Analogy Questions With Answers: 25 Practice Items
Below are 25 analogy questions with answers, sorted into easy, medium and hard sets, with every answer explained at the end. The trick to any analogy is the same: name the relationship between the first pair in a short sentence, then find the option that fits that exact sentence. Try each set before you scroll to the answers.
If you get analogies right but can't say why, or you rush and pick the first word that looks related, IQ Tester finds which of those slips is yours and gives you a daily drill for it: Find my weak spots.
How analogies work
An analogy question looks like this:
Puppy : dog :: kitten : ?
Read it as "puppy is to dog as kitten is to ___." The colon means "is to" and the double colon means "as."
The bridge sentence method
- Make a bridge sentence for the first pair: "A puppy is a young dog."
- Plug in the second pair: "A kitten is a young ___." (cat)
- If two options fit, make the sentence more specific.
- If none fit, your bridge was wrong. Try a different relationship.
That's the whole method. It works on the easy analogy questions, and it works on the hard ones. The difference is how precise your bridge sentence needs to be.
Common traps
- Picking a word that's just related. In "bird : nest :: bee : ?", "honey" is related to bees, but the bridge is "lives in," so the answer is "hive."
- Getting the direction backwards. Part-to-whole is not the same as whole-to-part.
- Going with your gut. Your first "feels right" pick is often the trap. Say the sentence.
Easy set
Ten verbal analogy questions to warm up. Choose one answer for each.
- Hot : cold :: up : ? (a) high (b) down (c) over (d) sky
- Puppy : dog :: kitten : ? (a) cat (b) mouse (c) cub (d) pet
- Bird : nest :: bee : ? (a) honey (b) flower (c) hive (d) wing
- Pen : write :: knife : ? (a) fork (b) cut (c) sharp (d) kitchen
- Finger : hand :: toe : ? (a) nail (b) leg (c) foot (d) shoe
- Teacher : school :: doctor : ? (a) nurse (b) hospital (c) medicine (d) patient
- Happy : sad :: full : ? (a) empty (b) big (c) glass (d) heavy
- Day : night :: summer : ? (a) sun (b) spring (c) winter (d) hot
- Page : book :: brick : ? (a) clay (b) wall (c) red (d) builder
- Fish : swim :: bird : ? (a) fly (b) feather (c) tree (d) sing
Medium set
These analogy questions for practice need a more exact bridge. Watch for options that are close but wrong.
- Warm : hot :: cool : ? (a) cold (b) ice (c) warm (d) winter
- Author : novel :: composer : ? (a) piano (b) symphony (c) orchestra (d) concert
- Thermometer : temperature :: scale : ? (a) weight (b) fish (c) kitchen (d) number
- Drought : water :: famine : ? (a) food (b) hunger (c) rain (d) crop
- Seed : tree :: egg : ? (a) nest (b) shell (c) bird (d) breakfast
- Whisper : shout :: drizzle : ? (a) rain (b) downpour (c) cloud (d) wet
- Chapter : book :: act : ? (a) actor (b) play (c) stage (d) scene
- Brave : cowardly :: generous : ? (a) kind (b) selfish (c) rich (d) giving
This is usually where people notice they're guessing. You picked an answer, it felt right, but could you say the bridge sentence? Judging that yourself is hard. IQ Tester's 16-question check shows whether putting reasoning into words or rushing then freezing is what trips you up, then weights your daily drill (for example, "Name the rule out loud") toward it. Find my weak spots
Hard set
The hard analogy questions below all have a tempting wrong answer. Say your bridge sentence out loud before choosing.
- Carpenter : saw :: surgeon : ? (a) hospital (b) scalpel (c) patient (d) nurse
- Pride : lions :: flock : ? (a) wolves (b) sheep (c) fish (d) bees
- Ignite : extinguish :: assemble : ? (a) build (b) gather (c) dismantle (d) repair
- Pessimist : gloomy :: optimist : ? (a) hopeful (b) realistic (c) sad (d) lucky
- Novice : expert :: apprentice : ? (a) student (b) master (c) worker (d) beginner
- Sculptor : marble :: potter : ? (a) wheel (b) clay (c) vase (d) kiln
- Hungry : eat :: tired : ? (a) yawn (b) sleep (c) bed (d) night
Answers explained
Each answer comes with its bridge sentence, which is the part worth learning.
