Analogies for SSC CHSL

An analogy compares two pairs: A is to B as C is to ? The first pair shows a relationship. Your job is to find the item that has the same relationship with C. The key word is same. An option that is merely related to C is a trap, and SSC CHSL options are usually built around exactly that trap.

Analogy questions appear in both Tier 1 and Tier 2 reasoning, in three forms: word analogies, number analogies and letter analogies. Some ask you to complete a pair; others ask you to choose the whole pair that matches. All three forms fall to the same method.

The sentence test

1. Say the relationship as a sentence. "A book is kept in a library."
2. Put C into the same sentence. "A painting is kept in a ___."
3. Test every option, not just the first that fits.
4. If several fit, make the sentence more specific until only one does.

Why it works: a vague relationship such as "they are connected" fits every option, while a precise sentence fits only one. The options are designed so that the precise relationship picks out one answer and the loose ones pick out the distractors.

Word analogies

Order matters. Wheat : Bread is raw material to product; Bread : Wheat is the reverse. An option with the right pair in the wrong order is wrong.

Number analogies

The pair follows a rule: square, cube, square ± 1, n(n + 1), digit sum or digit product. Test the common rules in this order: n², n³, n² ± 1, n³ ± 1, n(n + 1), digit operations.

A single pair can often be explained by more than one rule. For 5 : 30, "× 6" works and so does "n(n + 1)". So after finding a rule, check the options against the rival rules too. If only one option survives, that is the answer. The options exist to settle exactly this.

Letter analogies

Convert letters to positions (A = 1 … Z = 26) and check three things:

• Shifts: each letter moves forward or back by a fixed number. ACE : BDF :: GIK : HJL (each +1).
• Reversal: the letters are written backwards, sometimes with a shift.
• Opposite letters: positions add to 27, as in A–Z, B–Y, C–X and M–N.

Six worked questions

Q1. Book : Library :: Painting : ? (a) Artist (b) Gallery (c) Canvas (d) Frame
Sentence: "A book is kept in a library." A painting is kept in a gallery. The artist makes it and the canvas is what it is painted on. Both are related, but neither is the same relationship. Answer: (b).

Q2. Doctor : Stethoscope :: Carpenter : ? (a) Wood (b) Furniture (c) Saw (d) Nail
Sentence: "A doctor works with a stethoscope as a tool." Wood is a raw material, furniture is a product, and a nail is material used up in the work. The tool is the saw. Answer: (c).

Q3. Choose the pair that has the same relationship as Bird : Nest. (a) Cow : Milk (b) Lion : Den (c) Dog : Bark (d) Horse : Foal
Sentence: "A bird lives in a nest." Only Lion : Den fits. The others are product, sound and young one. Answer: (b).

Q4. 11 : 120 :: 9 : ? (a) 72 (b) 80 (c) 81 (d) 90
11² − 1 = 120, so 9² − 1 = 80. Check rivals: 120 = 10 × 12, which gives 8 × 10 = 80, the same answer; 11 × 12 = 132, so n(n + 1) fails. Answer: (b) 80.

Q5. 3 : 28 :: 5 : ? (a) 124 (b) 125 (c) 126 (d) 130
3³ + 1 = 28, so 5³ + 1 = 126. Rival rule "+ 25" would give 30, which is not an option. Answer: (c) 126.

Q6. AZ : BY :: CX : ? (a) DW (b) DV (c) EW (d) DX
In each pair the letters are opposites (1 + 26 = 27, 2 + 25 = 27). The first letters move A → B → C → D, so the next pair starts with D and its opposite is W (4 + 23 = 27). Answer: (a) DW.

Common traps

Practice

1. Pen : Ink :: Car : ? (a) Wheel (b) Petrol (c) Road (d) Driver
2. Cow : Calf :: Sheep : ? (a) Kid (b) Lamb (c) Foal (d) Cub
3. 6 : 216 :: 4 : ? (a) 16 (b) 48 (c) 64 (d) 256
4. 8 : 65 :: 10 : ? (a) 99 (b) 100 (c) 101 (d) 110
5. BDF : CEG :: MOQ : ? (a) NPR (b) NOP (c) LNP (d) NQS
6. Kilogram : Mass :: Litre : ? (a) Liquid (b) Volume (c) Water (d) Length
7. FU : GT :: KP : ? (a) LO (b) LQ (c) JO (d) MN
8. 5 : 30 :: 7 : ? (a) 48 (b) 56 (c) 60 (d) 63

Answers:

1. (b) Petrol. A pen uses ink to work; a car uses petrol. A wheel is a part, a different relationship.
2. (b) Lamb. A calf is a young cow; a lamb is a young sheep. A kid is a young goat.
3. (c) 64. 6³ = 216, so 4³ = 64. 16 and 256 would need 6² or 6⁴.
4. (c) 101. 8² + 1 = 65, so 10² + 1 = 101.
5. (a) NPR. Each letter moves one place forward.
6. (b) Volume. The kilogram is the unit of mass; the litre is a unit of volume. Liquid and water are things measured, not the quantity.
7. (a) LO. Each pair is opposite letters (F6 + U21 = 27). First letters move forward one: K → L, and L's opposite is O (12 + 15 = 27).
8. (b) 56. 5 × 6 = 30, so 7 × 8 = 56. The rival rule "× 6" gives 42, which is not an option.

What to do next

• Write the sentence for every analogy you practise this week, even the easy ones.
• Solve 30 number analogies, checking at least one rival rule each time.
• Learn the opposite-letter pairs until you can name any letter's pair instantly.
• Move on to odd one out, which uses the same relationships, and number series for the number rules.