Analogy / सादृश्य

Analogy (सादृश्य) दो pairs के बीच similarity/relationship को दर्शाता है।

Read as: "A is to B as C is to D"

Example:

• Doctor : Hospital :: Teacher : School
• Doctor works in a hospital — Teacher works in a school.

Structure:

• A : B — First pair (the known relationship)
• C : D — Second pair (the relationship to be identified)
• The relationship between A and B must be same as the relationship between C and D

• Synonym / Antonym — पर्यायवाची / विलोम
• Part–Whole — भाग–सम्पूर्ण
• Cause–Effect — कारण–प्रभाव
• Tool–Function — उपकरण–कार्य
• Worker–Workplace — कार्यकर्ता–कार्यस्थल
• Degree & Classification — डिग्री एवं वर्गीकरण

• Synonym Analogy: दो words का अर्थ same होता है।
• Antonym Analogy: दो words के अर्थ opposite होते हैं।

Examples:

• Synonym: Happy : Joyful :: Sad : Depressed
• Antonym: Hot : Cold :: Light : Dark
• Synonym: Brave : Courageous :: Kind : Benevolent
• Antonym: Success : Failure :: Win : Lose

One term is a part of the other, or a component of the whole.

Examples:

• Wheel : Car :: Leaf : Tree — Wheel is part of car; Leaf is part of tree.
• Page : Book :: Room : House — Page is part of book; Room is part of house.
• Finger : Hand :: Toe : Foot — Finger is part of hand; Toe is part of foot.
• Chapter : Book :: Scene : Movie — Chapter is part of book; Scene is part of movie.

One term is the cause and the other is the effect (or vice versa).

Examples:

• Rain : Flood :: Heat : Drought — Rain causes flood; Heat causes drought.
• Study : Success :: Hard Work : Achievement — Study leads to success; Hard work leads to achievement.
• Smoking : Cancer :: Overeating : Obesity — Smoking causes cancer; Overeating causes obesity.
• Practice : Perfection :: Preparation : Success — Practice leads to perfection; Preparation leads to success.

One term is a tool and the other is its function/use.

Examples:

• Pen : Write :: Knife : Cut — Pen is used to write; Knife is used to cut.
• Brush : Paint :: Broom : Sweep — Brush is used to paint; Broom is used to sweep.
• Thermometer : Temperature :: Barometer : Pressure — Thermometer measures temperature; Barometer measures pressure.
• Calculator : Calculate :: Computer : Process — Calculator is used to calculate; Computer is used to process.

One term is a worker/person and the other is the place where they work.

Examples:

• Doctor : Hospital :: Teacher : School — Doctor works in a hospital; Teacher works in a school.
• Judge : Court :: Chef : Kitchen — Judge works in a court; Chef works in a kitchen.
• Pilot : Airplane :: Driver : Car — Pilot works in an airplane; Driver works in a car.
• Miner : Mine :: Farmer : Farm — Miner works in a mine; Farmer works on a farm.

• Degree Analogy: Words show a gradual difference in intensity/intensity level.
• Classification Analogy: One term is a category/class of the other.

Degree Examples:

• Cold : Freezing :: Warm : Hot — Cold is less intense than freezing; Warm is less intense than hot.
• Happy : Ecstatic :: Sad : Depressed — Happy is less intense than ecstatic; Sad is less intense than depressed.
• Rain : Downpour :: Breeze : Gale — Rain is less intense than downpour; Breeze is less intense than gale.

Classification Examples:

• Rose : Flower :: Dog : Mammal — Rose is a type of flower; Dog is a type of mammal.
• Chair : Furniture :: Apple : Fruit — Chair is a type of furniture; Apple is a type of fruit.
• Sparrow : Bird :: Tulsi : Plant — Sparrow is a type of bird; Tulsi is a type of plant.

