NVR - Relationships Between Symbols (1)

What Are Relationship Between Symbols Questions?

Relationship between symbols questions are a form of visual analogy.

An analogy compares two things by looking at the relationship between them. For example, big is to small as old is to young. In that example, both pairs are opposites.

In 11 Plus Non-Verbal Reasoning, the same idea is used with shapes instead of words. Children look at a first pair of shapes, decide how they are related, then choose the shape that has the same relationship with a third shape.

How Are These Questions Shown in the 11 Plus Exam?

Candidates are usually shown three shapes or patterns.

The first two shapes are related in some way. The third shape then has to be matched with one of the answer options using the same type of relationship.

The relationship may involve movement, rotation, shading, size, number, shape, position or several features at once.

Talk Through the First Pair

A very useful technique is to talk through the relationship in simple words.

Children might use phrases such as “small shape becomes large”, “shape rotates 90 degrees” or “outside shape moves inside”.

In this example, the first pair has two important changes.

The small circle in the first symbol becomes a large circle in the second symbol.

The other part of the pattern is less obvious. The step shape has five lines, and the shape in the second symbol is a pentagon, which has five sides.

Apply the Same Relationship to the Third Shape

Once children understand the first relationship, they need to apply the same idea to the third shape.

In the third shape, the small circle has been replaced by a small triangle.

The five-line step has also changed to a four-line step.

Using the same rule, the small triangle should become a large triangle, and the four-line step should become a four-sided shape.

This means the answer must contain a large triangle and a quadrilateral.

That leads to answer B.

The Quick Way to Say the Rule

Once children are confident, they can shorten the explanation in their head.

For the first pair, they might say: “Lines of step make large shape; small circle becomes large.”

For the second pair, they can then say: “Four lines become quadrilateral; small triangle becomes large.”

This kind of quick verbal shortcut helps children work faster without losing the method.

Why Wrong Answers Are Useful

Wrong answers in Non-Verbal Reasoning are often designed to tempt children into a common mistake.

In this example, some answers contain quadrilaterals but not the correct large triangle. Others contain circles, which may distract children who think the second pair must use the same exact shapes as the first pair.

There may also be a step shape included to catch children who misunderstand the task and think the same original shape must appear again.

Looking at wrong answers can help parents understand where a child went wrong and what part of the relationship they missed.

Common Mistakes to Watch For

Children may lose marks on analogy questions because they focus on the specific shapes rather than the relationship between them.

Common mistakes include:

• Looking for the exact same shapes instead of the same type of change
• Forgetting to count lines or sides
• Not noticing that a small shape becomes large
• Choosing a square when any four-sided shape would fit the rule
• Looking at the answer options before understanding the first pair

A calm, relationship-first method is usually more useful than guessing. Accuracy should come before speed during early 11 Plus revision.

11 Plus Practice Quizzes for Analogies

This free guide introduces analogy questions, but practice helps children become more familiar with the format.

Education Quizzes has eight Analogies quizzes in the 11 Plus Non-Verbal Reasoning section.

Next Steps for Parents

This guide has introduced relationships between symbols based on size and number.

The next guides in this section look at other ways analogies can be formed, including rotation, shading and movement.

Reading those free guides before quiz practice may help children recognise a wider range of 11 Plus Non-Verbal Reasoning patterns.