A word analogy gives you one pair of words with a defined relationship and asks you to complete a second pair using the same logic. The technique is always the same: identify the relationship in the first pair, state it as a simple sentence, then apply that sentence to the second pair to find the missing word. In “attack is to defend as timid is to …”, attack and defend are opposites, so the answer must be the opposite of timid: bold.
What is a verbal reasoning analogy question?
Verbal reasoning tests are designed to assess a candidate’s ability to comprehend and make deductions from written text, and analogy questions are a common component. They test your ability to identify relationships between pairs (and sometimes sets) of words or ideas.
Analogy questions are often written in the notation A : B :: C : ___, which reads “A is to B as C is to …”. Generally, a question offers two words with a certain relationship as an example pairing, then asks you to match a third word to its corresponding partner from a set of multiple-choice answers.
How to answer analogy questions
Work through every analogy question with the same four steps:
- Study the example pair on its own before looking at the answer options.
- State the relationship as a precise sentence, for example “a spatula is the tool you use to flip”.
- Apply that sentence to the third word to predict the missing word.
- Test each answer option against your sentence, eliminating any that do not fit. If more than one option survives, make your sentence more specific and test again.
The elimination step matters because analogy questions deliberately include options that relate to the third word in some way. Only one option relates to it in the same way as the example pair.
10 types of word connections used in analogy tests
Below are the most commonly encountered word relationships used in verbal reasoning analogy questions, with a brief description of each:
1) Antonyms
Questions involving antonyms feature words that have opposite meanings. You are expected to recognise this relationship and identify the relevant opposing word from the answer options.
2) Synonyms
Synonym questions involve word pairings in which the expressions have similar meanings.
3) Cause and effect
Cause and effect questions feature terms that form a causal relationship. You may be asked to identify a cause or an effect, and the association may not be presented linearly.
4) Degree of intensity
In these questions, the correct word pairing involves two terms that are equivalent to each other but differ in intensity.
5) Item to category
Item to category questions involve norms of categorisation. You will be shown an item-category relationship, then asked to identify the relevant category for an item, or the item which falls into the stated category.
6) Descriptive connection
In descriptive connection questions, one of the words in the pair describes the other. You may be asked to identify the descriptor or the thing it describes.
7) Processes
Some questions involve words connected as stages or outcomes of the same process. You may need to identify the process itself, or a previous or subsequent stage.
8) Functions
Function questions pair an item with the function it performs. You may need to identify the item that performs a certain function, or the function an item performs.
9) Symbols and representation
Symbol questions contain words that reference commonly known symbols. You need to match the symbol to the word it represents, or the concept to its symbol.
10) Implied relationships
Some analogy questions allude to a less direct relationship between terms. You are required to identify the nature of the relationship and create another word pairing within the same template.
Example analogy questions with answers
Each question below follows the A : B :: C : ___ format. Work out the relationship in the first pair, then pick the option that completes the second pair in the same way.
1) Antonyms
attack : defend :: timid : ___
- a) quiet
- b) bold
- c) fight
- d) shy
Answer: b) bold. ‘Attack’ and ‘defend’ are antonyms, so we need the opposite of ‘timid’. A word describing the opposite of ‘timid’ is ‘bold’, therefore option b forms the correct pairing.
2) Synonyms
hungry : ravenous :: poor : ___
- a) rich
- b) disenfranchised
- c) destitute
- d) homeless
Answer: c) destitute. The list contains purposefully distracting terms that relate to ‘poor’. Option a (‘rich’) is an antonym, while options b and d are possible effects of poverty. ‘Ravenous’ is a synonym of ‘hungry’, so the correct answer is the synonym ‘destitute’.
3) Cause and effect
authoritarian : oppression :: freedom : ___
- a) voice
- b) liberty
- c) leadership
- d) democratic
Answer: d) democratic. From the example pairing, ‘authoritarian’ is a cause and ‘oppression’ a potential effect. Note that the logic sometimes needs to be applied in the inverse: the unattached word, ‘freedom’, is an effect, so the correct answer must represent a cause, ‘democratic’.
