Overview: Analogy | CSAT Preparation - UPSC PDF Download

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As per the CSAT point of view and the analysis of Previous Years’ Papers  it has come to the notice that in the year 2024, two questions and in the years 2022-2016 one question each was asked from this chapter.

Analogy refers to a "similarity" or "correspondence" between objects or things based on shared features or properties. It involves identifying logical similarities and relationships between two or more items. Questions on analogy evaluate a candidate's ability to recognize these relationships and apply them to solve the given problem. While intellectual skills are crucial for analyzing such similarities, having a strong vocabulary and understanding of word usage significantly enhances performance. These questions encompass a wide range of potential relationships. 
Below are the types of questions typically asked under analogy:

Word Analogy

The concept of word analogy is to establish a relation between a pair of words. These words can be any words and these questions can cover any relationship that one can think of like quantity and units, workers and tools, cause and effect, word-synonym, country-capital, state-capital, country-currency, animal and their young ones, male-female etc. In these type of questions, a pair of word is given having certain relationship and based on that it is asked to establish the similar relation for another word or to choose an analogous pair from the option bearing the similar relationship.
Example given below will help to a candidates to have a better idea of such questions.
Example: Parliament’ is related to ‘Great Britain’ in the same way as ‘Congress’ is  related to
(a) Japan 
(b) India 
(c) USA 
(d) Netherland
Ans: (c)
Sol: The law assembly of ‘Great Britain’ is known as ‘Parliament’ in the same way law assembly of ‘USA’ is known as ‘Congress’.

Number Analogy

The number analogy is based on the capability and intellectual capacity of the candidate to relate the number with another number or group of number which shows similar relationship between them. These relationship can be of any type like change of order of digits, frequency of digits, similar total of digits, number and their square and cubes, division/ multiplication with some particular number etc. Examples given below will help to understand it better.
Example: Choose the correct alternative which represent the same relationship as first two bears.
3252 : 4044 :: 5757 : ?
(a) 9099 
(b) 5756 
(c)  5469 
(d) 9655
Ans: (c)
Sol: Here, in first two terms sum, the sum of digits of each number is same i.e. 12. Similarly, sum of digits of last two numbers is same and is equal to 24 (as sum of digits of 5757 is 24).

Alphabet Analogy

Alphabet analogy comprises of the questions based on English alphabet, letter/group of letters and the relationship between them. The candidates are required to find out from the given alternatives the given letter or the group of letters. Before dealing with the problems, candidates are advised to remember the following:
Ascending/Forward Order Letters Position

Descending/Backward Order Letters Position

Opposite Letters
Example: Which alphabet should replace the question mark?
A : F : : L : ?
(a) E 
(b) N 
(c) V 
(d) C
Ans: (c)
Sol: As, A and F are made of three simple lines. Similarly, L and V are made of two simple lines.

Letter-Number Analogy

In letter number analogy questions, there is a certain relationship between the given group of letters and a number on one side of ‘::’ and a group of letters is given on the other side. Candidates are asked to find out the correct alternative given in form of numbers that has same relationship with that group of letters. These relationship of letter-number may be based on the positional values of letters sum or product of the positional values of letters, sum or product of positional value of opposite letters, average of total of positional values of letters etc.
Example: Choose the correct alternative. 
RACK : 33 :: BOTTLE : ?
(a) 74 
(b) 75 
(c) 73 
(d) 72
Ans: (a)
Sol: As 33 is the sum of positional values of the letters in RACK, similarly, the sum of positional values of the letters in BOTTLE is 74. i.e.
As,
Similarly,

Solved Examples

Example1: Choose the correct alternative which shows same relationship. 
Botany : Plant : : Entomology : ? 
(a) Shakes
(b) Insects 
(c) Birds 
(d) Germs
Ans: (b)
Sol: As Botany is the branch of Science which deals with the study of plants. Similarly, Entomology is the branch of Science which deals with the study of insects.

Example2: Choose the correct alternative which represent the same relationship as second two bears.
? : 1331 : : 10 : 1000
(a) 11 
(b) 12 
(c) 13 
(d) 14
Ans: (a)
Sol: As, in last two terms first is cube root of second, similarly, in first two terms 11 is cube root of 1331. On the basis of above relationship following type of questions can be asked in number analogy.

Example3: What should come in place of question mark (?)
AKHIL : KAHLI : : SURYA : ?
(a) USRAY 
(b) AYRUS 
(c) AYRSU 
(d) YASUR
Ans: (a)
Sol: As,

Similarly,

Example4: Which of the following pairs has the same relationship as it is between JL and WZ?
(a) AC and RU
(b) AB and PW 
(c) PR and LM 
(d) TU and WX
Ans: (a)
Sol: As,

Similarly,

Example5: Choose the correct alternative. 
FLUTE : 61221205 :: ? : 45199714
(a) POLUTE 
(b) DESIGN 
(c) BOTTLE 
(d) PENTA
Ans: (b)
Sol: As 61221205 is the positional values of letters of FLUTE, similary 45199714 is the positional values of the letters of DESIGN. i.e.
As,

Similarly,