Logical Reasoning · Micro-test

Analogies

An analogy question gives you one pair and asks for another pair built the same way. The work is in stating the first relationship as a precise sentence before you look at the options.

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What this topic actually tests

The reliable method is the bridge sentence. Take the given pair and join the two words with a sentence that is as specific as you can make it: not 'a judge has something to do with a verdict' but 'a judge delivers a verdict'. Then run each option through the same sentence. If two options survive, the sentence was too loose and needs tightening: 'a judge is the person whose formal product is a verdict'. Most relationships fall into a small set of families: cause and effect (spark, fire), part and whole (chapter, book), worker and tool (surgeon, scalpel), worker and product (legislature, statute), degree (warm, hot), opposites (acquit, convict), and category and member. The order of the pair matters as much as the relationship. If the first pair runs part to whole, the answer must run part to whole too; an option that has the right two ideas in the reverse order is wrong. Number and letter analogies work the same way: find the operation that turns the first term into the second (cube it, move each letter one place forward) and apply exactly that operation to the third term. Worked example: Chapter is to Book as Section is to what? A chapter is a numbered division of a book; a section is a numbered division of an Act.

The common trap on this topic

The usual mistake is choosing an option because it is associated with the third word instead of because it stands in the same relationship. 'Judge' is closely associated with 'gavel' and 'courtroom', but neither completes 'Legislature is to Statute'. The second mistake is ignoring direction: 'Fire : Spark' is not the same relationship as 'Spark : Fire'. The third is stopping at the first workable operation in a number analogy. If 3 becomes 27, both 'multiply by 9' and 'cube' fit; check which of them produces an answer that is actually among the options.

Analogies: answers and explanations

Judge : Verdict :: Legislature : ?
Answer: A. Statute
A judge delivers a verdict; a legislature enacts a statute. The relationship is a body and its formal product. An election produces a legislature, which is the relationship in the wrong direction.
Plaintiff : Civil suit :: Prosecution : ?
Answer: D. Criminal trial
The plaintiff is the party who brings a civil suit; the prosecution is the party that brings a criminal trial.
Spark : Fire :: Rumour : ?
Answer: B. Panic
A spark is a small cause that sets off a fire; a rumour is a small cause that sets off panic. The relationship is trigger and the larger effect it produces.
Chapter : Book :: Section : ?
Answer: B. Act
A chapter is a numbered division of a book; a section is a numbered division of an Act of Parliament. The relationship is part to whole.
Scalpel : Surgeon :: Chisel : ?
Answer: B. Sculptor
A scalpel is the tool a surgeon works with; a chisel is the tool a sculptor works with. Marble is the material and a statue is the product, neither of which is the worker.
Which pair has the same relationship as Acquit : Convict?
Answer: D. Allow : Forbid
To acquit and to convict are opposites. Allow and forbid are opposites. The other three pairs are near-synonyms or related steps, not opposites.
3 : 27 :: 5 : ?
Answer: D. 125
27 is the cube of 3, and the cube of 5 is 125. 'Multiply by 9' also turns 3 into 27, but it would give 45, which is not offered, so the cube is the intended operation.
Warm : Hot :: Dislike : ?
Answer: A. Loathe
Hot is a stronger degree of warm; loathe is a stronger degree of dislike. The relationship is one of increasing intensity, not opposition.
Petal : Flower :: Clause : ?
Answer: C. Contract
A petal is one of the parts that make up a flower; a clause is one of the parts that make up a contract. The relationship is part to whole.
ACE : BDF :: MOQ : ?
Answer: B. NPR
Each letter of ACE moves one place forward to give BDF. Moving each letter of MOQ one place forward gives NPR. OQS moves two places, and LNP moves one place back.

FAQ

What is the fastest way to solve an analogy question?

Write a short, specific sentence linking the first pair, then substitute each option into that sentence. Only one option should make the sentence true in the same order.

What kinds of relationship are most common?

Cause and effect, part and whole, worker and tool, worker and product, degree of intensity, synonyms and antonyms, and category and member cover the great majority of questions.

Does CLAT ask analogy questions?

Stand-alone analogies are uncommon in recent CLAT papers, which favour passages, but reasoning by analogy is tested inside Logical and Legal Reasoning passages, which is the skill these questions train. Entrance tests with an analytical reasoning section, such as MH-CET Law, ask them directly.

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