SSC CPO Paper I 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 PYQs

Concept: Take A as (0, 0), East $+x$, North $+y$, and trace the drive.

1. South 20: $(0,-20)$; left (East) 5: $(5,-20)$.
2. Left (North) 30: $(5,10)$; right (East) 8: $(13,10)$.
3. Right (South) 10: $(13,0)$ = Q.
4. Q is 13 km due East of A, so he must drive 13 km towards West.

Trick: Net N–S $=-20+30-10=0$; net E–W $=5+8=13$ East → return 13 km West.

Answer: (C) 13 km towards West

Concept: Unfold step by step; each opening reflects the cuts across that fold line.

1. Folds: right half onto left, then top half down – the cut part is the bottom-left quarter (triangle, ">" notch, diamond).
2. Opening the side fold mirrors the cuts: ">" becomes "<" and the triangle faces the other way on the right side.
3. Opening the top fold mirrors the bottom half upward: the triangles in the top half become upside-down, diamonds go to the top edge.
4. This gives option (C); in (B) the top triangles are not flipped and in (D) the diamonds are upright.

Trick: Across a horizontal fold, shapes flip upside-down; across a vertical fold, they flip left–right.

Answer: (C)

Concept: Compare letters from left to right until the first difference.

1. Te-m words before Te-n words: Temperament, Temperature, Temptation.
2. Temper-a(ment) before Temper-a(ture)? Compare "temperam" and "temperat": m < t, so Temperament, then Temperature; "Tempt" comes after "Tempe".
3. Te-n words: Tena(nt) < Tend(er) < Tenu(re).
4. Order: 1, 6, 5, 3, 4, 2.

Trick: Group by common prefix (Temp / Ten) and then compare the next differing letter.

Answer: (C) 1, 6, 5, 3, 4, 2

Concept: The number appearing next to all four others must be opposite to the remaining one.

1. 1 is seen with 2, 3, 4 and 5, so 1 is opposite 6.
2. 3 is seen with 2 (position 1) and with 4 (position 2), so 3 is opposite 5.
3. The remaining pair is 2 and 4, so 4 is opposite 2.

Trick: Eliminate: each face has 4 neighbours; the one never seen with it is opposite.

Answer: (D) 4

Concept: All words begin with "Der"; compare the 4th letter onwards.

1. 4th letters: Dera(iled), Dere(gulation), Deri(vative), Derm(atology), Derm(estid), Dero(gation).
2. a < e < i < m < o.
3. Dermatology vs Dermestid: 5th letter a < e, so Dermatology first.
4. Order: 4, 6, 3, 1, 5, 2.

Trick: For common prefix "Der", line up the 4th letters: a, e, i, m, m, o.

Answer: (C) 4, 6, 3, 1, 5, 2

Concept: Apply each interchange to the left side and check whether it equals 23.

1. (D) swap − and +: $56÷8+14\times 2-12$.
2. $=7+28-12=23$ ✓.
3. (A) $56÷8-14+2\times 12=17$; (B) $56÷8\times 14-2+12=108$; (C) $56\times 8-14÷2+12=453$.

Trick: Test the option that keeps the division $56÷8=7$ first – it simplifies quickly.

Answer: (D) − and +

Concept: Arrange the members into three generations.

1. A is the son of C: C is in the top generation.
2. E is the daughter of A, and F is the mother of E – so A and F are husband and wife (the parents).
3. D is the daughter of F, so D is a sibling of E.
4. E and D are children of A–F and grandchildren of C. Pair: D, E.

Trick: The "parents" are A and F; their children D and E are C's grandchildren.

Answer: (B) D, E

Concept: When one class lies completely inside another, which lies inside a third, we get concentric circles.

1. Chennai is a city in the state of Tamil Nadu.
2. Tamil Nadu is a state of India.
3. So Chennai ⊂ Tamil Nadu ⊂ India – three circles one inside another, option (D).

Yaad rakhein: City → State → Country is always a three-level nested diagram.

Answer: (D)

Concept: A face that is adjacent to four different faces is opposite the sixth face.

1. In both positions 2 is on top.
2. 2 is adjacent to 10 and 12 (position 1) and to 8 and 6 (position 2).
3. The only number not touching 2 is 4, so 4 is opposite 2.

Trick: A common face shown with four different neighbours gives its opposite directly.

Answer: (D) 2

Concept: Code = (sum of alphabet positions) − (number of letters).

