Verbal reasoning

Verbal reasoning tests use words, letters & numbers. It requires logical reasoning & knowledge in English.


Even though one need not be a master in maths, it considers one’s logical reasoning & an eye for arithmetic manipulation. Therefore it is necessary to have a basic knowledge in simple manipulations like: addition, subtraction, division, multiplication and figures.

Verbal reasoning includes the following classes or categories:

Analogical relationships

Series completion

Classification (finding odd man out)

Coding and decoding

Directional reasoning

Logical diagrams and relationships

Here in this blog I am providing some analogical relationships one can expect in any competitive exams and for general reference.

Antonymous: Opposite in meaning.

Examples: Poor: rich, always: never

Association: Clock is associated with time, similarly barometer with pressure.

e.g.: Time: clock, editor: magazine, director: film

Age relationship: e.g.: boy: man, cow: calf

Blood/family: e.g.: brother: sister, wife: husband

Comparative: making comparisons between the given lists.

e.g.: coal: black, blood: red

Cause and effect: In this the second word is a reaction that occurs due to the first.

e.g.: insult: humiliation, virus: disease, cholesterol: obesity, mosquito: malaria

Classification relationship: there can be biological, chemical or physical classifications.

e.g.: cow: mammals, lizard: reptile

Degree of difference relationship: They will have same meanings but difference in degree only.

e.g.: admiration: love, nip: crush, elevated: exalted, dirty: filthy

Functional: First term describes the function of the second.

e.g.: general: command, senator: legislates, scissors: cloth

Finished product & raw material: e.g.: grape: wine, flour: bread,

Numerical: relation between additions, multiplication etc.

e.g.: 9: 18, 6: 32

Purpose relation: e.g.: sand paper: abrasion, oil: lubrication

Place relation: Bangalore: Karnataka, red fort: Delhi, Agra: Taj Mahal

Quantitative: e.g.: liter: milliliter, grams: kilogram.

Qualitative: They can also be classified under antonyms.

e.g.: opaque: transparent, big: small

Synonymous: similar in relation.

e.g.: kind: benevolent, tedious: boring, indefatigable: untiring.

Sex: e.g.: man: woman, male: female, bull: cow

Symbolic: e.g.: flag: nation, stars: rank

Specialist & subject: e.g.: dermatologist: skin, heart: cardiologist

Time sequence: e.g.: morning: evening, day: night

Tool-object: tools used on the object.

e.g.: pen: paper, saw: wood, kick rod: bike

Utility: e.g.: pen: writing, car: driving, key board: typing

Worker-Article: creator of an article & the article used.

e.g.: Author: book, cobbler: shoe

Worker-tool: tools used by various technicians.

e.g.: Surgeon: forceps, writer: pen.

Whole-part, part-whole: e.g.: car: wheel, soldier: regiment, formula: constituent, equation: term.