figure.
- Change in the number of parts into which a figure is divided.
- Conversion of an open figure into a closed figure and the reverse.
Types of Figure Analogy
The questions may be divided into a few convenient types. Rotation analogy turns the model figure by a fixed angle. Reflection analogy uses a mirror placed on a side or water placed below the figure. Element-count analogy changes the number of lines, dots or curves. Shading analogy changes which portions are shaded. Inside–outside analogy moves a small shape from inside to outside or the other way round. Size analogy makes a part larger or smaller while keeping the shape unchanged. Mixed analogy combines two or more of these changes in a fixed order, and these are the ones that need careful reading because a single glance may miss the second change.
How to Solve a Figure Analogy Question
- Look at the model pair and describe the change in a few simple words.
- Test your description on the third figure and predict the answer in your mind.
- Compare every option with your predicted figure.
- If two options look similar, look for the more exact or additional change.
- For mixed changes, note the order in which the changes are applied.
Worked Examples
Suppose the first figure is a small arrow pointing up and the second is the same arrow pointing right. The rule is a quarter turn clockwise, so if the third figure points left, the answer must point up, because a quarter turn clockwise from left is up. In a second example, if the first figure is a circle with a dot at the top and the second has the dot at the right, the dot has moved ninety degrees clockwise; the same movement must be applied to the third figure. In a third example, if the first figure is a triangle and the second is a square, the number of sides has increased by one, so a pentagon in the third place will become a hexagon in the answer.
How This Topic Appears in the Examination
Figure Analogy usually appears as a small group of objective questions carrying one mark each. The figures are simple and the rule is normally a single, clearly visible change, with a few questions requiring two changes. Because the options are close to each other, careless observation is the main reason for mistakes. Most candidates who practise regularly are able to solve each question in well under a minute, and this speed is important because the non-verbal section shares its time with the arithmetic part of the paper.
Memory Tips
Before looking at the options, always say the change in the model pair in your own words, for example "turned ninety degrees clockwise" or "the inner shape moved outside". Keep a small mental list of the common changes such as rotation, reflection, addition, removal, shading and size, so that you can run through them quickly. When a dot or a mark is present, follow its path rather than the whole figure, because the movement of a single point is easier to track. Finally, remember that the answer is not the figure that merely looks similar; it is the figure that obeys the exact rule of the model pair.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Applying the change in the wrong direction or by the wrong angle.
- Noticing only the first change and ignoring the second in a mixed analogy.
- Choosing the first similar option without comparing all of them.
- Confusing a mirror image with a rotation, which are not the same.
- Forgetting to count elements such as dots, lines or shaded parts.
How to Prepare This Topic
- Learn the common changes such as rotation, reflection, addition and shading.
- Practise at least twenty figure analogy questions every day.
- Draw the figures on rough paper and physically rotate them to check.
- Maintain a notebook of the tricks that you find difficult.
- Time yourself so that each question is finished within a minute.
Additional Solved Examples
If the model pair shows a figure becoming its mirror image, the third figure must also become its mirror image, and if the mirror is placed on the left the left and right change places while the top and bottom stay the same. If the first figure has two straight lines and the second has four, the number of lines has doubled, so a figure with three lines in the third place will become a figure with six lines. If the first figure is a square inside a circle and the second is a circle inside a square, the inner and the outer shapes have interchanged, so a triangle inside a pentagon in the third place will become a pentagon inside a triangle. These solved examples show that a figure analogy is simply a rule obtained from one pair and applied to another.
Advanced Tips
When two options look very much alike, compare them for a small detail such as the position of a dot, the direction of a curve or the number of shaded parts; the intended answer almost always carries one extra detail that the others miss. In rotation problems, mark the direction of one pointed part, because a pointed corner is the easiest way to detect a turn. In reflection problems, compare the left and the right of the figure and then the top and the bottom, since a mirror reverses one pair and a water image reverses the other. For mixed analogies, break the change into steps and check each step separately before choosing the option. If you are short of time, eliminate the obviously impossible options first and guess among the rest only as a last resort.
Related Non-Verbal Topics
Figure Analogy is closely linked with Figure Classification, Figure Series and Embedded Figures. Classification asks you to find the figure that does not belong to a group, which again needs the idea of a common rule. Series asks you to continue a sequence, which is like applying an analogy again and again. Embedded Figures asks you to find a shape hidden inside a larger drawing, which trains the same eye for shape and position. Practising these topics together builds a general skill of observing figures, and that skill is the real requirement of the whole non-verbal section.
Quick Revision Checklist
- The model pair gives the rule; the third figure applies it.
- Direction and angle of rotation must match exactly.
- Mirror reverses left-right, water image reverses top-bottom.
- Count every element: sides, lines, dots and shaded parts.
- In mixed changes, follow the order of the changes.
- Compare all options before finalising the answer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a figure analogy question ask?
It asks you to find the missing fourth figure that keeps the same relationship with the third figure as the second figure has with the first.
How is a figure analogy different from a word analogy?
In a word analogy the relationship is expressed in words, while in a figure analogy the relationship is shown through pictures such as rotation, reflection or a change in the number of elements.
What is the fastest way to solve figure analogy?
Look at the model pair, state the change in a few words, then compare the options with the predicted figure. This avoids the confusion of scanning all figures at once.
What should I do if two options look the same?
Compare the smallest details such as a dot, a shade or the direction of a curve, and choose the option that follows the exact rule of the model pair.
How much time should each question take?
An easy figure analogy should take less than a minute. Daily practice helps you recognise the common changes almost instantly.