Analogies in Edutest Verbal Reasoning

An analogy compares a pair of words with a second pair. The first pair shows a link; your child finds the word that gives the second pair the same link.

Pen is to write as knife is to … cut. A pen is used to write; a knife is used to cut.

Edutest says its Verbal Reasoning test covers word relationships. Analogies are the clearest test of that skill, because the whole question rests on naming how the words are linked.

Our Edutest-style analogies come in two shapes. Some say "A is to B as C is to ?" and your child picks the missing word. Others give a pair, such as thimble : finger, and ask which option pair is linked in the same way.

Either way the question is multiple choice, so every wrong option is chosen to look possible. Look out for a word from the same topic, or the right link in the wrong order, among the choices.

Turn the link into a sentence. Words in a sentence are exact enough to test, while a feeling that two words "go together" fits almost any option.

If one word in the first pair is unfamiliar, start from the word your child does know. Ask what that word is used for, holds or belongs to, then see which link would make a true sentence.

Knowing the common links lets your child name a link quickly instead of starting from nothing. These are the ones to learn first.

Take extra care with degree and order links. There, the near-miss option is one step too far or the wrong way round.

We wrote these in the style of the Edutest test, from easier to harder. Read each one with your child and say the link sentence together, then check it against the working.

Each example uses a different link, on purpose: practising one kind of link can turn into guessing from habit. Ask which option looked right at first, then compare your child's sentence with the working's and find the loose word.

Every wrong option in an analogy is built to look possible. When your child picks one, find which of these it was, and you'll both know what to check next time.

• A word from the same topic. In "bookshelf : books :: wallet : ?", purse and pocket go with wallets, but only money is kept in one.
• Reversed order. If the first pair is part then whole, the answer can't be whole then part.
• A link that is too loose. "They go together" fits almost anything. A precise sentence fits only one option.
• A thing instead of a state. If the first pair links two states, like damp and soaked, the answer is a state too, not an object that can be damp.
• A step that is too short or too long. In sequence links, count the steps in the first pair and use the same number in the second.

Each analogy is a single multiple-choice question. At the test, children shade bubbles on a paper answer sheet, so a quick check that the bubble matches the question number saves careless losses.

Edutest's rule is simple: no marks lost for wrong or blank answers. If an analogy won't crack, your child should pick the option whose link sentence sounds closest and move on.

Edutest says many students will not finish every question. Analogies can be quick once the link is named, so they're a good place to bank time for harder questions later in the test.

Analogies lean on vocabulary. Your child can't name the link between lukewarm and hot without knowing what lukewarm means, so a growing word bank makes analogies easier.

The habit of naming a precise rule also helps with odd one out questions. There, your child finds the rule that fits all the words but one.

Deduction works the other way round. The links are given in the statements, and your child must not add any link of their own.

Make it a game at home: say a pair ("bee : hive") and ask for the link sentence before anyone gives a second pair. Naming the link out loud is the skill the test rewards.

Then swap roles. When your child makes up an analogy for you, they have to choose a link and build wrong options, which shows how the traps are made.

The app's analogies lesson has an Interactive version and Notes, and skill drills give short practice on analogies alone. Analogies sit with the other kinds on the Verbal Reasoning sample questions page.

When the links come quickly, Practice test 1 puts analogies among the other kinds on Edutest's time, with results by skill. That shows whether analogies are a strength or still cost marks.