Verbal Reasoning: Analogies, Classification, and Following Directions
Verbal Reasoning tests relationships among words and the ability to apply a rule in sequence. It includes analogies, classification, and following directions. The items are short, but each has a precise logical structure.
Core rules
- Analogies: Name the relationship before looking at choices. Common links are category (sparrow : bird), function (knife : cut), part–whole (petal : flower), cause–effect (rain : flood), degree (warm : hot), and antonym (early : late). Keep the order: A is to B as C is to D.
- Classification: Find the one word that does not belong. The correct rule must fit every other word, not just two of them. Look for category, use, habitat, or shared property.
- Following directions: Read every word and apply steps in order. Track relational terms (left of, above, between, before, after) and constraints (not, except, only).
Worked example
Pilot : cockpit :: chef : ? A pilot works in a cockpit; the relationship is worker to workplace. A chef works in a kitchen, so kitchen completes the analogy. Recipe is related to chefs but is not a workplace, so it fails the relationship test.
Traps
- Reversing the analogy direction (cockpit : pilot).
- Choosing a word that is merely associated with the prompt.
- Classifying by one obvious feature while ignoring a second feature shared by the others.
- Skipping a negative word in directions.
- Treating following directions as a memory task instead of a step-by-step check.
After choosing, restate the rule in a full sentence; if it does not hold for all four terms or all but one item, reject the choice.