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Analogy
Verbal Reasoning · 7 Sections

Analogy

Master semantic, number, letter, and symbolic analogies — identify the hidden relationship between pairs and find the missing term with confidence in SSC, CAT and UPSC.

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Section 1 of 7

🔗 What is Analogy? — Relationship Types Overview

An analogy is a statement that asserts a parallel relationship between two pairs of words or numbers. The format is: A : B :: C : ? — read as “A is to B as C is to ?”. Your job is to identify the relationship between A and B, then apply the same relationship to C to find the answer.

A : B :: C : ?  →  “A is to B as C is to ?”

There are four broad categories of analogies tested in Indian competitive exams. Understanding which category a question belongs to is the first step to solving it quickly.

Semantic AnalogiesWord relationshipsTool:User, Part:Whole, Cause:Effect, Worker:Workplace, Animal:Sound, Degree. Example: Pen : Writer :: Scalpel : Surgeon
Number AnalogiesArithmetic patterns+n, ×n, n², n³, √n patterns. Example: 4 : 16 :: 7 : 49 (n²)
Letter AnalogiesAlphabet positionsForward/backward shifts, skips, mirror pairs, reversals. Example: A : C :: D : F (+2)
Symbolic AnalogiesLetter + Number combosMixed patterns using both letters and numbers. Example: A1 : B2 :: C3 : D4
🔗Analogy Explorer1 / 15
Pen:Writer
::
Scalpel:?
RelationshipTool → User

In the SSC CGL and CHSL, analogy questions account for 3–5 marks per paper. The relationship between A and B is always — that is the core principle of every analogy question.

The four main analogy categories are: Semantic, Number, Letter, and .

📝Practice Questions

Q1Doctor : Hospital :: Teacher : ?

Q2Pen : Writer :: Scalpel : ?

Q3Fire : Burn :: Knife : ?

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Section 2 of 7

📚 Semantic Analogies — Tool, Part, Cause & More

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Section 3 of 7

⚙️ Functional & Characteristic Analogies

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Section 4 of 7

🔢 Number Analogies — Arithmetic & Square Patterns

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Section 5 of 7

🔤 Letter Analogies — Alphabet Position Patterns

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Section 6 of 7

🔣 Symbolic & Mixed Analogies

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Section 7 of 7

🎯 Exam Strategy — Elimination & SSC CGL Patterns

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