What you will learn
- read an analogy in the form A : B :: C : ? and name the relationship between A and B,
- recognise the common relationship families (category, part-whole, function, young-of, opposite, degree, tool-of, cause-effect),
- apply the same relationship (in the same direction) to pick the fourth term,
- eliminate distractors that share a surface feature but not the relationship,
- move fast enough to attempt 20 items in 10 minutes.
Question: cat : kitten :: dog : ? (a) cub (b) puppy (c) calf (d) foal
Step 1. Name the link. A kitten is a young cat. So the relationship is adult animal : its young.
Step 2. Apply the same link to “dog”. The young of a dog is a puppy.
Step 3. Check distractors:
- cub = young of a bear or lion, not a dog.
- calf = young of a cow (or elephant, whale), not a dog.
- foal = young of a horse, not a dog.
Answer: (b) puppy.
1. Category relationships (member of a group)
The first word is a specific example; the second names the group it belongs to — or the other way round.
sparrow : bird :: shark : ? (a) water (b) fin (c) fish (d) predator
sparrow is a type of bird, so shark is a type of ?. A shark is a type of fish. Answer: (c). “Predator” is true of sharks but is not a category — it is a role.
2. Part-to-whole relationships
One word names a part, the other names the whole it belongs to.
petal : flower :: page : ? (a) word (b) cover (c) book (d) author
A petal is a part of a flower. A page is a part of a book. Answer: (c). “Word” is a part of a page (smaller than a page, not bigger), so the direction is wrong.
3. Function or tool relationships
One word is the object; the other is what it is used for, or who uses it.
brush : painter :: scalpel : ? (a) patient (b) hospital (c) surgeon (d) wound
A brush is the tool used by a painter. A scalpel is the tool used by a surgeon. Answer: (c).
4. Opposites and degree
Two words can be opposites (antonyms) or the same idea at different intensities (big : huge, warm : hot).
warm : hot :: damp : ? (a) dry (b) soaked (c) cold (d) wet
“warm” is a mild form of “hot” — same idea, stronger. “damp” is a mild form of being wet; the stronger version is soaked. Answer: (b). “wet” is too close to “damp” (same intensity); “dry” is the opposite, not a stronger version.
Drill pack
Set a timer for 10 minutes, pencil only, no dictionary. Pick the single best option.
- No attempts yet.
Timed drill
- cow : calf :: kangaroo : ? (a) cub (b) joey (c) foal (d) pup
- finger : hand :: toe : ? (a) leg (b) sock (c) foot (d) nail
- library : book :: gallery : ? (a) artist (b) painting (c) frame (d) ticket
- bee : hive :: bird : ? (a) tree (b) sky (c) nest (d) wing
- pen : write :: scissors : ? (a) sharp (b) paper (c) cut (d) metal
- shiver : cold :: sweat : ? (a) water (b) hot (c) towel (d) tired
- happy : ecstatic :: sad : ? (a) tear (b) angry (c) heartbroken (d) quiet
- chef : kitchen :: judge : ? (a) jury (b) law (c) courtroom (d) sentence
- thirsty : drink :: tired : ? (a) yawn (b) sleep (c) bed (d) awake
- island : sea :: oasis : ? (a) palm (b) camel (c) desert (d) water
- sculptor : chisel :: carpenter : ? (a) wood (b) house (c) saw (d) nail
- whisper : shout :: jog : ? (a) walk (b) run (c) sprint (d) stop
- hungry : starving :: tired : ? (a) bored (b) resting (c) exhausted (d) sleepy
- feather : bird :: scale : ? (a) fish (b) weight (c) rock (d) skin
- author : novel :: composer : ? (a) piano (b) orchestra (c) symphony (d) audience
- cup : shelf :: car : ? (a) road (b) driver (c) garage (d) petrol
- doctor : patient :: teacher : ? (a) school (b) lesson (c) student (d) book
- drought : rain :: famine : ? (a) hunger (b) food (c) crop (d) water
- knife : slice :: needle : ? (a) thread (b) sharp (c) sew (d) cloth
- chapter : book :: scene : ? (a) actor (b) stage (c) play (d) script
Challenge
Harder analogies: the link may involve degree, cause-effect, or a less obvious category.
