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Male-Female Analogy

Male-Female Analogy problems involve pairs where one word represents the masculine form of a living being and the other represents the feminine form (e.g., Lion : Lioness). You must identify the gender relationship in the first pair and apply it to complete the second pair.

10Worksheets
200+Practice Questions
BeginnerDifficulty
1-2 hoursHours to Master

What You'll Learn

Introduction & Overview Why This Matters How to Solve Pro Tips & Tricks
Shortcut Methods Common Mistakes Practice Worksheets Exam Importance

Introduction to Male-Female Analogy

Male-Female Analogy problems involve pairs where one word represents the masculine form of a living being and the other represents the feminine form (e.g., Lion : Lioness). You must identify the gender relationship in the first pair and apply it to complete the second pair.

Prerequisites

Knowledge of masculine and feminine nouns Understanding of gender in animals and professions Vocabulary of gendered terms Basic biology knowledge
Why This Matters: Male-Female Analogy appears in 1-2 questions in SSC CGL, Banking PO, and Railways exams.

How to Solve Male-Female Analogy Problems

1

Step 1: Identify the relationship between the first pair of words (A : B)

2

Step 2: Determine if A is male and B is female, or vice versa

3

Step 3: Note the direction (male→female or female→male)

4

Step 4: Look at the third word (C) and find a word (D) that has the same gender relationship with C

5

Step 5: Maintain the same direction of relationship

6

Step 6: Eliminate options that don't fit the gender relationship

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Step 7: Choose the option that best maintains the male-female relationship

Pro Strategy: Build knowledge of common male-female word pairs for animals and professions. Pay attention to irregular feminine forms (e.g., Fox-Vixen, Bull-Cow).

Example Problem

Example: Lion : Lioness :: Actor : ? Solution: Step 1: Lion is male, Lioness is female (male → female) Step 2: The relationship is 'masculine to feminine' Step 3: We need the feminine form of Actor Step 4: Options: (a) Actress (b) Performer (c) Star (d) Artist Step 5: Actress is the feminine form of Actor Step 6: Lion : Lioness :: Actor : Actress Answer: Actress

Pro Tips & Tricks

  • Learn common male-female pairs: Lion-Lioness, Tiger-Tigress, Actor-Actress, Prince-Princess, King-Queen, Bull-Cow, Horse-Mare
  • Understand different feminine suffix patterns: -ess, -ine, -a, -trix
  • Some feminine forms are completely different words (Brother-Sister, Father-Mother, Husband-Wife)
  • Remember that some professions are gender-neutral (Doctor, Teacher, Engineer)
  • Be aware of animals where the male and female have different names (Boar-Sow, Buck-Doe)
  • Watch for birds with specific gender names (Peacock-Peahen, Goose-Gander, Duck-Drake)

Shortcut Methods to Solve Faster

If A is male and B is female, then C must be male and D female
The feminine form often ends with -ess or -ine
Some feminine forms are created by adding -a (Nephew-Niece is different pattern)
Eliminate options where the gender relationship doesn't match

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using the wrong feminine suffix
Assuming all professions have distinct feminine forms
Reversing the direction of the relationship
Selecting a word that is not the correct gender counterpart

Exam Importance

Male-Female Analogy is an important topic for various competitive exams. Here's how frequently it appears:

SSC CGL
1-2 questions
BANKING PO
1-2 questions
RAILWAYS RRB
1-2 questions
GRE
0-1 questions
CAT
0-1 questions

Ready to Master Male-Female Analogy?

Start with Worksheet 1 and work your way up to expert level! Each worksheet includes:

20 practice questions
Detailed solutions
Step-by-step explanations
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