Analogy, in Reasoning, is the study of relationships. You are given a pair of words, letters, or numbers that share a specific relationship — and your job is to identify that relationship, then apply it to find the missing element in a second pair.
Here is a simple way to think about it. When you say "A doctor is to a hospital as a teacher is to a school," you are not comparing a doctor to a teacher. You are comparing the relationship each has with their place of work. That's the heart of analogy: the relationship is the answer, not the individual words.
Think of it like a lock and key. Once you figure out the exact shape of the lock (the relationship), you just need to find the right key (the missing word) that fits perfectly — not approximately, but exactly.
In UP Police Constable Reasoning, analogy questions show up in several forms:
The trap most aspirants fall into is reading the words, not the relationship. You see "Apple" and "Red" and immediately think of fruit. Wrong move. Think: what connects Apple to Red? It is colour. Now apply the same lens to Coal — its colour is Black. That is the answer.
Analogy questions are among the most scoring in Reasoning because they are predictable. The relationship types recycle across years. Master the 8-10 core relationship types, and you will solve these in under 30 seconds each.
Analogy questions in UP Police Constable follow a small, repeating set of relationship patterns. Once you can name the relationship, you can find the answer without confusion.
1. Tool : Function The first word is an instrument; the second is what it does. Pen → Write. Knife → Cut. Scissors → Cut. Brush → Paint. Look at the action the tool performs — not the material it is made of, not where it is kept.
2. Object : Characteristic (Colour, Property, Quality) Apple → Red. Coal → Black. Milk → White. Sky → Blue. The second word is the most defining, universally recognised characteristic of the first.
3. Cause : Effect Fall → Pain. Fire → Burn. Disobedience → Punishment. Rain → Flood. The first event causes the second. Both must be in the same logical direction — cause always comes first.
4. Guide/Reference : Information Provided Map → Directions. Manual → Instructions. Dictionary → Meanings. Syllabus → Topics. The first item is a reference tool; the second is what that tool gives you.
5. Trophy/Cup : Sport (GK-based) Davis Cup → Tennis. Ryder Cup → Golf. Durand Cup → Football. This is a GK-dependent type. Build a small list of famous trophies and their sports — these appear in UP Police Constable GK section too, so double value.
6. Mathematical Operation (Number Analogy) Here the relationship is a formula applied to the first number to get the second.
16 : 7 → 16 = 4², 4 + 3 = 736 : 9 → 36 = 6², 6 + 3 = 9When you see a number analogy, always try: square root, cube root, sum of digits, digit reversal, multiplication/division by a constant, and adding/subtracting a constant to the root.
7. Letter Pattern Analogy The word undergoes a structural transformation — reversal, position swap, shift by a fixed number in the alphabet, or a mirror-image arrangement.
The key move: apply the same operation to all pairs and verify consistency.
Work in this order:
When numbers look random, apply this sequence of tests in order:
| Test | Example |
|---|---|
| n² or n³ | Is 49 a perfect square? Yes, 7². |
| Sum / product of digits | 49 → 4+9=13. Not useful here. |
| Difference from neighbour | 49, 25, 9 → gaps are 24 and 16. Not constant. |
| Pattern in roots | 7², 5², 3² — squares of odd numbers in descending order. |
Once the pattern in the given set is confirmed, apply it to the options. (36, 16, 4) = 6², 4², 2² — squares of consecutive even numbers. The structural pattern (perfect squares of consecutive integers) is preserved, making it the match.
When you see a letter/word analogy:
Never guess the operation from one pair alone. Always confirm with the second given pair before applying to the unknown.
Before reading the options, complete this sentence aloud in your head: "The first word is ___ of/to the second word."
If you can name the relationship precisely — "tool of function," "cause of effect," "object's colour" — you have already reduced the answer to one. Then you are just matching, not thinking.
Standard method (read options, compare each): 4 comparisons, ~40 seconds. This method: 1 comparison after naming relationship, ~12 seconds. 3x faster on easy-type word analogies.
