# Analogy and Odd One Out — Find the Hidden Relationship

Source: https://skills101.in/learn/reasoning/analogy-and-odd-one-out — Skills101 free tutorial (Logical Reasoning). Updated 2026-11-09.

**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

![Doctor works in a hospital; in the same way a teacher works in a school](https://skills101.in/learn-img/reasoning/analogy-pairs.svg)

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

| Type | Example |
|---|---|
| Worker : workplace | Chef : Kitchen |
| Worker : tool | Carpenter : Saw |
| Tool : action | Knife : Cut |
| Part : whole | Page : Book |
| Animal : young one | Cow : Calf, Dog : Puppy |
| Animal : home | Bee : Hive, Lion : Den |
| Opposite | Hot : Cold |
| Synonym | Big : Large |
| Unit : quantity | Kilogram : Mass, Ampere : Current |
| Country : capital | Japan : Tokyo |
| Product : raw material | Paper : Wood, Cloth : Cotton |

### 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.


Practice quiz and free certificate: https://skills101.in/learn/reasoning/analogy-and-odd-one-out