Types of Analogies | Logical Reasoning for UGC NET PDF Download

Analogies are comparisons between two things that highlight some form of relationship or similarity between them. 

In competitive exams, analogy questions are used to test a candidate's ability to recognize relationships and apply logical reasoning to identify similar patterns. Below are detailed explanations of various types of analogies, along with points to help understand each type better.

1. Word Analogies

Word analogies involve a pair of words that share a specific relationship. The goal is to find another pair of words that share the same relationship.

• Example: Hot : Cold :: Tall : Short

• Example: Finger : Hand :: Toe : Foot

• Example: Apple : Fruit :: Carrot : Vegetable

• Example: Rain : Flood :: Study : Success

• Example: Knife : Cut :: Pen : Write

Examples:

1. Dog : Puppy :: Cat : ?

(A) Kitten 

(B) Calf 

(C) Cub 

(D) Foal

Answer: (A) Kitten
Solution: A puppy is a young dog, and a kitten is a young cat.

2. Doctor : Hospital :: Teacher : ?

(A) School 

(B) Office 

(C) Market 

(D) Library

Answer: (A) School
Solution: A doctor works in a hospital, and a teacher works in a school.

3. Day : Night :: Good : ?

(A) Best 

(B) Bad 

(C) Fine 

(D) Better

Answer: (B) Bad
Solution: Day is the opposite of night, and good is the opposite of bad.

4. Book : Read :: Food : ?

(A) Eat 

(B) Cook 

(C) Taste 

(D) Serve

Answer: (A) Eat
Solution: A book is something you read, and food is something you eat.

5. Knife : Cut :: Pen : ?

(A) Write 

(B) Draw 

(C) Print 

(D) Sketch

Answer: (A) Write
Solution: A knife is used to cut, and a pen is used to write.

2. Alphabet Analogies

These analogies involve relationships between groups of letters. The relationships can be based on the alphabetical positions or patterns in the sequence. 

Alphabetical Order: The relationship may involve moving forwards or backwards in the alphabet.

• Example: A : B :: C : D

• Example: A : Z :: B : Y

• Example: A : C :: E : G

• Example: B (2nd) : E (5th) :: C (3rd) : F (6th)

Examples:

1. LS : OH :: ? : PC

(A) PK 

(B) HP 

(C) KX 

(D) XY

Answer: (C) KX
Solution: L and S are opposites in alphabetical order, as are O and H. P and C are opposites of K and X.

2. BCD : EFG :: LMN : ?

(A) PQO 

(B) OPQ 

(C) QPO 

(D) POQ

Answer: (B) OPQ
Solution: BCD moves three letters forward to EFG, and LMN moves three letters forward to OPQ.

3. ABC : DEF :: GHI : ?

(A) JKL 

(B) MNO 

(C) PQR 

(D) STU

Answer: (A) JKL

4. PQR : STU :: WXY : ?

(A) ABC 

(B) DEF 

(C) YZA 

(D) XYZ

Answer: (D) XYZ

5. JUMP : KVNQ :: STEP : ?

(A) TUFQ 

(B) TQFS 

(C) TWOP 

(D) TRMQ

Answer: (A) TUFQ
Solution: Each letter in JUMP is moved one place forward in the alphabet to form KVNQ, and similarly, STEP becomes TUFQ.

3. Number-Based Analogies

Number-based analogies involve pairs of numbers that share a specific arithmetic relationship. The task is to find the number that maintains the same relationship in another pair.

Addition: One number is derived from adding a specific value to another.

• Example: 2 : 4 :: 3 : 5 (Add 2)

• Example: 5 : 3 :: 7 : 5 (Subtract 2)

Multiplication: One number is derived by multiplying another by a specific factor.

• Example: 3 : 9 :: 4 : 12 (Multiply by 3)

Division: One number is derived by dividing another by a specific factor.

• Example: 8 : 4 :: 10 : 5 (Divide by 2)

• Example: 2 : 4 (2²) :: 3 : 9 (3²)

Examples:

1. 4 : 8 :: 16 : ?

(A) 28 

(B) 18 

(C) 20 

(D) 32

Answer: (D) 32
Solution: 4 multiplied by 2 gives 8. Similarly, 16 multiplied by 2 gives 32.

