Lesson 1 of 1 | General Intelligence and Reasoning / Analogy and Classification
Introduction to Analogy and Classification
Analogy and Classification
These two question types appear in almost every RRB Group D reasoning section. Both test one skill: finding the relationship between items.
1. Analogy (A : B :: C : ?)
Find how the first pair is related, then apply the same relationship to the second pair.
Common relationships:
- Worker – Workplace: Doctor : Hospital :: Teacher : School
- Tool – Worker: Pen : Writer :: Scissors : Tailor
- Product – Raw material: Paper : Wood :: Cloth : Cotton
- Number patterns: 4 : 16 :: 7 : 49 (square), 3 : 27 :: 5 : 125 (cube)
- Letter shifts: AB : CD :: EF : GH (each letter moves +2)
2. Classification (Odd one out)
Three items share a property; find the one that does not.
- Meaning groups: Apple, Mango, Banana, Potato → Potato is a vegetable.
- Number properties: 3, 5, 11, 9 → 9 is not prime.
- Even/odd, squares, cubes, multiples are the most common number tests.
Exam tips
- Say the relationship aloud as a sentence ("A doctor works in a hospital").
- For numbers, check square, cube, ×2, +n in that order.
- In classification, if two answers look odd, choose the one that breaks the strongest common rule.
Analogy
Think of analogy like matching railway coaches to engines. If an Express engine pulls AC coaches on one track, you must find the coach that the second engine pulls in exactly the same way. Classification is like a ticket checker walking through a coach full of passengers with valid tickets — his job is to spot the one passenger without a ticket, the one who does not belong.