An analogical argument is stronger when:

• More similarities between the two cases
• Relevant similarities (not superficial)
• Fewer irrelevant differences between the two cases
• The similarity is directly related to the conclusion
• More instances (multiple examples) of the analogy
• The conclusion is modest and specific (not overgeneralised)

Weaker Analogy:

• Few similarities
• Superficial similarities (look alike but not related)
• Many irrelevant differences
• Conclusion is overgeneralised

• Relevant Similarity — प्रासंगिक समानता: Similarities that are directly connected to the conclusion/argument. They matter to the reasoning.
• Superficial Similarity — सतही समानता: Similarities that are surface-level, incidental and not related to the conclusion. They look similar but don't matter to the argument.

Example:

• Relevant: Two cars have the same engine type, same weight, same tyre brand → Likely similar performance. (Relevant to conclusion about performance).
• Superficial: Two cars have the same colour, same seats, same logo → But different engine and build → Likely different performance. (Colour/logo is superficial).

Exam Tip: Good analogies use relevant similarities. Weak analogies rely on superficial similarities.

• Trap 1: All similarities make an analogy stronger → ❌ Only relevant similarities make it stronger.
• Trap 2: The relationship in A:B is always the same direction as C:D → ❌ The direction must be consistent but sometimes the order can be different.
• Trap 3: Synonym = exactly same meaning → ❌ They are close/related meanings, not always identical.
• Trap 4: Part–Whole analogy = any part of any whole → ❌ The part must be a fundamental component of the whole.
• Trap 5: Cause–Effect analogy = any two things that happen together → ❌ There must be a causal relationship, not just coincidence.
• Trap 6: Tool–Function = any tool and any action → ❌ The tool must be primarily used for that function.
• Trap 7: More examples always make analogy stronger → ❌ More examples help, but relevance of similarities matters more.

Happy : Joyful :: Sad : ?

• A. Angry
• B. Depressed
• C. Excited
• D. Nervous

Explanation: Happy is a synonym of Joyful; Sad is a synonym of Depressed.

Hot : Cold :: Light : ?

• A. Bright
• B. Heavy
• C. Dark
• D. Dim

Explanation: Hot is antonym of Cold; Light is antonym of Dark.

Finger : Hand :: Toe : ?

• A. Foot
• B. Leg
• C. Head
• D. Body

Explanation: Finger is part of Hand; Toe is part of Foot.

Rain : Flood :: Heat : ?

• A. Cold
• B. Drought
• C. Water
• D. Heat

Explanation: Rain causes Flood; Heat causes Drought.

Pen : Write :: Knife : ?

• A. Eat
• B. Cut
• C. Paint
• D. Cook

Explanation: Pen is used to Write; Knife is used to Cut.

Doctor : Hospital :: Teacher : ?

• A. Court
• B. School
• C. Office
• D. Factory

Explanation: Doctor works in Hospital; Teacher works in School.

Cold : Freezing :: Warm : ?

• A. Cool
• B. Hot
• C. Boiling
• D. Chilly

Explanation: Cold is a milder form of Freezing; Warm is a milder form of Hot.

Rose : Flower :: Dog : ?

• A. Pet
• B. Mammal
• C. Animal
• D. Dog

Explanation: Rose is a type of Flower; Dog is a type of Mammal.

Types of Analogy:

• Synonym: Same meaning → Happy : Joyful
• Antonym: Opposite meaning → Hot : Cold
• Part–Whole: Component → Finger : Hand
• Cause–Effect: Cause leads to effect → Rain : Flood
• Tool–Function: Tool use → Pen : Write
• Worker–Workplace: Person & place → Doctor : Hospital
• Degree: Intensity level → Cold : Freezing
• Classification: Category → Rose : Flower

Strength of Analogical Arguments:

• More relevant similarities → Stronger
• Fewer irrelevant differences → Stronger
• Relevant similarity > Superficial similarity

Exam Formula:

UGC NET में Analogy के questions relationship identification और application पर based होते हैं।