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Analogy - Verbal reasoning refers to a branch among various analogies like mathematical analogies, verbal analogies etc. This unit deals with Verbal Analogy.
What is a verbal analogy?
Let us try to split the phrase:
- Verbal means relating to words.
- Analogy means a comparison between two things, usually to bring about a clarification or a better explanation; it is a method of bringing about a corresponding meaning, to establish a similarity between two different objects.
Now, we derive at the definition of verbal analogy as follows:
Verbal analogy expresses a similarity between different words or pairs of words to bring about a comparison between the said words.
To solve verbal analogy questions, one should first establish a relationship between the pairs of words given in the question; then apply the same relationship to the next pair of words to solve the question.
Example:
| 1. Cricket: Bat - Hockey: ? |
A. Sports
B. Stick
C. Play
D. Players
The relationship established here: Cricket is played with a bat; what is hockey played with?
Bat is used to play cricket. Similarly a stick is used to play hockey.
The answer to the given question is B. stick.
| 2. Tall: short - Above: ? |
A. Below
B. Small
C. Places
D. Long
The relationship established here: Tall and short are opposites of each other. What is the opposite of above?
The answer is A. Below.
| 3. Medicines: Sickness - Reading: ? |
A. Doctor
B. Knowledge
C. Happiness
D. Ignorance
The relationship established here: Medicines can alleviate, reduce sickness. What can reading alleviate? Ignorance.
The answer is D. Ignorance.
Important!
It is important to note that one requires strong vocabulary and good knowledge of a vast number of words to solves these exercises easily. Practice of many such exercises will yield good results. Decoding the relationship between the words, not only requires English knowledge; it requires general knowledge also.
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