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NSW SelectiveYear 7 entry

Word analogies for Selective Thinking Skills

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Word analogies ask for two words linked like a given pair, such as pen and writer. The Department doesn't list Selective Thinking Skills question types, but the habit carries over: name the exact link, then test each option.

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The full lesson is in the SelectiveReady app. A free account opens How and Why Authors Write; this lesson needs a paid plan.

Updated 16 October 2026 · Facts checked 12 October 2026

Word Relationships (lesson preview)

A short preview from the SelectiveReady lesson “Word Relationships”: word analogies, a reasoning habit that supports Selective Thinking Skills.

Published:

Read the video transcript

Here we are again, pen is to writer. So what's the very first thing we have to do? Step one, define that relationship. So let's put it into a sentence. A pen is the tool used by a writer. There it is, it's a tool-to-user relationship. We've got our pattern locked in. And now for step two, all we have to do is apply that exact same logic. We just ask the same question, what is the tool used by a carpenter? Well, the answer becomes pretty obvious, doesn't it? A hammer is the tool used by a carpenter. See how that works? The relationships match perfectly. Once you define that initial connection, the right answer just clicks right into place.

Word Relationships is a full lesson in the SelectiveReady app. A free account opens one lesson, How and Why Authors Write; the other lessons need a paid plan1SelectiveReady · 13 October 2026 · Published. The preview has English and Chinese captions.

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What will your child learn in this lesson?

Your child learns that analogies are logic puzzles, not vocabulary tests. They'll be able to put the first pair into a sentence, name the exact link, and choose the pair that uses the same link in the same direction.

The clip solves pen is to writer as hammer is to carpenter. The full lesson adds the common kinds of link and the three traps.

3

Is there a verbal reasoning section in the Selective test?

No. The Selective test has 42NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published sections: Reading, Mathematical Reasoning, Thinking Skills and Writing. None of them is called verbal reasoning.

Reasoning with words still matters. Thinking Skills includes arguments and rules written in sentences, and our Reading lessons include words in context. Some other entrance tests do have a separate verbal reasoning part, such as Edutest's practice sets. 3Edutest · 12 October 2026 · Published

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Where do word analogies fit in Selective Thinking Skills?

No one outside the test can say whether analogies will appear, because the Department publishes no fixed list of question types. 2NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published We teach them because the habit carries over to every type: say the link exactly, then test each option.

The testWhy the analogy habit helps
Thinking Skills checks critical thinking and problem solving, with no previous knowledge needed2NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · PublishedThe skill is spotting links, not knowing rare words
42NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published options per questionEach option is tested against one exact rule
402NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published questions in 402NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published minutesNaming the link first saves rereading
No calculator or dictionary2NSW Education · 13 October 2026 · PublishedKnowing how words relate helps with unfamiliar ones
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What are word analogies?

A word analogy says that two pairs of words are linked in the same way. It's written as "A is to B as C is to D".

The first six links below are the lesson's toolkit; the last two are ours.

LinkExample
Same meaningbig is to large
Oppositehot is to cold
Part to wholekeyboard is to computer
Tool to userpen is to writer
Cause to effectjoke is to laughter
Adult to youngdog is to puppy
Worker to workplacechef is to kitchen
Smaller to bigger amountwarm is to hot
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What is the method for word analogies?

The lesson's master key has two steps: define the link in the first pair, then find the pair that uses that exact link. Saying it as a sentence makes the link exact.

Same link, same direction: pen is to writer as hammer is to carpenter. First name the link (tool to user), then use the same link.

  1. Make a sentence

    Join the first pair in one sentence: a pen is the tool used by a writer.

  2. Name the link

    Give it a short name, such as tool to user. Vague links like they go together let in wrong answers.

  3. Test every option

    Put each option into the same sentence. A hammer is the tool used by a carpenter works.

  4. Check the direction

    The words must come in the same order. Tyre is to car is not the same as car is to tyre.

