Analogy and Odd One Out — Find the Hidden Relationship

Analogy: "A is to B as C is to ?" — find how A relates to B, then apply the same relation to C. Odd one out (classification): four items, three share a property; find the one that doesn't.

1. The sentence trick

Say the relation of the first pair as a specific sentence, then test it on the second pair. "A doctor works in a hospital" → "A teacher works in a … school."

If more than one option fits, make the sentence more specific. ("A doctor treats patients in a hospital" might separate school from office.)

2. Common word relationships

Example 1

Pen : Write :: Knife : ? → a tool and its action → Cut.

Example 2

Bird : Nest :: Spider : ? → animal and its home → Web.

3. Number analogies

Look for squares, cubes, multiplication or digit sums.

Example 3

3 : 27 :: 5 : ? → 3³ = 27 → 5³ = 125.

Example 4

16 : 25 :: 36 : ? → 4², 5² → 6², 7² → 49.

4. Letter analogies

Convert to positions (remember EJOTY).

Example 5

ACE : BDF :: MOQ : ? → each letter +1 → NPR.

5. Odd one out

Find the property shared by three.

Example 6

Apple, Mango, Potato, Banana → three are fruits; Potato is a vegetable.

Example 7

17, 23, 29, 33, 41 → all primes except 33 (= 3 × 11).

Example 8

BDF, HJL, MOQ, RTW → letters +2, +2 in the first three; RTW is +2, +3 → RTW.

Common mistakes

• Choosing a relation that is too general ("both are things").
• Reversing the pair order: Hospital : Doctor is not the same as Doctor : Hospital.
• In odd one out, stopping at the first difference you see — check that the other three really share one property.

Quick recap

• Say the relation as a specific sentence.
• Learn the common relation types.
• Numbers: squares, cubes, × and +. Letters: positions.
• Odd one out: the property shared by three.