2.1 Analogies

2.1 Analogies

What an Analogy Item Is Asking

An analogy is written as PILOT : COCKPIT :: CAPTAIN : ? and read as "pilot is to cockpit as captain is to what?" The colon pair on the left is the stem pair; the pair on the right is the answer pair. Your job is to find the option that makes the second pair carry the same relationship as the first. The test never tells you the relationship in words; you have to infer it from the stem and then project it.

PAF does not publish a stable item count or time limit for this intelligence test, so build speed without treating a coaching estimate as an official rule. Use the method consistently and resist the urge to pick an option that merely "feels" related. The method below is built for speed.

The Seven Core Relationship Types

These practice analogies use seven recurring relationship families. Learn to name the family in one phrase the moment you read the stem.

• Tool-User — the first word is the worker, the second is the tool the worker operates (SURGEON : SCALPEL).
• Worker-Workplace — the first word is the role, the second is where the role is performed (PILOT : COCKPIT, CAPTAIN : BRIDGE).
• Part-Whole — the first word is a component, the second is the assembly it belongs to (WING : AIRCRAFT).
• Cause-Effect — the first word produces the second (FRICTION : HEAT).
• Degree — the second word is a stronger or weaker version of the first (COOL : FREEZING).
• Category — the first word is a member of the second (EAGLE : BIRD).
• Function — the second word is what the first is built to do (RADAR : DETECT).

Once you can label the stem as one of these, the option that breaks the label is usually eliminated in seconds.

Worked Examples

Example 1. PILOT : COCKPIT :: CAPTAIN : ? Options: (A) SHIP (B) BRIDGE (C) CREW (D) OCEAN.

Rephrase the stem as a sentence: "A cockpit is the control station where a pilot works." That is a worker-workplace relationship. Now project: "A bridge is the control station where a captain works." Option (B) BRIDGE fits exactly. (A) SHIP is the whole vehicle, not the control station; that is a part-whole trap. (C) CREW is a co-worker, not a workplace. (D) OCEAN is the setting, not the station. Answer: B.

Example 2. WING : AIRCRAFT :: BLADE : ? Options: (A) ENGINE (B) HELICOPTER (C) WIND (D) SKY.

Stem sentence: "A wing is a lifting surface that is part of an aircraft." Relationship: part-whole. Project: "A blade is a lifting surface that is part of a helicopter." Answer: B. (A) ENGINE is part-whole but the wrong whole and the wrong function; (C) WIND is what the blade acts on, not what it belongs to; (D) SKY is the medium, not the assembly.

Example 3. FRICTION : HEAT :: COMBUSTION : ? Options: (A) FUEL (B) SMOKE (C) FLAME (D) ENGINE.

Stem: "Friction produces heat." Relationship: cause-effect. Project: "Combustion produces flame." Answer: C. (A) FUEL is the input, not the output; (B) SMOKE is a by-product but the closer, intended effect is flame; (D) ENGINE is the system containing the process, not the effect.

The Surface-Similarity Trap

A common distractor in analogy practice is the topic-mate: a word that shares the aviation or military theme of the stem but does not reproduce the relationship. In Example 1, SHIP and OCEAN are both nautical, so they feel plausible; they fail the worker-workplace test. Always run the rephrased sentence on every option before committing. If two options both seem to fit, your stem sentence is too loose — tighten it by adding the function or location detail.

Direction Matters

Analogies are ordered. "PILOT : COCKPIT" is not the same as "COCKPIT : PILOT." If the stem is worker-then-workplace, the answer must also be worker-then-workplace. A reversed distractor (workplace-then-worker) is a frequent wrong answer on fast-paced batteries like this one.

Speed Drill Method

For each item: (1) read the stem, (2) silently name the relationship family, (3) whisper the stem sentence, (4) scan options and cross out any that fail the sentence, (5) pick the survivor. With practice, the sequence becomes fast enough to preserve time for harder items.

Degree and Category Relationships

Two families that look alike but split on direction are degree and category. In a degree pair the second word is a stronger version of the first (COOL : FREEZING, WARM : BLISTERING), so the test is 'is B a more intense form of A?' In a category pair the first word is a member of the group named by the second (EAGLE : BIRD, ROCKET : VEHICLE), so the test is 'is A a type of B?' Candidates blur them by picking a word that is merely related. Worked item: COLD : GLACIAL :: LUXURY : ? Options: NEED, POVERTY, OPULENCE, COMFORT. The stem is degree (glacial is extreme cold), so project 'opulence is extreme luxury.' The answer is OPULENCE. NEED and POVERTY are antonyms of luxury, not intensifications of it; COMFORT is a synonym but not the extreme form, so it fails the degree test.

Two-Step Pairs and Reversal Traps

Some stems force two relationships in sequence before the option fits. ENGINE : FUEL : IGNITION reads as 'fuel feeds the engine, and ignition starts it' — a chain, not a single link. On a fast battery, collapse the chain into one sentence and test that sentence. The reversal trap is subtler: if the stem is worker-then-workplace, a distractor ordered workplace-then-workplace-2 looks plausible because both halves are workplaces, but it breaks the worker-first order. Always re-state the stem order ('first is the person, second is the place') and reject any option whose first word is not a person.

Quick Reference: Which Family?

Drill until you can label the relationship quickly, preserving time for the rest of the live section.