4) Degree of intensity
irritated : incensed :: careful : ___
- a) meticulous
- b) organised
- c) enraged
- d) cautious
Answer: a) meticulous. It is tempting to select option d (‘cautious’) as a synonym for ‘careful’. But ‘incensed’ is not simply a synonym for ‘irritated’: the intensity of the feeling has been increased. Applying that logic to the unresolved pairing, the correct answer is ‘meticulous’.
5) Item to category
tomato : fruit :: sorghum : ___
- a) wheat
- b) plant
- c) grain
- d) vegetable
Answer: c) grain. A ‘tomato’ is a ‘fruit’, so sorghum belongs to the category ‘grain’. While option b (‘plant’) is also true, the example pairing shows a more precise level of categorisation. Option a (‘wheat’) is a fellow grain, and option d (‘vegetable’) plays on the mental pairing of ‘fruit’ and ‘vegetable’.
6) Descriptive connection
ocean : salty :: sharp : ___
- a) blood
- b) knife
- c) cut
- d) bandage
Answer: b) knife. ‘Salty’ is an adjective that describes the ‘ocean’. In the second pairing we already have the adjective, ‘sharp’, so we need the thing it describes: a ‘knife’. The other options, although related, describe causes, effects and functions, so they do not create the correct pairing.
7) Processes
fossilisation : fossils :: sand : ___
- a) beach
- b) erosion
- c) heat
- d) geology
Answer: b) erosion. Fossils are formed through the process of ‘fossilisation’. Here the logic runs in the inverse: ‘sand’ is the product, so the answer is the process that creates it, ‘erosion’.
8) Functions
spatula : flip :: stir : ___
- a) whisk
- b) awaken
- c) spoon
- d) bowl
Answer: c) spoon. In the example, the tool ‘spatula’ is paired with its function, ‘flip’. Here we have the function ‘stir’ and need the tool that performs it: a ‘spoon’. Option a (‘whisk’) is a synonym for ‘stir’, option b (‘awaken’) is a synonym in a different context, and option d (‘bowl’) relates to the setting rather than the tool.
9) Symbols and representation
dove : peace :: lion : ___
- a) fierce
- b) cat
- c) courage
- d) symbol
Answer: c) courage. A ‘dove’ is a well-known symbol of ‘peace’. As the pairing relates to symbolic representation, not behaviour or categorisation, the ‘lion’ pairs with the quality it commonly symbolises: ‘courage’.
10) Implied relationships
teller : bank :: server : ___
- a) web
- b) restaurant
- c) work
- d) food
Answer: b) restaurant. Whilst being a ‘server’ is a form of ‘work’, servers carry ‘food’, and a ‘web’ server hosts data, only one option relates to ‘server’ in the same manner as ‘teller’ relates to ‘bank’: a ‘teller’ works in a ‘bank’, and a ‘server’ works in a ‘restaurant’.
Tips for answering analogy questions
Widen your vocabulary
If you meet words you do not know within pairings, the connection becomes much harder to decipher. Building your vocabulary, particularly synonyms and antonyms, directly improves your speed and certainty on analogy questions.
Accustom yourself to the question styles
There are ten types of word connection commonly employed in analogy questions. To answer rapidly and accurately, become familiar with all of them, and spend dedicated time on any you find harder, such as separating synonyms from degree-of-intensity pairings.
Use elimination to determine the logic in the question
Keep the possible word connections in mind as you read each example pair, mentally working through them until you settle on the relationship that fits best. This prevents you from jumping to conclusions about the question logic.
Apply the logic of the example pair to every answer option
Seek to eliminate the answers that do not create a mirrored pair, using the logic of the example until only the correct option remains. Candidates often fall into the trap of selecting the first answer that appears to fit instead of reading and testing all the choices.
Think about how the questions fit into the rest of the test
Verbal reasoning tests contain a variety of different question types, of which analogies are only one. The test will be timed, so it is useful to know whether analogy questions can help you make up time, or whether time saved elsewhere will need to be dedicated to them.
Practise verbal analogy questions
Analogies reward familiarity, so timed practice pays off quickly. Work through our verbal reasoning tests to practise analogies alongside the other question types you will face, and try our basic comprehension tests to sharpen the underlying reading skills. For strategy and pacing, see our guide on how to prepare for a verbal reasoning test.