Easy answers
| # | Answer | Bridge sentence |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | (b) down | Hot is the opposite of cold; up is the opposite of down. |
| 2 | (a) cat | A puppy is a young dog; a kitten is a young cat. |
| 3 | (c) hive | A bird lives in a nest; a bee lives in a hive. (Honey is related, but bees don't live in it.) |
| 4 | (b) cut | You use a pen to write; you use a knife to cut. |
| 5 | (c) foot | A finger is part of a hand; a toe is part of a foot. |
| 6 | (b) hospital | A teacher works in a school; a doctor works in a hospital. |
| 7 | (a) empty | Happy is the opposite of sad; full is the opposite of empty. |
| 8 | (c) winter | Day and night are opposite times; summer and winter are opposite seasons. |
| 9 | (b) wall | A page is one unit that makes up a book; a brick is one unit that makes up a wall. |
| 10 | (a) fly | A fish moves by swimming; a bird moves by flying. |
Medium answers
| # | Answer | Bridge sentence |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | (a) cold | Hot is a stronger degree of warm; cold is a stronger degree of cool. |
| 12 | (b) symphony | An author creates a novel; a composer creates a symphony. (A piano is a tool, not a creation.) |
| 13 | (a) weight | A thermometer measures temperature; a scale measures weight. ("Fish" is a trap using the other meaning of scale.) |
| 14 | (a) food | A drought is a severe lack of water; a famine is a severe lack of food. (Hunger is the result, not what's lacking.) |
| 15 | (c) bird | A seed grows into a tree; an egg develops into a bird. |
| 16 | (b) downpour | A shout is a much stronger whisper; a downpour is a much stronger drizzle. |
| 17 | (b) play | A chapter is a section of a book; an act is a section of a play. (A scene is smaller than an act.) |
| 18 | (b) selfish | Cowardly is the opposite of brave; selfish is the opposite of generous. |
Hard answers
| # | Answer | Bridge sentence |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | (b) scalpel | A carpenter cuts with a saw; a surgeon cuts with a scalpel. |
| 20 | (b) sheep | A pride is a group of lions; a flock is a group of sheep. (Wolves are a pack, fish a school.) |
| 21 | (c) dismantle | Extinguish undoes ignite; dismantle undoes assemble. |
| 22 | (a) hopeful | A pessimist tends to feel gloomy; an optimist tends to feel hopeful. |
| 23 | (b) master | A novice grows into an expert; an apprentice grows into a master. |
| 24 | (b) clay | A sculptor shapes marble; a potter shapes clay. (The wheel is a tool, not the material.) |
| 25 | (b) sleep | Being hungry is fixed by eating; being tired is fixed by sleeping. (Yawning is a sign of tiredness, not the fix.) |
Scoring yourself
- 22–25: Strong. Try timing yourself next.
- 16–21: Solid. Look at which relationship types you missed.
- Under 16: Totally fine for a first go. Redo the ones you missed using the bridge sentence out loud.
Keep in mind this is a practice quiz, not an IQ test. It shows which relationships you know, not a score.
The relationship types to know
Almost every analogy question on a school or IQ test verbal section uses one of these relationships. Learn to spot them and most analogy questions examples become quick.
| Relationship | Example | Bridge sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Opposite | brave : cowardly | X is the opposite of Y |
| Degree | warm : hot | Y is a stronger X |
| Part to whole | petal : flower | X is part of Y |
| Young to adult | calf : cow | X is a young Y |
| Tool to action | pen : write | You use X to Y |
| Worker to tool | carpenter : saw | X uses Y |
| Worker to place | chef : kitchen | X works in Y |
| Creator to creation | author : novel | X makes Y |
| Group name | pride : lions | X is a group of Y |
| Lack of | drought : water | X is a lack of Y |
| Cause and effect | rain : flood | X can cause Y |
| Measure | thermometer : temperature | X measures Y |
| Need to fix | hungry : eat | Being X is solved by Y |
Analogies are one part of verbal reasoning. For the rest (reading for the argument, similarities, timed practice), see how to improve verbal reasoning. And if you struggle to say your bridge sentences clearly, how to explain your thought process will help.
Practise the right analogy skill every day
These analogy questions with answers show you where you stand today. In the next two minutes, IQ Tester's 16 questions show whether your slips come from rushing, pattern spotting or putting reasoning into words, then give you one tip and one ten-minute drill a day, with verbal, pattern, number and logic problems weighted toward your weak spots.
FAQ
How do you solve analogy questions quickly?
Make a short bridge sentence for the first pair, like "A is a tool used to B," and test each option in that sentence. If two fit, make the sentence more specific. With practice, the common relationship types become instant to spot.
What are the most common types of analogy questions?
Opposites, degree (warm to hot), part to whole, tool to action, worker to place, creator to creation and group names are the most common. Learning those covers most analogies you'll see on tests.
Are analogy questions on IQ tests?
Many verbal reasoning sections of IQ-style and aptitude tests include analogies or similar word-relationship questions. They check whether you can spot a relationship and apply it to new words.
How can students get better at verbal analogy questions?
Practise a few every day and always say the bridge sentence out loud. Grow your vocabulary with opposites and categories. Reviewing why a wrong option was tempting teaches you the traps.
Is there a free analogy quiz I can practise with?
The 25 analogy questions on this page, with answers explained, are free to use as a quiz. Cover the answer tables, try each set, then check and redo the ones you missed.