SSC Analogy Questions with Answers and Tricks

Analogy questions are a regular part of the SSC reasoning section. They test whether you can see the relationship between two things and apply the same relationship to another pair. Two to four questions come from analogy in almost every shift of CGL, CHSL, MTS and GD. This practice paper gives you 30 analogy questions with answers and short explanations, covering word, letter and number analogies.

Practice Paper at a Glance

What Is Analogy? Basic Concept in Simple Words

Analogy means similarity of relationship. A question gives you a pair of related items and asks you to find another pair that has the same relationship. It is written in the form A : B :: C : ?, which is read as "A is to B as C is to ?".

• Word analogy: relationships between meanings (tool and use, place and person, young and adult).
• Letter analogy: relationships between letters (shifting, reversal, opposite letters).
• Number analogy: relationships between numbers (squares, cubes, multiples, n^2 + 1).

Common Relationship Types and Shortcut Tricks for SSC Analogy

• Make a sentence that connects the first pair, such as "A pen is used to write". Use the same sentence for the second pair.
• Check the order: the relationship must have the same direction in both pairs.
• For letter analogies, write the position of each letter (A = 1 to Z = 26) and compare the shifts.
• For number analogies, check squares, cubes, doubles and the n^2 + 1 or n^2 - 1 patterns.
• Eliminate options that have the same category but a different relationship.
• Avoid strong guesses from general knowledge unless the relationship is clear.

Set 1: Word Analogy Questions (Q1–Q10)

Q1. Doctor : Hospital :: Teacher : ?
Answer: School
Solution: A doctor works in a hospital and a teacher works in a school (person and place of work).

Q2. Pen : Write :: Knife : ?
Answer: Cut
Solution: A pen is used to write and a knife is used to cut (tool and use).

Q3. Bird : Nest :: Lion : ?
Answer: Den
Solution: A bird lives in a nest and a lion lives in a den (animal and home).

Q4. Eye : See :: Ear : ?
Answer: Hear
Solution: The eye is used to see and the ear is used to hear (organ and function).

Q5. Fish : Water :: Camel : ?
Answer: Desert
Solution: A fish lives in water and a camel lives in the desert (animal and habitat).

Q6. Sun : Day :: Moon : ?
Answer: Night
Solution: The sun gives the day and the moon is seen at night.

Q7. Book : Library :: Painting : ?
Answer: Art gallery (or museum)
Solution: Books are kept in a library and paintings are kept in an art gallery.

Q8. Cow : Calf :: Dog : ?
Answer: Puppy
Solution: A calf is the young one of a cow and a puppy is the young one of a dog.

Q9. Hot : Cold :: Day : ?
Answer: Night
Solution: Hot and cold are opposites, and day and night are opposites.

Q10. Cricket : Bat :: Hockey : ?
Answer: Stick
Solution: Cricket is played with a bat and hockey is played with a stick (sport and equipment).

Set 2: Letter Analogy Questions (Q11–Q20)

Q11. ABC : CBA :: DEF : ?
Answer: FED
Trick: The letters of the group are written in reverse order.

Q12. AZ : BY :: CX : ?
Answer: DW
Solution: The first letter moves +1 and the second letter moves -1 each time.

Q13. CAT : DBU :: DOG : ?
Answer: EPH
Solution: Each letter is shifted by +1: D to E, O to P and G to H.

Q14. ACE : BDF :: GIK : ?
Answer: HJL
Solution: Each letter is shifted by +1: G to H, I to J and K to L.

Q15. BD : CE :: FH : ?
Answer: GI
Solution: Each letter is shifted by +1: F to G and H to I.

Q16. MN : OP :: QR : ?
Answer: ST
Solution: The pair moves two letters ahead each time: MN, OP, QR, ST.

Q17. AB : ZY :: CD : ?
Answer: XW
Trick: Each letter is replaced by its opposite letter: A and Z, B and Y, so C and X, D and W.

Q18. SIT : TJU :: BAT : ?
Answer: CBU
Solution: Each letter is shifted by +1: B to C, A to B and T to U.

Q19. ACEG : BDFH :: IKMO : ?
Answer: JLNP
Solution: Each letter is shifted by +1: I to J, K to L, M to N and O to P.

