Verbal Analogy Questions: Types, Strategies, Worked Examples
Verbal analogy questions appear in TCS NQT, AMCAT, and placement aptitude rounds. Learn the twelve relationship types, four strategies, and six worked examples.
Verbal analogy questions give you one word pair with a hidden relationship, then ask you to apply that same relationship to a second pair. Identifying the relationship type before reading the options is the single most effective habit to build.
Where Verbal Analogy Questions Appear
TCS NQT’s verbal ability section includes analogy questions in every paper variant. AMCAT’s verbal ability module, operated by SHL India, tests analogies as part of its vocabulary and verbal reasoning sections. Capgemini, Infosys, and Cognizant aptitude rounds each carry a verbal reasoning component that routinely includes 5 to 10 analogy questions.
For companies with harder aptitude filters, see the D.E. Shaw interview process guide. D.E. Shaw’s written test is known for abstract and verbal reasoning questions that go beyond the standard analogy format.
If your test also covers number pairs, the number analogy patterns guide covers the five numeric rule categories that run parallel to the twelve verbal types below.
12 Common Types of Verbal Analogy Relationships
Every verbal analogy question falls into one of twelve common relationship categories. Recognising the category in the given pair is most of the work.
| Type | What to look for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Synonym | Both words share the same core meaning | ALLEVIATE : REDUCE |
| Antonym | Words are opposite in meaning | BIASED : IMPARTIAL |
| Characteristic | Second word is a defining trait of the first | LION : FEROCIOUS |
| Degree of intensity | One word is the extreme form of the other | COOL : FREEZE |
| Part to whole | First word is a component of the second | KEYBOARD : COMPUTER |
| Manner | First describes how second is done, at lower intensity | WHISPER : SPEAK |
| Worker-product | Worker creates or produces the product | ARTIST : SKETCH |
| Worker-tool | Worker uses the tool as their instrument | DOCTOR : STETHOSCOPE |
| Tool-action | Tool performs or enables the action | FILE : SMOOTHENING |
| Functional dependency | First requires second in order to operate | AUTOMOBILE : PETROL |
| Young-of-animal | First is the offspring name, second is the adult | CALF : COW |
| Cause-and-effect | First causes or leads directly to second | RACE : FATIGUE |
The degree-of-intensity type generates the most errors. Students identify the correct category but reverse the direction: FRUGAL means spending carefully (mild), PARSIMONIOUS means extreme miserliness (strong). The answer pair must maintain the same mild-to-strong direction as the given pair.
Four Strategies to Solve Any Verbal Analogy
These four steps work in sequence. Run through them in order rather than scanning options first.
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Identify the relationship type. Before looking at options, classify the given pair using the twelve-category table above. Write it down: “WHISPER:SPEAK = manner type.”
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State the relationship as a precise sentence. Generic labels fail here. “WHISPER is related to SPEAK” is too vague. “To whisper is to speak at a lower volume or intensity” is precise enough to test against the options.
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Consider secondary meanings. Words often have more than one meaning. FILE means a document folder and also a tool used for smoothing. The tool meaning drives the FILE:SMOOTHENING example above. When an answer option looks wrong at first read, check whether a secondary meaning changes the picture.
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Check part of speech. The given pair and the correct answer pair must use the same part of speech in the same positions. If the given pair is noun:adjective (LION:FEROCIOUS), the correct answer is also noun:adjective. Options with verb:noun or verb:verb relationships can be eliminated without solving.
This “classify first” approach appears across reasoning types. In blood relations problems, identifying the relationship structure before drawing the family tree cuts the same time. Naming the framework first is the consistent shortcut in both cases.
Six Worked Examples with Step-by-Step Reasoning
Example 1: WHISPER : SPEAK :: ?
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(A) brush : touch
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(B) skip : walk
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(C) listen : hear
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(D) request : ask
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Type: Manner (lower-intensity form of the same action)
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Precise statement: To whisper is to speak softly.
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Reasoning: To brush is to touch lightly; skip is a distinct movement rather than a softer walk. Listen and hear are not manner variants of each other.
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Correct answer: (A) brush : touch
Example 2: FRUGAL : PARSIMONIOUS :: ?
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(A) joy : ecstasy
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(B) poor : misery
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(C) love : hate
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(D) rich : poor
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Type: Degree of intensity (mild to extreme)
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Precise statement: Parsimonious is the extreme form of frugal; both describe spending behaviour, with frugal being moderate and parsimonious being extreme.
