An analogy asks you to transfer a relationship from one pair to another. The words or pictures may differ, but the relation should remain consistent. Direction matters as much as association.
Turn the pair into a sentence
For seed : plant, a candidate relationship is a seed can develop into a plant. A matching pair should follow that same direction, such as egg : bird in an appropriately constructed question.
Plant : seed reverses the relationship. It contains related words, but that is not enough to match the original order.
A numerical example
Suppose the question gives 4 → 13 and 6 → 19, then asks what 8 maps to. Multiplying by three and adding one explains both supplied pairs. Applying it to 8 gives 25.
With only 4 → 13, many rules would fit. The second example helps constrain the intended transformation. Always use all the information supplied rather than committing after the first pair.
A visual example
If a triangle with a dot at the top becomes the same triangle with a dot at the bottom, the change may be dot position rather than rotation of the entire object. Check whether the outline also changed orientation.
An option that rotates the whole figure may look similar while applying a different operation. State what changes and what stays fixed before choosing.
Common traps
- Matching a broad association instead of a precise relationship.
- Reversing the source and result.
- Applying a different rule to the second pair.
- Ignoring a feature preserved in the example.
Practice with an explanation
After solving, complete the sentence the first item becomes the second by…. If you cannot describe the rule consistently, reconsider the choice. A short explicit explanation is a useful check against selecting an option simply because the two items feel connected.