Analogy for SSC GD

An analogy compares two pairs: A is to B as C is to ? It is written A : B :: C : ?. First find how A and B are connected. Then pick the option that has the same connection with C.

Analogy is one of the first types to master for SSC GD reasoning. It builds the habits you need everywhere else: saying a relationship clearly, knowing letter positions, and spotting squares and cubes. It usually takes under 30 seconds once you have practised it, so it is one of the easiest places to collect marks. The reasoning plan puts it in week one for that reason.

The sentence method

1. Say the link between the first pair in a short sentence: "A pen is used to write."
2. Put the third word into the same sentence: "A knife is used to ___."
3. Choose the option that fits exactly. If two options fit, make the sentence more precise.

This works for word analogies. For numbers and letters, the "sentence" is a rule, such as "square it" or "move each letter two steps forward".

Word analogies

More young ones worth knowing: cow and calf, goat and kid, sheep and lamb, horse and foal, lion and cub.

Number analogies

Two different rules can sometimes fit the same pair. 2 : 6 fits "× 3" and also "n × (n + 1)". So 5 : ? could be 15 or 30. In that case, look at the options. Usually only one of them appears.

Letter analogies

Use letter positions: A = 1, B = 2 … Z = 26. The EJOTY trick helps: E = 5, J = 10, O = 15, T = 20, Y = 25.

Solved examples

Example 1. Doctor : Hospital :: Chef : ? Options: (a) Food (b) Knife (c) Kitchen (d) Menu

1. Sentence: "A doctor works in a hospital."
2. "A chef works in a ___." Food is what a chef makes and a knife is a tool, so neither fits.
3. Answer: (c) Kitchen.

Example 2. Choose the pair that has the same relationship as Cow : Calf. Options: (a) Dog : Bark (b) Horse : Foal (c) Bird : Nest (d) Lion : Den

1. Sentence: "A calf is the young one of a cow."
2. Only "a foal is the young one of a horse" fits.
3. Answer: (b) Horse : Foal.

Example 3. 5 : 26 :: 7 : ? Options: (a) 49 (b) 50 (c) 36 (d) 56

1. 5² = 25, and 25 + 1 = 26. Rule: square plus one.
2. 7² + 1 = 49 + 1.
3. Answer: (b) 50.

Example 4. 4 : 63 :: 6 : ? Options: (a) 215 (b) 216 (c) 35 (d) 124

1. 4³ = 64, and 64 − 1 = 63. Rule: cube minus one.
2. 6³ − 1 = 216 − 1.
3. Answer: (a) 215. Option (b) is the trap for anyone who forgets the "minus one".

Example 5. ACE : BDF :: GIK : ?

1. A → B, C → D, E → F. Each letter moves one step forward.
2. G → H, I → J, K → L.
3. Answer: HJL.

Example 6. AZ : BY :: CX : ?

1. A (1) and Z (26) add to 27, as do B (2) and Y (25). The first letter moves forward and the second moves back.
2. C → D and X → W. Check: D (4) + W (23) = 27.
3. Answer: DW.

Common mistakes

Practice set

1. Bee : Hive :: Horse : ?
2. Tailor : Needle :: Barber : ? Options: (a) Hair (b) Scissors (c) Salon (d) Customer
3. 4 : 16 :: 6 : ? Options: (a) 36 (b) 30 (c) 42 (d) 48
4. 3 : 27 :: 5 : ? Options: (a) 25 (b) 100 (c) 125 (d) 150
5. BC : DE :: FG : ?
6. Thermometer : Temperature :: Barometer : ?
7. 9 : 80 :: 11 : ? Options: (a) 120 (b) 121 (c) 99 (d) 122
8. DOG : GRJ :: CAT : ?

Answers:

1. Stable. A bee lives in a hive; a horse lives in a stable.
2. (b) Scissors. The tool each worker uses. Hair and customer are what a barber works on, and salon is the workplace.
3. (a) 36. Square: 6² = 36.
4. (c) 125. Cube: 5³ = 125.
5. HI. The next two letters after each pair.
6. Atmospheric pressure. Each instrument and what it measures.
7. (a) 120. Square minus one: 11² − 1 = 120.
8. FDW. Each letter moves three steps forward: C → F, A → D, T → W.

What to do next

• Learn the word-relationship table, and add new pairs you meet in mocks.
• Solve 20 analogy questions a day for a week, saying the sentence each time.
• Write the alphabet with positions from memory until it takes under a minute.
• Move on to classification (odd one out), which uses the same relationships in reverse.