The single most common letter-analogy transformation in UP Police Constable papers is simple reversal: write the word backwards. Before trying any other pattern, reverse the given word and check if it matches the paired word.
BRICK → KCIRB: reverse BRICK = K-C-I-R-B. Match confirmed in 3 seconds. If reversal works on the first pair, apply it directly to find the missing word — reverse the given answer-side word to get the question-side word (or vice versa).
Step count: reversal check = 1 step. Testing alphabetical shifts = 5+ steps per option. This single check eliminates ~60% of letter analogy options instantly.
When you see a number analogy like 16 : 7 or 36 : 9, always try: √(first number) + constant = second number.
√16 = 4, 4 + 3 = 7. Constant = 3. Now √36 = 6, 6 + 3 = 9. Done.
This pattern — square root of the first number plus a fixed constant — appears repeatedly in UP Police number analogy questions. Test it within the first 5 seconds. If √n is not a whole number, move to n + constant or digit sum. But try the square root path first.
Standard trial-and-error across operations: ~50 seconds. This prioritised sequence: ~10 seconds.
Trophy-sport and cup-game analogies rely entirely on GK recall, not logic. There is no "working out" involved. Build this 10-item list once:
Davis Cup → Tennis | Ryder Cup → Golf | Durand Cup → Football | Santosh Trophy → Football | Ranji Trophy → Cricket | Thomas Cup → Badminton | Uber Cup → Badminton (women) | Irani Cup → Cricket | Deodhar Trophy → Cricket | B.C. Roy Trophy → Football (U-19).
Once memorised, these questions take under 8 seconds. Without the list, you may spend 45 seconds guessing — and still get it wrong.
In cause-effect analogies, the direction always goes: Cause → Effect. Never Effect → Cause.
When checking options, ask: "Can the first word in the option CAUSE the second?" If the relationship is reversed or circular, eliminate immediately.
"Laugh : Cry" — does laughing cause crying? Not reliably. Eliminate. "Food : Happy" — does food cause happiness? Loosely possible, but not a definitive cause-effect. Weak. "Disobedience : Punishment" — does disobedience cause punishment? Yes, directly and definitively.
Applying this directional test eliminates weak options in 2-3 seconds per option, vs. 10 seconds of pondering each. Net saving on a 4-option question: ~20 seconds.
When you open an analogy question in the exam hall, follow this decision path:
Step 1 — Identify the type (3 seconds) Are the items words, letters/words-as-strings, or numbers?
Step 2a — Word Analogy Name the relationship in one sentence. Match options against that sentence. Pick the option where the relationship is identical — not similar, identical.
Step 2b — Letter Analogy Try reversal first. Confirm on both given pairs. If reversal fails, try alphabetical shift (+1, +2, +3). Confirm on both pairs. Never assume from one pair alone.
Step 2c — Number Analogy
Try √n + constant. If n is not a perfect square, try n + constant (direct addition). If that fails, try digit sum or digit product. Confirm the pattern on the given pair before applying to the unknown.
Step 3 — Eliminate ruthlessly (5 seconds) Cross off options that fit a different relationship, even if they feel "related" to the words. The relationship must be identical in type and direction.
Step 4 — Pick and move Do not second-guess after Step 3. If two options survive, pick the one where the relationship is more direct and universal. Analogy questions rarely have genuinely tricky survivors — one option is always clearly stronger.
Target time per question: under 30 seconds.
Why this question: This is the standard letter-reversal analogy that appears in UP Police papers. Tests whether you verify the pattern across both given pairs before answering.
Solving path: Apply the reversal check first. EAGLE reversed = ELGAE. Confirmed. BRICK reversed = KCIRB. Confirmed. Now, the missing word reversed = YLRAE. Reverse YLRAE → Y-L-R-A-E → read backwards: E-A-R-L-Y = EARLY. Option A.