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What does a worked word analogy look like?

We wrote this example to show the method.

Question: Petal is to flower as ___ is to tree.

  • A. leaf
  • B. forest
  • C. axe
  • D. nest
StepWhat your child does
Make a sentenceA petal is part of a flower.
Name the linkPart to whole, with the part first.
Test the optionsA leaf is part of a tree: it fits. A forest is part of a tree: no, that's backwards.
Rule out the restAn axe cuts a tree and a nest sits in one. Same topic, different link.

The answer is A. Forest is the classic direction trap: tree and forest are linked, but the whole comes first.

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Which traps catch children on word analogies?

The most common trap is an option from the right topic with the wrong link. The lesson's example: a carpenter uses wood, but wood isn't a carpenter's tool the way a hammer is.

TrapExampleThe fix
Right topic, wrong linkwood for carpenterTest the option in the exact sentence
Too vague"they're related" fits three optionsName the link: tool to user, part to whole
Backwardscar is to tyre for tyre is to carKeep the words in the same order
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Can my child try one on their own?

Our free Thinking Skills set has no word analogy, so here is its secret-code question. It is an analogy in letters: MILK is to OKNM as FROG is to what?

Practice question · SEL-TS-TST-25

In Jasmine's secret code, the word MILK is written as OKNM.

Using the same code, how would Jasmine write the word FROG?

  1. A

    IURJ

  2. B

    DPME

  3. C

    HTQI

  4. D

    GSPH

Show answer and explanation

Answer: C

Answer: C (HTQI)

  1. Compare each letter: M becomes O, I becomes K, L becomes N, K becomes M. Each letter moves forward 2 places in the alphabet.
  2. FROG: F moves to H, R moves to T, O moves to Q, G moves to I.
  3. So FROG is written HTQI.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A (IURJ): This moves each letter forward 3 places instead of 2.
  • B (DPME): This moves each letter back 2 places instead of forward.
  • D (GSPH): This moves each letter forward only 1 place.

  1. Say the link

    Each letter of MILK moves forward 2 places in the alphabet: M to O, I to K, L to N, K to M.

  2. Make it exact

    Forward, not back, and exactly 2 places, for every letter.

  3. Use the same link

    F to H, R to T, O to Q and G to I. FROG becomes HTQI.

  4. Check the traps

    HTQI is option C. A moves 3 places, B moves back, and D moves 1.

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How can my child practise word analogies at home?

Analogies make good talk games. Ask your child to say the link aloud each time.

Car game

One person says "bird is to nest as bee is to..." and the other finishes it and names the link.

Make your own

Your child invents an analogy for you, with one tricky wrong answer.

Sort by link

Write word pairs on cards and sort them into piles: part to whole, opposite, tool to user.

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Questions parents ask about word analogies for Selective

Do analogies help with the Reading test?

They build the habit of noticing how words relate, which helps with words in context. Our Words in Context lesson covers that side.

Is there a word list to learn?

No. The Department says there's no new or special knowledge needed2NSW Education · 12 October 2026 · Published. Everyday words and careful links matter more.

Is the full lesson free?

A free account opens one lesson, How and Why Authors Write; the other lessons need a paid plan1SelectiveReady · 13 October 2026 · Published.

Next questions

Selective Thinking Skills →Lesson: Words in Context →Lesson: Judging Arguments →Free Selective practice test →The NSW Selective test explained →

Sources and checks

  1. SelectiveReady

    SelectiveReady · Checked 13 October 2026

  2. Selective high school practice tests

    NSW Department of Education · Checked 12 October 2026 · Practice materials: personal or non-commercial use only; CC BY 4.0 does not apply (page notice). Page text: CC BY 4.0.

  3. Edutest: practice tests

    Edutest · Checked 12 October 2026 · Copyright Edutest Pty Ltd; short quotes credited, linked not copied; practice tests never hosted

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