Letter-Pair Analogies: Practice Set 2
Letter-Pair Analogies (Practice Set 2) continues the same 11+ verbal reasoning question type as the first set: one pair of letters changes into a second pair by a hidden rule, and pupils apply that same rule to a third pair to find the missing letters. This second set works through fresh letter pairs covering equal shifts, unequal shifts, swaps and mirror rules, so pupils practise spotting each pattern type again rather than recalling earlier answers. It remains a staple of GL Assessment-style 11+ verbal reasoning papers.
Method
- Work out how the first letter of the pair changes into the first letter of the second pair by counting alphabet places, remembering that moving forward means later in the alphabet.
- Work out separately how the second letter of the pair changes into the second letter of the second pair.
- Decide whether both letters move by the same number of places, an equal shift, or by different amounts, an unequal shift.
- Check for a swap, where the two letters simply change places, or a mirror rule, where each letter is replaced by its partner counting from the opposite end of the alphabet, A with Z, B with Y, and so on.
- Apply the confirmed rule to the third pair of letters, working out each new letter in turn.
- Compare your answer against the options carefully, checking you have kept the letters in the correct order.
Worked example
AB is to EF as GH is to ?
- Compare AB with EF: A+4=E and B+4=F, so both letters move 4 places forward in the alphabet.
- Check that this 4-place shift is consistent for both letters, confirming the rule is an equal shift rather than an unequal one.
- Apply the same rule to GH: G+4=K and H+4=L.
- Final answer: KL.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1HI is to IJ as PQ is to ? A) QR B) PR C) RS D) QP E) PSShow answer
Answer: A) QR - both letters move forward 1 place
Q2FG is to HI as MN is to ? A) OP B) NP C) PO D) NO E) OQShow answer
Answer: A) OP - both letters move forward 2 places
Q3AB is to DE as JK is to ? A) MN B) NM C) LN D) MO E) NLShow answer
Answer: A) MN - both letters move forward 3 places
Q4DH is to EJ as MP is to ? A) NR B) NQ C) OR D) MR E) NPShow answer
Answer: A) NR - the first letter moves forward 1 place and the second letter moves forward 2 places
Q5HK is to KH as QR is to ? A) RQ B) QR C) RK D) KQ E) QQShow answer
Answer: A) RQ - the two letters simply swap places
Q6BC is to YX as GH is to ? A) TS B) ST C) SU D) TU E) SSShow answer
Answer: A) TS - each letter is replaced by its mirror partner from the other end of the alphabet, keeping the same order
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 11+ exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
BE is to GD as JM is to ? A) OL B) LO C) NL D) OM E) LM
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CG is to EI as KO is to ? A) MQ B) NP C) LP D) MP E) NQ
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BG is to DL as HM is to ? A) JR B) IR C) JQ D) KR E) JS
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Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the letter-pair analogies: practice set 2 worksheet pack - 9 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
This topic is chapter 34 of 11+ Verbal Reasoning Workbook 2, the whole course as one free printable PDF.
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