Verbal, Number and Letter Analogy
Verbal, Number and Letter Analogy
An analogy question gives one related pair and asks you to complete a second pair with the same relation. The whole skill is naming the relation precisely in one sentence ("a barometer measures pressure") and then testing each option against that sentence. NTPC sets word pairs, number pairs and chains, number triads, letter clusters and words coded as numbers.
1. Common Word Relations
| Relation | Example pair | Test sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Instrument : what it measures | Barometer : Pressure | A __ measures __ |
| Worker : tool | Carpenter : Saw | A __ works with a __ |
| Product : raw material | Paper : Pulp | __ is made from __ |
| Member : class | Frog : Amphibian | A __ is a kind of __ |
| Individual : group | Cow : Herd | Many __ form a __ |
| Animal : young one | Horse : Foal | The young of a __ is a __ |
| Animal : home | Bee : Hive | A __ lives in a __ |
| Unit : quantity | Ampere : Current | __ is the unit of __ |
| Country : currency | Japan : Yen | The currency of __ is __ |
| Synonym / antonym | Brave : Bold / Brave : Coward | Same or opposite meaning |
| Cause : effect | Fire : Smoke | __ produces __ |
2. Number and Letter Toolkit
| Relation in a number pair | Example |
|---|---|
| n² ± k | 7 : 50 (7² + 1) |
| n³ ± k | 4 : 63 (4³ − 1) |
| n × (n + 1) | 6 : 42 |
| Sum or product of digits | 48 : 32 (4 × 8) |
| Next prime or next square | 11 : 13 |
Letter positions: A 1, E 5, J 10, O 15, T 20, Z 26 (memory: EJOTY = 5, 10, 15, 20, 25)
Opposite letters add to 27: A-Z, B-Y, C-X, M-N
Triads (as set in NTPC papers): operate on whole numbers, do not split 13 into 1 and 3
✗ Bat : Mammal is wrong because a bat flies like a bird | ✓ A bat is a mammal; test the class, not the habit
✗ 7 : 50 follows 7 × 7 + 1, so 9 : 9 × 9 − 1 = 80 | ✓ 9² + 1 = 82; apply the same rule exactly
हिंदी नोट: सादृश्यता में पहले जोड़े का संबंध एक वाक्य में बोलिए, फिर हर विकल्प को उसी वाक्य से जाँचिए। अक्षरों की स्थिति के लिए EJOTY (5, 10, 15, 20, 25) याद रखिए; विपरीत अक्षरों का योग 27 होता है।
Exam Pointer: Verified NTPC patterns: word pairs (January 2021 CBT-1), number pairs in a chain (February 2021 CBT-1), number triads (March 2026 Graduate CBT-1 and March 2021 CBT-1) and letter-cluster analogies (June 2025 Graduate CBT-1). Word-to-number coded analogies had no verified NTPC shift and are tagged syllabus-based.
Pariksha Pattern: Every Way NTPC Asks This Topic
Pattern 1: Word pairs: name the relation
[PYQ: NTPC CBT-1 5-Jan-2021 Shift-2]
EXAM LEVEL
Q. Barometer : Pressure :: Hygrometer : ?
A barometer measures pressure; a hygrometer measures humidity.
Answer: Humidity
EXAMATLAS LEVEL
Q. Select the pair related in the same way as Whale : Mammal. (a) Shark : Mammal (b) Bat : Bird (c) Frog : Amphibian (d) Penguin : Fish
The relation is "a __ is a kind of __". A shark is a fish, a bat is a mammal and a penguin is a bird, so only Frog : Amphibian keeps the relation true.
Answer: (c) Frog : Amphibian
Pattern 2: Number pairs and number chains
[PYQ: NTPC CBT-1 16-Feb-2021 Shift-2]
EXAM LEVEL
Q. 7 : 50 :: 9 : ?
7² + 1 = 50, so 9² + 1 = 82.
Answer: 82
EXAMATLAS LEVEL
Q. 4 : 63 :: 6 : ? Also, which pair does not follow the same rule: 3 : 26, 5 : 124, 7 : 342, 8 : 510?
4³ − 1 = 63, so 6³ − 1 = 215. Checking: 26, 124 and 342 are 3³ − 1, 5³ − 1 and 7³ − 1, but 8³ − 1 = 511, not 510.
Answer: 215; 8 : 510
Pattern 3: Number triads: choose the set like the given sets
[PYQ: NTPC Graduate CBT-1 25-Mar-2026 Shift-1 | NTPC CBT-1 8-Mar-2021 Shift-2]
EXAM LEVEL
Q. Select the set related like (3, 9, 27) and (4, 16, 64). (a) (5, 25, 125) (b) (6, 36, 72) (c) (2, 6, 8) (d) (7, 49, 98)
The second number is the square of the first and the third its cube. Only (5, 25, 125) fits.
Answer: (a)
EXAMATLAS LEVEL
Q. Select the set related like (8, 5, 89) and (6, 4, 52), operating on whole numbers. (a) (5, 6, 60) (b) (7, 3, 58) (c) (9, 2, 83) (d) (4, 8, 81)
8² + 5² = 89 and 6² + 4² = 52, so the third is the sum of the squares of the first two. 49 + 9 = 58 fits; the others give 61, 85 and 80.
Answer: (b) (7, 3, 58)
Pattern 4: Letter-cluster analogies
[PYQ: NTPC Graduate CBT-1 11-Jun-2025 Shift-1]
EXAM LEVEL
Q. ACE : BDF :: GIK : ?
Each letter moves forward by 1: G → H, I → J, K → L.
Answer: HJL
EXAMATLAS LEVEL
Q. PLAN : QNDR :: BEST : ?
The shifts are +1, +2, +3, +4 by position (P → Q, L → N, A → D, N → R). Applying them to BEST: B → C, E → G, S → V, T → X.
Answer: CGVX
Pattern 5: Words turned into numbers
[Pattern: syllabus-based, PYQ-style]
EXAM LEVEL
Q. If CAT is coded 24, what is the code for DOG?
CAT = 3 + 1 + 20 = 24, the sum of letter positions. DOG = 4 + 15 + 7 = 26.
Answer: 26
EXAMATLAS LEVEL
Q. In a code, CAT is 72 and BLUE is 160. What is the code for BELL?
CAT's position sum is 24 and 24 × 3 letters = 72; BLUE's is 40 and 40 × 4 letters = 160, so the code is the position sum × the number of letters. BELL = (2 + 5 + 12 + 12) × 4 = 31 × 4 = 124.
Answer: 124
60-Second Revision
- Say the relation as a sentence, then test every option.
- Number pairs: try n², n³, n(n + 1) with ± small numbers.
- Triads: find one rule that fits both given sets, then test options.
- Letters: write the position shifts; EJOTY anchors and opposite pairs (sum 27) speed it up.