Why this question: The simplest and most common analogy type — tool to function. A baseline question that you should solve in under 10 seconds.
Solving path: Pen is used to Write. Relationship: tool → function. Knife is used to ___? Cut is the primary function of a knife. Stitch (needle), Mix (spoon), Paint (brush) — all functions of different tools. Answer: Cut.
Why this question: Object-to-colour analogy. The trap here is picking an answer based on loose association rather than the most defining, universally recognised colour.
Solving path: Apple → Red. Relationship: object → its characteristic colour. Coal → ___? Coal is universally black. No ambiguity here. Answer: Black.
Why this question: Cause-effect analogy tested through a pair-matching format. You must apply the directional test — cause always comes first.
Solving path: Fall causes Pain. Relationship: Cause → Effect. Check options: "Disobedience : Punishment" — Disobedience causes Punishment. Direction is correct, relationship is definitive. "Laugh : Cry" — laughing does not cause crying reliably. "Food : Happy" — not a direct cause-effect chain. Answer: Disobedience : Punishment.
Why this question: Number analogy using the square root plus constant pattern. A high-frequency format in UP Police Constable papers.
Solving path: 16 = 4². 4 + 3 = 7. Pattern: √n + 3 = result. Now 36 = 6². 6 + 3 = 9. Answer: 9.
Why this question: GK-based trophy analogy. Tests whether you have built the cup-sport pairing list.
Solving path: Davis Cup is the prestigious international trophy for Tennis. Apply the same relationship: find the option where a prestigious international trophy is paired with its sport. Ryder Cup → Golf. This is the correct match. "Cue Cup : Snooker" — no such trophy exists. "Federation Cup : Kho-Kho" — Federation Cup is for Football. Answer: Ryder Cup : Golf.
Why this question: Number set analogy. Tests recognition of a mathematical property (perfect squares) shared across a set.
Solving path: 49 = 7², 25 = 5², 9 = 3². Pattern: squares of consecutive odd numbers (7, 5, 3). Look for options with a similar "all perfect squares" property. (36, 16, 4) = 6², 4², 2² — squares of consecutive even numbers. The structural pattern (perfect squares in sequence) is preserved. (64, 27, 8) includes 27 and 8, which are cubes, not squares. Eliminated. Answer: (36, 16, 4).
Matching words instead of relationships. Seeing "Map" and "Manual" and thinking they are both "documents" — and picking "Natural" because it sounds like "Manual." Wrong. The relationship is guide → information it gives. "Instructions" is what a manual gives, just as "Directions" is what a map gives.
Stopping at one given pair in letter analogies. Confirming the pattern (reversal, shift) on only the first given pair and then jumping to the answer. Always verify on the second given pair. If EAGLE → ELGAE is reversal and BRICK → KCIRB is also reversal, you are confirmed. If the pattern does not hold on both, you have the wrong operation.
Ignoring the direction in cause-effect questions. Writing "Pain : Fall" and thinking it is the same as "Fall : Pain." It is not. Cause always comes first in these analogies. Any option where the effect comes first is automatically wrong.
Using loose GK knowledge for trophy questions. Assuming "Federation Cup" goes with Kho-Kho because Kho-Kho is an Indian sport and Federation sounds Indian. Federation Cup is actually a football tournament. Surface-level association is a trap — you need the exact pairing.
Not simplifying before testing number analogies. Looking at 16 : 7 and trying direct subtraction (16 - 7 = 9, so add 9 to 36?). That gives 45, which is not an option — wasted 20 seconds. The correct first move is to check if 16 is a perfect square (4²), then work with the root.
Picking options that are "related" to the word rather than options that match the relationship. In "Pen : Write :: Knife : ?", "Sharpen" might seem related to a knife — but "Sharpen" is what you do TO a knife, not what a knife does. The relationship is tool → function. Knife functions to Cut. Always stay inside the relationship, not the word cloud around the answer.