Analogies questions with answers and concepts

Learn analogies with concept notes and worked examples, then practise focused questions with explained answers. Build accuracy for placement and competitive aptitude tests before trying timed mode.

139 practice questionsPage updated 11 Nov 2026Review metadata pendingPractice questions

Practise this concept

Analogy questions test your ability to identify relationships between pairs of words or concepts. You must recognise the logical connection in a given pair and apply the same relationship to complete a new pair. This tests both vocabulary and logical reasoning skills.

Key formulas and rules

4 rules

Proportional Analogy Form: $A : B :: C : D ⟺ Relationship (A, B) \equiv Relationship (C, D)$

Bridge Sentence Formulation: Define relation $R$ such that $B = R (A)$ ; then verify $D = R (C)$ under identical grammatical category

Category Preservation: If $(A, B)$ represents $(Noun, Adjective)$ , then $(C, D)$ must strictly preserve $(Noun, Adjective)$

Degree & Intensity Ordering: $Mild : Extreme :: Damp : Soaked ⟹ Scale (A \to B) = Scale (C \to D)$

Key concepts

Common Relationship Types

Tool and Action (scissors : cut), Part and Whole (wheel : car), Cause and Effect (fire : burn), Synonyms (happy : joyful), Antonyms (hot : cold), Degree (warm : hot), Function (doctor : heal), Container and Contents (bottle : water), Worker and Workplace (teacher : school), Raw Material and Product (wood : furniture), Classification (rose : flower), Sequential Order (Monday : Tuesday).

Word Analogies Format

Standard format is A : B :: C : D, read as 'A is to B as C is to D'. The relationship between A and B must be identical to the relationship between C and D. Sometimes presented as 'A is related to B in the same way that C is related to ?'

Letter and Number Analogies

Letter analogies involve alphabetical positions, patterns (skipping letters, reversing), and transformations. Number analogies involve mathematical operations (squares, cubes, multiples, factors), numerical patterns, and digit manipulation.

Verbal Analogies

These test vocabulary and semantic relationships. Common patterns include: General to Specific (animal : dog), Generic to Brand (adhesive : Fevicol), Individual to Group (soldier : army), Young to Adult (cub : lion), and Male to Female (bull : cow).

Figural and Symbolic Analogies

Non-verbal analogies where shapes, patterns, or symbols follow a transformation rule. Transformations include: rotation, reflection, scaling, addition/removal of elements, shading changes, or positional shifts.

Solving Approach

Step 1: Define the relationship in the given pair precisely. Step 2: Express it as a sentence. Step 3: Apply this sentence to the incomplete pair. Step 4: Check all options with the same sentence. Step 5: If multiple seem correct, refine your relationship definition to be more specific.

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Worked examples

Example 1

Doctor : Hospital :: Teacher : ?

Solution

Step 1: Analyse the given pair - Doctor works in a Hospital.
Step 2: The relationship is 'Professional : Workplace'.
Step 3: Apply to Teacher - Teacher works in a School.
Step 4: Check options: (a) Book, (b) Student, (c) School, (d) Class
Step 5: Only 'School' fits the workplace relationship.
Answer: School

Example 2

Forest : Trees :: Galaxy : ?

Solution

Step 1: Analyse - A Forest is a large collection of Trees.
Step 2: The relationship is 'Collection : Individual Unit'.
Step 3: Apply to Galaxy - A Galaxy is a large collection of Stars.
Step 4: Check options: (a) Planets, (b) Stars, (c) Universe, (d) Orbits
Step 5: 'Stars' is the correct individual unit that makes up a galaxy.
Answer: Stars

Example 3

Cube : 6 :: Tetrahedron : ?

Solution

Step 1: Analyse - A Cube has 6 faces.
Step 2: The relationship is 'Geometric Shape : Number of Faces'.
Step 3: Apply to Tetrahedron - A tetrahedron (triangular pyramid) has 4 faces.
Step 4: Check options: (a) 3, (b) 4, (c) 5, (d) 8
Step 5: The answer is 4 faces.
Answer: 4

Example 4

Listen : Hear :: Look : ?

Solution

Step 1: Analyse - Listen is the action, Hear is the result/perception.
Step 2: The relationship is 'Action : Result/Sensation'.
Step 3: Apply to Look - Look is the action, See is the result.
Step 4: Check options: (a) Watch, (b) See, (c) Observe, (d) Sight
Step 5: 'See' matches as the direct sensory result, just like 'Hear'.
Answer: See

Representative solved questions

See the kind of question in this topic before opening the full practice set.

Question 1

3 : 9 :: 4 : ?

Answer: C. 16

Explanation

3 becomes 9 by squaring: $3^{2} = 9$ .
Apply the same rule to 4.
$4^{2} = 16.$
Answer: 16.

Sources and review notes

This is an AISEA-authored practice question.

Review status: accepted · Reviewed 2026-08-13 · structure and answer-key checks, editorial quality checks, duplicate screening

Question 2

8 : 4 :: 27 : ?

Answer: C. 9

Explanation

$8 = 2^{3}$ and $4 = 2^{2}$ . The exponent is reduced by 1 (cube to square).
$27 = 3^{3}$ , so applying the same rule: $3^{2} = 9$ .
Answer: 9.

Sources and review notes

This is an AISEA-authored practice question.

