11+ Analogies
Analogies test relationships between words. Naming the relationship in a sentence is the key skill.
An analogy asks you to find a pair of words that relate in the same way as a given pair, e.g. "kitten is to cat as puppy is to ___" (dog).
The method is to put the first pair into a precise sentence describing their relationship — "a kitten is a young cat" — then apply exactly the same sentence to the second pair to find the missing word.
Relationships come in families: type/category, part/whole, cause/effect, object/use, and degree (warm/hot). Recognising the family quickly narrows the options.
Worked examples
Q. Finger is to hand as toe is to ___ (leg, foot, shoe, sock).
The relationship is part-to-whole: a finger is part of a hand. A toe is part of a foot, so the answer is "foot".
Q. Author is to book as composer is to ___ (orchestra, music, piano, song).
An author creates a book; a composer creates music. The best match is "music".
Common mistakes
- Matching by topic rather than by the exact relationship.
- Reversing the direction of the relationship.
- Not phrasing the relationship as a clear sentence first.
FAQs
What types of analogy relationships appear in the 11+?+
Common ones include part/whole, type/category, object/use, cause/effect and degree of meaning. Practising each family makes them recognisable at a glance.
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