Analogy: Meaning, Types and Methods with Examples
Analogy is one of the most common and most scoring topics in the reasoning and mental-ability paper of competitive examinations. In an analogy question, two items are given that share a particular relationship, and the candidate has to find a third item that has the same relationship with a fourth. In simple words, if A is related to B in some way, then C should be related to D in the same way. The topic tests how quickly a candidate can recognise a relationship and apply it to a new pair. Because the question is short and the logic is fixed, analogy can be mastered with practice.
For candidates preparing for APSC, ADRE, Assam Police, SSC, Railway and similar examinations in Assam, analogy appears in almost every reasoning section. Questions are asked with words, with numbers and with letters. This article gives a complete deep-study revision of analogy. It explains the vocabulary, the main types of relationship, the step-by-step method of solving, the common traps and a practical plan of preparation. Once the types of relationship are clear, most analogy questions can be answered in a few seconds.
Basic Terms
- Analogy: a comparison between two things that share a similar relationship.
- Pair: the two items whose relationship is given.
- Relationship: the link that connects the two items of a pair.
- Option: one of the choices from which the answer is selected.
- Word analogy: an analogy in which the items are words.
- Number analogy: an analogy in which the items are numbers.
- Letter analogy: an analogy in which the items are letters or groups of letters.
- Synonym: a word having the same meaning as another.
- Antonym: a word having the opposite meaning of another.
- Part and whole: a relationship in which one item is a part of the other.
- Cause and effect: a relationship in which one item is the cause of the other.
- Category and member: a relationship in which one item is a class and the other an example of it.
Core Concepts and Method
- First read the given pair and ask what single relationship connects the two items.
- State the relationship in a short sentence, such as "X is a part of Y" or "X is the young one of Y".
- Apply the same sentence to each option and check which one fits logically.
- If two options seem to fit, look for a second, more specific relationship in the original pair.
- Keep the order of the pair fixed; the relationship must flow in the same direction as in the question.
- For number analogy, look for addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, squares, cubes or a combination of these.
- For letter analogy, convert letters into their position numbers (A=1, B=2, ... Z=26) and look for the shift.
Types of Word Analogy
Word analogy questions use many standard relationships. In the synonym type, the two words mean the same, as in "happy : glad". In the antonym type, the two words are opposite, as in "hot : cold". In the part and whole type, one word is a part of the other, as in "wheel : car". In the category and member type, one word is a class and the other is an example, as in "fruit : mango". In the person and work type, one word is a person and the other the work, as in "doctor : treatment". In the worker and tool type, one word is a worker and the other the tool used, as in "carpenter : saw". In the animal and young one type, as in "cow : calf", and in the male and female type, as in "horse : mare", the relationship is based on living beings. In the cause and effect type, as in "rain : flood", and in the instrument and measurement type, as in "thermometer : temperature", the link is logical. Recognising which type is being used is the key to solving the question quickly.
Number and Letter Analogy
In number analogy, the relationship between the two numbers of the given pair is found by arithmetic. For example, in "4 : 16", the second number is the square of the first; in "3 : 27", the second is the cube; in "12 : 24", the second is double the first; and in "15 : 10", the second is the first minus five. Sometimes the relationship involves two steps, such as "add 3 and then multiply by 2". In letter analogy, the position value of the letters is used. For example, in "C : F", each letter has moved forward by three places; in "H : D", the letter has moved backward by four places. When groups of letters are given, the shift is applied to each letter in turn, and the reverse relationship may also be tested. Candidates should memorise the position values of all letters from A to Z, because this makes letter analogy and alphabet series very easy.
Steps to Solve an Analogy Question
The method of solving an analogy question is simple if it is followed in order. First, read the given pair carefully and identify the exact relationship. Second, express that relationship in a clear, short sentence. Third, test each option with the same sentence, eliminating the options that do not fit. Fourth, if more than one option survives, look for a finer detail in the original pair, such as whether the relationship is general or specific, or whether the order is direct or reversed. Fifth, confirm the answer by checking it once more against the original pair. In examinations where time is short, this habit of stating the relationship before looking at the options saves a great deal of time and prevents careless mistakes.
Examination Trends
In competitive examinations, analogy questions most often test synonym, antonym, part and whole, worker and tool, person and work, animal and young one, and number or letter relationships. Objective questions frequently ask for the missing term in a word pair, a number pair or a letter pair. Some papers also ask the candidate to complete a pair in the reverse direction, that is, from the second word to the first. A regular set of questions uses mixed types, where the candidate must first identify the type and then apply it. Because the same set of relationships is repeated year after year, practice greatly improves both speed and accuracy.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Do not decide the answer after reading only one option; test all the options against the pair.
- Do not ignore the order of the pair, because reversing the relationship changes the answer.
- Do not confuse synonym with antonym questions by reading too quickly.
- For number analogy, do not assume a simple difference when squares or cubes are involved.
- Do not skip memorising the position values of the alphabet, which are needed for letter analogy.
How to Prepare This Topic
Begin by making a list of the standard relationship types, with one example for each. Then practise at least twenty questions of each type, writing the relationship in a sentence before choosing the answer. Learn the squares up to thirty and the cubes up to fifteen, and memorise the position values of all the letters from A to Z. Prepare a small chart of common pairs such as animal and young one, worker and tool, and male and female, because these are repeated often. Finally, attempt previous years' question papers under timed conditions so that the method becomes automatic and the speed improves.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an analogy in reasoning?
An analogy is a question in which two items are given that share a certain relationship, and the candidate must find a third item that has the same relationship with a fourth. If A is related to B in a particular way, then C must be related to D in the same way.
What are the main types of analogy?
The main types are word analogy, number analogy and letter analogy. Within word analogy, the common relationships are synonym, antonym, part and whole, category and member, person and work, worker and tool, animal and young one, and cause and effect.
How do I solve a letter analogy quickly?
Convert each letter into its position number, A being 1 and Z being 26, and find the shift between the two letters of the given pair. Apply the same shift to the third letter to get the answer. Memorising the position values makes this very fast.
What should I do if two options seem correct?
Look for a second and more specific relationship in the original pair. Often one option matches only a general idea, while the other matches the exact and specific relationship. Choose the option that satisfies the more precise relationship.
Is analogy important for Assam competitive exams?
Yes. Analogy is asked regularly in the reasoning and mental-ability sections of APSC, ADRE, Assam Police, SSC and Railway examinations. It is short, logical and scoring, so it should be practised until it can be solved quickly and accurately.