Mastering SSC CGL General Intelligence and Reasoning Analogies

With the highest number of questions in the reasoning section of exam patterns, SSC CGL general intelligence and reasoning analogies hold a significant value. So, to help you score high, this blog provides the necessary guidance.

SSC CGL: Understanding Analogies

An analogy is all about finding similarities. For instance, a writer needs a pen, like a driver needs a vehicle. You need to identify the logical relationship between different terms. For example, a typical analogy question might look like this:

“Sun: Daylight:: Moon: _.”

The correct answer would be “Moonlight.” Here, the sun produces daylight, just as the moon produces moonlight.

One needs to understand the logic to solve these SSC CGL general intelligence and reasoning analogies. Some different types of analogies that can appear in SSC CGL general intelligence & reasoning analogy questions are –

Type of Analogy	Description	Sample Question
Semantic Analogy	The relationship between two words is based on their meaning or definition.	Cat is to Meow as Dog is to _?
Classification Analogy	The relationship between two words is based on their category or group.	Car is to Vehicle as Apple is to _?
Association Analogy	The relationship between two words is based on their connection or association with each other.	Fire is to Hot as Ice is to _?
Symbolic Analogy	The relationship between two words is based on a symbolic representation or characteristic.	King is to Crown as Judge is to _?
Number Analogy	The relationship between two numbers is based on a mathematical operation or pattern.	5 is to 25 as 3 is to _?

SSC CGL: Tips For General Intelligence and Reasoning Analogies

Here are some strategies for solving SSC CGL general intelligence and reasoning analogies

• Identify the relationship between the first pair of words. Check for grammatical structure and identify patterns or relationships, such as cause-effect relationships.
• Look for synonyms and antonyms. It can clue to the relationship between words.
• Identify function and purpose, for instance, such as measuring or describing an action to identify relationships.
• Look for patterns in the letter sequence or word structure. For instance, the comparative form of a word.
• Consider the context and real-world knowledge. For instance, in “Doctor” and “Stethoscope,” the relationship is that a doctor uses a stethoscope.

Tips for eliminating incorrect answer choices in SSC CGL General Intelligence & Reasoning Analogy

To score a good score, read each answer choice carefully. Here are some tips for eliminating incorrect answer choices –

• Cut completely unrelated pairs of words.
• Ignore answer choices with a different relationship. For instance, if initial words have a cause-effect relationship, cut answer choices with a different type of relationship.
• Pay attention to the grammatical structure of the answer choices.
• Eliminate answer choices with comparatively a too-broad or too-narrow relationship.
• Use the process of elimination. It will narrow down the options. Then re-read the analogy to ensure the remaining answer choice fits the relationship.

Techniques for improving analogy-solving speed

To enhance your analogy-solving speed, you can consider the following –

• Creating a sentence with analogy words

For example, if the analogy is “up: down:: increase: __,” you can create a sentence.
It will be “up is the opposite of down, so increase is the opposite of decrease.”

• Use the process of elimination

To use this method –

• Read each answer choice.
• Cut any that do not fit the relationship between the words in the analogy.

This narrows the choices and increases the chances of selecting the correct answer.

• Look for multiple relationships

For example, if the analogy is “pen: ink:: brush: __.”

Here, the pen uses ink, and the brush uses paint. This technique involves identifying relationships between the words to select the correct answer.

• Using Word Association Technique

This involves creating a mental image or connection between the two words in the analogy. For example, if the analogy is “flood: damage:: fire: _.”
Here, you can create a mental image of a flood causing damage and a fire causing destruction.

SSC CGL: Understanding General Intelligence and Reasoning Space Visualisation

Reasoning Space Visualization questions assess a candidate’s mental ability to visualize and manipulate two or three-dimensional objects.

For example, a 2D for a 3D figure of a square or rectangle may be given. The figure will have dotted lines indicating where it will be folded. The candidate needs to mentally fold the figure along those lines to visualize how it will look after folding. Some different types of SSC CGL general intelligence and reasoning space visualization questions are –

Type of SSC CGL general intelligence and reasoning space visualisation	Sample Questions
Dice-based Reasoning	What will be the bottom face if a dice is rolled and its front face has a 6?
Paper Folding Reasoning	If a paper is folded in the following way and a hole is punched, what will be the position of the hole when the paper is unfolded?
Mirror Reflection Reasoning	What will be its reflection in the mirror if the object is placed as shown in the image?
Water Image Reasoning	If the object is placed as shown, what will be its image after reflection in the water?

SSC CGL: Understanding General Intelligence and Reasoning Similarities and Differences

Reasoning Similarities and Differences questions test the ability to identify the similarities and differences between various objects, concepts, or ideas. These questions can also involve identifying patterns or relationships between the given options. For example,

“Which of the following words is most similar to the word ‘fastidious’?”

A. Diligent
B. Careless
C. Meticulous
D. Sloppy

Here, the correct answer is option C.

Both ‘fastidious’ and ‘meticulous’ are synonyms, so they have similar meanings. The other options are either antonyms or unrelated to the given word. So, you need to analyze each option for commonalities or differences carefully. Some different types of SSC CGL general intelligence and reasoning similarities and differences questions are –

Type of Question	Sample Questions
General Knowledge and Verbal	Tick the odd one out • Botany • Zoology • Lobotomy • Entomology
Numerical Based	Tick the odd one out • 15: 60 • 13: 52 • 12:48 • 14: 58
Letters Based	Tick the odd one out • GNU • FLR • EJO • CFJ

Practice and Review

You can consider the following reasoning book for SSC CGL to practice questions –

• A new approach to Logical Reasoning by B.S Siwali, Indu Sijwali
• SSC Reasoning chapter wise by S.N Prasad
• Verbal Reasoning by R.S Aggarwal
• Lucent Reasoning by Arihant Publication
• Lucent Reasoning by Arihant Publication

Mere practice does not guarantee success. So, reviewing and analyzing your SSC CGL general intelligence and reasoning analogies answers is crucial. Here are some steps to follow:

• Analyse the incorrect answers and categorise them based on the type of question.
• For each incorrect answer, try to understand why you got it wrong. Was it due to a lack of knowledge or understanding of the concept or a careless mistake?
• Do review the relevant concept for every incorrect answer. Revise the concept and compare it with your mistake.
• Once you have reviewed the relevant concept, practice similar questions. Keep revising the ssc cgl reasoning syllabus.

Frequently Answered Questions (FAQs)