Harder patterns
- drizzle : downpour :: breeze : ? (a) wind (b) gale (c) storm (d) calm
- clock : time :: thermometer : ? (a) mercury (b) doctor (c) temperature (d) weather
- wheat : flour :: grape : ? (a) vine (b) wine (c) fruit (d) jam
- sleep : dream :: think : ? (a) brain (b) idea (c) study (d) problem
- tremor : earthquake :: smoulder : ? (a) ash (b) ember (c) blaze (d) smoke
- pebble : boulder :: puddle : ? (a) rain (b) ocean (c) pool (d) wet
- cartographer : map :: lexicographer : ? (a) library (b) dictionary (c) word (d) language
- seed : tree :: egg : ? (a) shell (b) nest (c) bird (d) yolk
Answer key
Attempt the practice first. When you're ready to check, expand the answers below.
Show the full answer key
Each answer names the relationship first, then the matching term for the second pair.
Timed drill
- (b) joey. Adult : its young. Cow:calf :: kangaroo:joey. Cub=bear, foal=horse, pup=dog/seal.
- (c) foot. Part : whole. Fingers belong to a hand; toes belong to a foot.
- (b) painting. Venue : what is stored/displayed. Library holds books; gallery holds paintings.
- (c) nest. Creature : home. Bee lives in a hive; bird lives in a nest. “Tree” is a location but not the home itself.
- (c) cut. Tool : its action. Pens write, scissors cut.
- (b) hot. Bodily response : cause. Shivering is caused by cold; sweating by heat.
- (c) heartbroken. Feeling : stronger version. Ecstatic is intense happy; heartbroken is intense sad.
- (c) courtroom. Professional : workplace. Chef works in a kitchen; judge works in a courtroom.
- (b) sleep. Need : action that fixes it. Thirsty leads to drinking; tired leads to sleeping. Yawn is a symptom, not the fix.
- (c) desert. Thing : surrounding environment. An island sits in a sea; an oasis sits in a desert.
- (c) saw. Craftsperson : characteristic tool. Sculptor uses a chisel; carpenter uses a saw.
- (c) sprint. Quiet/slow : loud/fast. Whisper is a quiet form of shout; jog is a slow form of sprint.
- (c) exhausted. Feeling : extreme version. Starving is extreme hungry; exhausted is extreme tired.
- (a) fish. Outer covering : animal. Feathers cover birds; scales cover fish.
- (c) symphony. Creator : their work. Author writes a novel; composer writes a symphony. Piano is a tool, orchestra is performers.
- (c) garage. Object : where it is stored. Cups live on shelves; cars live in garages.
- (c) student. Role : person they serve. Doctors have patients; teachers have students.
- (b) food. Disaster : the thing in short supply. Drought = no rain; famine = no food.
- (c) sew. Tool : its action. Knives slice; needles sew. Thread is the material, not the action.
- (c) play. Small unit : larger whole. Chapters make up books; scenes make up plays.
Challenge
- (b) gale. Mild version : extreme version. Drizzle is mild rain, downpour is heavy; breeze is mild wind, gale is heavy.
- (c) temperature. Instrument : what it measures. Clocks measure time; thermometers measure temperature.
- (b) wine. Raw ingredient : processed product. Wheat becomes flour; grapes become wine. Jam is usually from berries, not grapes.
- (b) idea. Mental action : the thing it produces. Sleeping produces dreams; thinking produces ideas.
- (c) blaze. Early/small stage : full stage. A tremor is a small earthquake; a smoulder is the early stage of a blaze.
- (b) ocean. Tiny : huge version. Pebble to boulder; puddle to ocean. Pool is same-scale as puddle.
- (b) dictionary. Expert : what they compile. Cartographers make maps; lexicographers make dictionaries.
- (c) bird. Starting stage : adult form. A seed grows into a tree; an egg hatches into a bird.
Prefer paper? Print the answer key as a separate booklet: open print view ->