2. 8 : 56 :: 9 : ?

(A) 10 

(B) 63 

(C) 7 

(D) 9

Answer: (B) 63
Solution: 8 multiplied by 7 gives 56. Similarly, 9 multiplied by 7 gives 63.

3. 5 : 25 :: 6 : ?

(A) 36 

(B) 30 

(C) 31 

(D) 35

Answer: (A) 36

4. 3 : 9 :: 7 : ?

(A) 42 

(B) 49 

(C) 48 

(D) 50

Answer: (B) 49

5. 12 : 24 :: 20 : ?

(A) 40 

(B) 30 

(C) 50 

(D) 60

Answer: (A) 40

4. Alpha-Numeric Analogies

These analogies involve both letters and numbers, where the relationship can be based on the position of the letters in the alphabet, arithmetic operations on these positions, or a combination of both.

• Example: A (1) : C (3) :: B (2) : D (4)

• Example: ACE (1, 3, 5) : BDF (2, 4, 6)

• Example: NEWS (14, 5, 23, 19) : PAPER (16, 1, 16, 5, 18)

Examples:

1. NEWS : 14, 5, 23, 19 :: PAPER : ?

(A) 16, 5, 16, 1, 18 

(B) 18, 5, 16, 1, 16 

(C) 16, 1, 16, 5, 18 

(D) 32, 2, 32, 10, 36

Answer: (C) 16, 1, 16, 5, 18
Solution: Each letter in NEWS is replaced by its alphabetical position (N=14, E=5, W=23, S=19). Similarly, PAPER is (P=16, A=1, P=16, E=5, R=18).

2. FILM : 10 :: HOTEL : ?

(A) 12 

(B) 16 

(C) 18 

(D) 30

Answer: (A) 12
Solution: The sum of the alphabetical positions of FILM is 10. Similarly, the sum for HOTEL is 12.

3. CAT : 3, 1, 20 :: DOG : ?

(A) 4, 15, 7 

(B) 5, 14, 6 

(C) 3, 14, 20 

(D) 4, 14, 7

Answer: (A) 4, 15, 7

4. BALL : 2, 1, 12, 12 :: GAME : ?

(A) 7, 1, 13, 5 

(B) 8, 1, 14, 5 

(C) 7, 2, 13, 4 

(D) 6, 1, 13, 6

Answer: (A) 7, 1, 13, 5

5. TREE : 20, 18, 5, 5 :: FLOWER : ?

(A) 6, 12, 15, 23, 5, 18 

(B) 7, 11, 16, 24, 6, 19 

(C) 8, 10, 17, 25, 7, 20 

(D) 9, 13, 18, 26, 8, 21

Answer: (A) 6, 12, 15, 23, 5, 18

5. Object Analogies

These analogies compare relationships between objects, their functions, or their attributes.

• Example: Scissors : Cut :: Broom : Sweep

• Example: Wheel : Car :: Handle : Door

• Example: Fish : Water :: Bird : Air

• Example: Artist : Brush :: Writer : Pen

• Example: Shirt : Fabric :: Chair : Wood

Examples:

1. Scissors : Cut :: Broom : ?

(A) Clean 

(B) Dust 

(C) Sweep 

(D) Wipe

Answer: (C) Sweep
Solution: Scissors are used to cut, and a broom is used to sweep.

2. Wheel : Car :: Handle : ?

(A) Door 

(B) Window 

(C) Roof 

(D) Floor

Answer: (A) Door
Solution: A wheel is a part of a car, and a handle is a part of a door.

3. Fish : Water :: Bird : ?

(A) Tree 

(B) Air 

(C) Nest 

(D) Sky

Answer: (B) Air
Solution: Fish live in water, and birds fly in the air.

4. Artist : Brush :: Writer : ?

(A) Paper 

(B) Book 

(C) Pen 

(D) Typewriter

Answer: (C) Pen
Solution: An artist uses a brush, and a writer uses a pen.

5. Shirt : Fabric :: Chair : ?

(A) Wood 

(B) Metal 

(C) Plastic 

(D) Cloth

Answer: (A) Wood
Solution: A shirt is made of fabric, and a chair is made of wood.