English Language · Reasoning

Verbal Analogies

1,722 Questions

Test your reasoning abilities with these verbal analogies questions focused on identifying word relationships. The exercises require finding pairs that share similar logical or semantic connections. This section is a crucial part of the verbal ability and reasoning tests in many competitive exams.

Word pair relationshipsSemantic connectionsLogical analogiesOdd pair identification

Verbal Analogies Questions

Multiple choice

Raghavan: I don’t believe Narendra will win the election for Prime Minister. Few voters are willing to elect a politician with no national experience to such a responsible position. Rajni: You’re wrong. The experience of running a state government is a valuable preparation for the task of running a national government. Rajni’s response shows that she has interpreted Raghavan’s remark to imply which of the following?

  1. Raghavan considers Narendra inexperienced for the position of Prime Minister.

  2. No candidate without national level political experience has ever been elected Prime Minister of the country.

  3. Raghavan believes that political leadership at the state level and political leadership at the national level are closely analogous.

  4. A career spent in the state politics can be an impediment to one’s ability to run a national government fairly.

  5. Voters generally overestimate the value of national political experience when selecting a candidate for national level position.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Rajni asserts that the experience of running a state government is good enough to run a national government too without saying anything about voters willingness to elect such a politician. So, she is simply taking Raghavan’s assertions to mean that Narendra has no experience. Hence, option (1) is correct.

Multiple choice

Directions:- The following question consists of two sets of words. Each word in the two sets is related to the other in the same way. Find out the relationship in the first set of two words and then select the alternative that best fits the blank in the second set of words.

Leopard : Claw :: Eagle : .

  1. Talons

  2. Tentacles

  3. Grates

  4. Pinchers

  5. Pincers
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

(1) The fingernails on the paw of an animal of prey are claws; those on a bird of prey are talons.

Multiple choice

Directions:- The following question consists of two sets of words. Each word in the two sets is related to the other in the same way. Find out the relationship in the first set of two words and then select the alternative that best fits the blank in the second set of words.

Obsequious : Ego :: : Circumspection

  1. Petulant

  2. Obdurate

  3. Impetuous

  4. Chutzpas

  5. Equivocal
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

(3) An obsequious person doesn’t have much of an ego; an impetuous person does not hold himself within easy limits of caution or prudence.

Multiple choice

Directions:- The following question consists of two sets of words. Each word in the two sets is related to the other in the same way. Find out the relationship in the first set of two words and then select the alternative that best fits the blank in the second set of words.

Ballast : Stability :: : Defence

  1. Dungeon

  2. Rampart

  3. Buttress

  4. Bulwark

  5. Stanchion
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

(4) Ballast provides stability; bulwark provides defence.

Multiple choice

Directions:- The following question consists of two sets of words. Each word in the two sets is related to the other in the same way. Find out the relationship in the first set of two words and then select the alternative that best fits the blank in the second set of words.

Obfuscation : Clarity :: Equivocation :

  1. Postulation

  2. Verity

  3. Opinion

  4. Ambiguity

  5. Bias
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

(2) Obfuscation hides clarity; equivocation hides truth.

Multiple choice

Directions: The sentence below has two blanks. Beneath the sentence are five sets of words. Choose the set of words that, when inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

_________ mob began to form full of angry men _______ incoherent threats.

  1. A huge, waving

  2. A lynch, muttering

  3. An ugly, gesturing

  4. A listless, shouting
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

“Angry men” is a clue here. Other words like 'huge', 'ugly', 'enthusiastic' and ';listless' are incompatible with angry men who are giving threats. So the best answer is (2).

Multiple choice

Directions: The sentence below has one or two blanks, each blank indicating that something has been omitted. Beneath the sentence are five words or sets of words labelled (1) through (5). Choose the word or set of words that, when inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

Much love and _________ had gone into _______ one of the most undignified diseases known to man.

  1. devotion, submerging

  2. care, enduring

  3. sympathy, overpowering

  4. discipline, defeating

  5. dedication, tackling
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

The first part of the sentence highlights the positive aspect, whereas the latter part is negative as indicated by 'most undignified diseases'. It implies that some positive effort has gone into handling something negative.  So, the word 'tackling' best suits here.

Multiple choice

Directions: The question has a pair of capitalised words followed by five pairs of words. Choose the pair of words which best expresses the relationship similar to that expressed in the capitalised pair.

ANACHRONISTIC : TIME

  1. Discordant : Sound

  2. Dilapidated : Construction

  3. Disreputable : Personality

  4. Contagious : Illness

  5. Nauseating : Odor
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

 (Out of sync) Anachronistic does not have proper time; discordant does not have proper sound.

Multiple choice

Directions: The question has a pair of capitalised words followed by five pairs of words. Choose the pair of words which best expresses the relationship similar to that expressed in the capitalised pair.

SUSPICIOUS : PARANOID

  1. Envious : Proud

  2. Admiring : Idolatrous

  3. Joyous : Virtuous

  4. Furtive : Forthright

  5. Vicious : Deceptive
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

(Nature and personality type) Paranoid is overly suspicious; idolatrous is overly admiring.

Multiple choice

Directions: The question has a pair of capitalised words followed by five pairs of words. Choose the pair of words which best expresses the relationship similar to that expressed in the capitalised pair.

DECELERATE : SPEED

  1. Desiccate : Dryness

  2. Extinguish : Oxygen

  3. Interpolate : Interval

  4. Decontaminate : Sterility

  5. Enervate : Vitality
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

 (Antonym variant) To decelerate is to reduce speed; to enervate is to reduce vitality.