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Reasoning: Ecstasy is the extreme form of joy, matching the mild-to-extreme structure. Poor:misery is cause-and-effect. Love:hate and rich:poor are antonym pairs.
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Correct answer: (A) joy : ecstasy
Example 3: Automobile : Petrol :: ?
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(A) fire : fuel
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(B) plane : propeller
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(C) diesel : gas
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(D) man : food
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Type: Functional dependency (first requires second to operate)
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Precise statement: An automobile requires petrol to function.
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Reasoning: A man requires food to survive, matching the same dependency. Fire uses fuel but fire is a process, not an entity with an input dependency in the same sense. Plane:propeller is worker-tool. Diesel:gas are both fuel types, not a dependency pair.
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Correct answer: (D) man : food
Example 4: Paw : Cat :: Hoof : ?
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(A) dog
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(B) lamb
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(C) horse
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(D) elephant
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Type: Part-to-whole (specific anatomical name for a body part of that animal)
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Precise statement: A paw is the name for a cat’s foot.
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Reasoning: A hoof is the name for a horse’s foot. Dogs have paws, not hooves. Lambs and elephants do not have hooves in the same anatomical sense that horses do.
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Correct answer: (C) horse
Example 5: Calf : Cow :: Puppy : ?
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(A) cub
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(B) kitten
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(C) dog
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(D) snake
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Type: Young-of-animal (offspring name to adult name)
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Precise statement: A calf is the young one of a cow.
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Reasoning: A puppy is the young one of a dog. A cub is the young of a bear or lion. A kitten is the young of a cat.
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Correct answer: (C) dog
Example 6: Race : Fatigue :: Fast : ?
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(A) hunger
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(B) food
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(C) laziness
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(D) sleep
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Type: Cause-and-effect (first causes or leads to second)
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Precise statement: A race causes fatigue.
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Reasoning: Fasting (going without food) causes hunger, matching the causal structure. Food is the remedy for hunger rather than the result of fasting. Laziness and sleep are not caused by fasting.
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Correct answer: (A) hunger
Building Speed Through Practice
Speed in verbal analogy comes from two sources: fast vocabulary recall and an automatic habit of classifying the relationship type before reading the options. Both improve through deliberate practice rather than passive reading.
A practical routine: solve 10 questions in a single sitting, then review every error to identify which relationship type you misclassified and why. IndiaBix’s verbal analogy section provides a large question bank with answer explanations, sorted by difficulty.
The twelve relationship types above describe the semantic structure of language: the same relational taxonomy that researchers used to benchmark early word-embedding models. The classic “king minus man plus woman equals queen” test worked precisely because word vectors preserved analogical relationships between concepts. TinkerLLM covers how LLMs encode those relationships, from embedding basics to deploying a working application. Entry is at ₹299.
Primary sources
Frequently asked questions
How many verbal analogy questions appear in TCS NQT?
TCS NQT's verbal ability section typically includes 5 to 10 verbal analogy questions per test, though the exact count varies by year and test variant. The verbal ability section runs for around 15 minutes in the standard NQT format.
What is the most common verbal analogy type in placement tests?
Synonym analogies and degree-of-intensity analogies appear most frequently across AMCAT, TCS NQT, and company-specific aptitude rounds. Degree-of-intensity questions (e.g., FRUGAL:PARSIMONIOUS) generate the most errors because students confuse the direction.
How do I tell a synonym analogy from a degree-of-intensity analogy?
In a synonym analogy, both words mean roughly the same thing (ALLEVIATE:REDUCE). In a degree-of-intensity analogy, one word is the extreme form of the other — FRUGAL is mild, PARSIMONIOUS is extreme. Check whether both words share the same basic meaning or whether one is notably stronger.
Are verbal analogy questions tested in AMCAT?
Yes. AMCAT's verbal ability module, operated by SHL India, includes verbal analogy questions as part of its vocabulary and verbal reasoning sections. The AMCAT verbal ability test typically runs 16 to 20 minutes.
What vocabulary level do verbal analogy questions require?
Most placement test verbal analogy questions use GRE-level vocabulary for harder variants (words like PARSIMONIOUS, LOQUACIOUS) and standard English for easier ones. Building a list of 200 to 300 placement-specific words covers the vast majority of questions you will encounter.
Can I solve verbal analogy questions without strong English vocabulary?
Partly. Part-of-speech elimination and relationship-type identification let you narrow options even when you do not know all four words. Eliminating two incorrect options by logic raises your probability from 25% to 50%. Vocabulary still determines the final step.
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