Review status: accepted · Reviewed 2026-08-13 · structure and answer-key checks, editorial quality checks, duplicate screening

Question 3

5 : 30 :: 7 : ?

Answer: C. 56

Explanation

The rule is n(n+1): 5 x $6 = 30$ .
Apply to 7: 7 x $8 = 56$ .
Answer: 56.

Sources and review notes

This is an AISEA-authored practice question.

Review status: accepted · Reviewed 2026-08-13 · structure and answer-key checks, editorial quality checks, duplicate screening

Common mistakes and useful habits

Always try to express the relationship as a precise sentence before looking at options
Watch out for trap answers that have some connection but not the exact same relationship type
Consider multiple possible relationships if stuck, then test each against options
For difficult vocabulary, use elimination - remove clearly wrong answers first
Pay attention to word order and direction (A causes B is different from B causes A)
In number analogies, check arithmetic patterns, squares, cubes, primes, and digit patterns
For letter analogies, write alphabetical positions to spot numerical patterns more easily

Ready to test your understanding?

Work through 139 questions with explanations after each answer.

Start practice

Next topic: Classification

Analogies questions with answers and concepts

Learn analogies with concept notes and worked examples, then practise focused questions with explained answers. Build accuracy for placement and competitive aptitude tests before trying timed mode.

139 practice questionsPage updated 11 Nov 2026Review metadata pendingPractice questions

Practise this concept

Key formulas and rules

4 rules

Proportional Analogy Form: $A : B :: C : D ⟺ Relationship (A, B) \equiv Relationship (C, D)$

Bridge Sentence Formulation: Define relation $R$ such that $B = R (A)$ ; then verify $D = R (C)$ under identical grammatical category

Category Preservation: If $(A, B)$ represents $(Noun, Adjective)$ , then $(C, D)$ must strictly preserve $(Noun, Adjective)$

Degree & Intensity Ordering: $Mild : Extreme :: Damp : Soaked ⟹ Scale (A \to B) = Scale (C \to D)$

Key concepts

Common Relationship Types

Word Analogies Format

Letter and Number Analogies

Verbal Analogies

Figural and Symbolic Analogies

Solving Approach

Check the idea while it is fresh.Open a focused exercise without losing this article.Practise this concept

Worked examples

Example 1

Doctor : Hospital :: Teacher : ?

Solution

Example 2

Forest : Trees :: Galaxy : ?

Solution

Example 3

Cube : 6 :: Tetrahedron : ?

Solution

Example 4

Listen : Hear :: Look : ?

Solution

Representative solved questions

See the kind of question in this topic before opening the full practice set.

Question 1

3 : 9 :: 4 : ?

Answer: C. 16

Explanation

3 becomes 9 by squaring: $3^{2} = 9$ .
Apply the same rule to 4.
$4^{2} = 16.$
Answer: 16.

Sources and review notes

This is an AISEA-authored practice question.

Review status: accepted · Reviewed 2026-08-13 · structure and answer-key checks, editorial quality checks, duplicate screening

Question 2

8 : 4 :: 27 : ?

Answer: C. 9

Explanation

$8 = 2^{3}$ and $4 = 2^{2}$ . The exponent is reduced by 1 (cube to square).
$27 = 3^{3}$ , so applying the same rule: $3^{2} = 9$ .
Answer: 9.

Sources and review notes

This is an AISEA-authored practice question.

Review status: accepted · Reviewed 2026-08-13 · structure and answer-key checks, editorial quality checks, duplicate screening

Question 3

5 : 30 :: 7 : ?

Answer: C. 56

Explanation

The rule is n(n+1): 5 x $6 = 30$ .
Apply to 7: 7 x $8 = 56$ .
Answer: 56.

Sources and review notes

This is an AISEA-authored practice question.

Review status: accepted · Reviewed 2026-08-13 · structure and answer-key checks, editorial quality checks, duplicate screening

Common mistakes and useful habits

Always try to express the relationship as a precise sentence before looking at options
Watch out for trap answers that have some connection but not the exact same relationship type
Consider multiple possible relationships if stuck, then test each against options
For difficult vocabulary, use elimination - remove clearly wrong answers first
Pay attention to word order and direction (A causes B is different from B causes A)
In number analogies, check arithmetic patterns, squares, cubes, primes, and digit patterns
For letter analogies, write alphabetical positions to spot numerical patterns more easily

Ready to test your understanding?

Work through 139 questions with explanations after each answer.

Start practice

Next topic: Classification

Key formulas and rules

Key concepts

Common Relationship Types

Word Analogies Format

Letter and Number Analogies

Verbal Analogies

Figural and Symbolic Analogies

Solving Approach

Worked examples

Example 1

Solution

Example 2

Solution

Example 3

Solution

Example 4

Solution

Representative solved questions

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Common mistakes and useful habits

Ready to test your understanding?

Keep building the same skill family.

Key formulas and rules

Key concepts

Common Relationship Types

Word Analogies Format

Letter and Number Analogies

Verbal Analogies

Figural and Symbolic Analogies

Solving Approach

Worked examples

Example 1

Solution

Example 2

Solution

Example 3

Solution

Example 4

Solution

Representative solved questions

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Common mistakes and useful habits

Ready to test your understanding?

Keep building the same skill family.