Q20. PQR : STU :: ABC : ?
Answer: DEF
Solution: The group moves three letters ahead each time: ABC, DEF.

Set 3: Number Analogy Questions (Q21–Q30)

Q21. 3 : 27 :: 4 : ?
Answer: 64
Trick: 3^3 = 27, so 4^3 = 64 (cubes).

Q22. 5 : 25 :: 7 : ?
Answer: 49
Solution: The second number is the square of the first: 7^2 = 49.

Q23. 12 : 144 :: 15 : ?
Answer: 225
Solution: 12^2 = 144, so 15^2 = 225.

Q24. 4 : 17 :: 6 : ?
Answer: 37
Trick: The pattern is n^2 + 1. 4^2 + 1 = 17 and 6^2 + 1 = 37.

Q25. 3 : 10 :: 5 : ?
Answer: 26
Solution: The pattern is n^2 + 1. 3^2 + 1 = 10 and 5^2 + 1 = 26.

Q26. 7 : 56 :: 9 : ?
Answer: 90
Trick: The pattern is n(n + 1). 7 x 8 = 56 and 9 x 10 = 90.

Q27. 8 : 4 :: 18 : ?
Answer: 9
Solution: The second number is half of the first number.

Q28. 15 : 4 :: 24 : ?
Answer: 5
Solution: The pattern is n^2 - 1 = number. 15 = 4^2 - 1 and 24 = 5^2 - 1, so the answer is 5.

Q29. 5 : 126 :: 6 : ?
Answer: 217
Solution: The pattern is n^3 + 1. 5^3 + 1 = 126 and 6^3 + 1 = 217.

Q30. 5 : 30 :: 7 : ?
Answer: 56
Solution: The pattern is n(n + 1). 5 x 6 = 30 and 7 x 8 = 56.

Common Mistakes in Analogy Questions

• Choosing an option based on a general association instead of the exact relationship.
• Reversing the order of the relationship (for example part and whole instead of whole and part).
• Not checking all the letters in a letter analogy.
• Ignoring squares, cubes and n^2 + 1 patterns in number analogies.
• Spending too much time on one difficult option instead of eliminating.
• Not reading all the options before answering.

How to Practice These 30 Questions

1. Learn the list of common relationship types.
2. Speak the relationship in a sentence for the first pair and test it on the second pair.
3. Solve Set 1 in 5 minutes, Set 2 in 8 minutes and Set 3 in 8 minutes.
4. Write the pattern for every letter and number analogy you solve.
5. Repeat the paper after seven days.

Related Topics to Study Next

• Coding-Decoding Questions
• Number Series Questions
• SSC Syllogism Questions
• SSC Previous Year Papers

Frequently Asked Questions

What is analogy in reasoning?

Analogy is a reasoning topic where you find the relationship between a given pair of words, letters or numbers and apply the same relationship to another pair.

How many analogy questions come in SSC exams?

Usually two to four analogy questions are asked in the reasoning section of SSC CGL, CHSL, MTS and GD papers.

What are the types of analogy?

The three main types are word analogy, letter analogy and number analogy. Word analogy also has sub-types such as tool and use, animal and home, and cause and effect.

How do I solve a word analogy quickly?

Make a simple sentence that links the first pair and test the same sentence on the options. The option that fits the sentence is the answer.

How do I solve a letter analogy?

Convert the letters to their positions, find the shift between the two groups in the first pair and apply the same shift to the second pair.

How do I solve a number analogy?

Check whether the numbers follow a pattern of squares, cubes, doubles, halves or n^2 + 1 and apply the same pattern to the second number.

What is the sign :: in an analogy question?

The sign :: means "as". A : B :: C : D is read as "A is to B as C is to D".

What if two options seem correct?

Check the exact relationship again, including its direction. Choose the option which matches the relationship of the first pair in the same order and with the same level of similarity.

How can I improve my vocabulary for analogies?

Read daily, learn word pairs by category (tools, animals, professions, places) and solve one set of word analogies every day.

How should I prepare analogy for SSC exams?

Practise all three types, learn the common relationship list, track your mistakes and take timed reasoning mock tests.