1. PIG: $16+9+7=32$, $32-3=29$ ✓.
2. COW: $3+15+23=41$, $41-3=38$ ✓.
3. CAMEL: $3+1+13+5+12=34$.
4. $34-5=29$.

Trick: Sum is always 3 more than the code for 3-letter words → subtract the letter count.

Answer: (B) 29

Concept: Plot every move on East–North axes taking A as the origin $(0,0)$.

1. East 12 km → $(12,0)$; left (North) 5 km → $(12,5)$.
2. Left (West) 30 km → $(12-30,5)=(-18,5)$; left (South) 20 km → $(-18,-15)$.
3. Left (East) 18 km → $(-18+18,-15)=(0,-15)$ = Q.
4. Q is exactly $15\text{km}$ below A on the same vertical line, so he must go North.

Trick: Net East–West $=12-30+18=0$, net North–South $=5-20=-15$ → Q is 15 km South of A.

Answer: (B) 15 km towards North

Concept: Find which classes can overlap and which can never overlap.

1. A father is always a male, so Father and Women have nothing in common (separate circles).
2. Some fathers are pilots and some women are pilots, so Pilots overlaps both.
3. This gives three circles in a chain: Father – Pilots – Women, with the outer two not touching.

Trick: Two classes that can never mix (Father/Women) sit at the two ends; the common profession (Pilots) links them.

Answer: (C)

Concept: Compare each letter with its code letter and note the shift.

1. HAND → GYMB: $H-1=G,A-2=Y,N-1=M,D-2=B$.
2. FOOD → EMNB: $F-1=E,O-2=M,O-1=N,D-2=B$ (same pattern $-1,-2,-1,-2$).
3. TEXT: $T-1=S,E-2=C,X-1=W,T-2=R$ → SCWR.

Trick: Pattern of shifts $-1,-2,-1,-2$ repeats for every 4-letter word.

Answer: (B) SCWR

Concept: Interchange the signs given in each option and evaluate using BODMAS until LHS = 185.

1. Option (C): interchange $÷$ and $-$: $5+156÷12\times 15-15$.
2. $156÷12=13$, then $13\times 15=195$.
3. $5+195-15=185$ = RHS. ✓
4. Check (A): $5\times 156-12+15÷15=769$ ✗ — far too large.

Trick: When RHS is small, first try options that create a division of the big number (156) — here $156÷12=13$ is exact.

Answer: (C) ÷ and −

Concept: Identify the subset relation and the unrelated class.

1. A xylophone is a musical instrument → Xylophone circle lies inside Musical Instrument.
2. Kathak is a classical dance form, not an instrument → a separate circle.
3. So: one circle inside a bigger circle, plus one detached circle.

Trick: Thing–category pairs go one-inside-another; an unrelated item (a dance) stands alone.

Answer: (B)

Concept: All words begin with EL; compare letter by letter from the third letter.

1. Third letters: Elastic (a), Elate (a), Elbow (b), Election (e), Electoral (e).
2. Elastic vs Elate: 4th letters s, t → Elastic first, then Elate.
3. Election vs Electoral: ELECT-I vs ELECT-O → i before o → Election, then Electoral.
4. Order: Elastic, Elate, Elbow, Election, Electoral = 4, 1, 3, 2, 5.

Trick: Strike off the common prefix and compare only the first different letter.

Answer: (D) 4, 1, 3, 2, 5

Concept: Decode each symbol one at a time and build a family tree.

1. P + Q → P is the father of Q.
2. Q – R → Q is the husband of R; R × S → R is the mother of S.
3. S ÷ T → S is the brother of T, so T is also a child of Q and R.
4. Q is T's father and P is Q's father → P is T's father's father.

Trick: Go from T upward: T → father (Q) → his father (P) = father's father.

Answer: (C) Father's father

Concept: Place the signs of each option in order and check with BODMAS.

1. Option (C): $16\times 17-14÷2\times 3=251$.
2. $16\times 17=272$; $14÷2=7$; $7\times 3=21$.
3. $272-21=251$ ✓
4. Option (B) gives $272-7-3=262$ ✗.

Trick: The last sign must be '=' — and 251 is close to $16\times 17=272$, so start with $\times$ then subtract a small value.

Answer: (C) ×, −, ÷, ×, =

Concept: Take the opposite letter (pair summing to 27, e.g. $A\leftrightarrow Z$) and then move 2 steps back.

1. PURE: opposites K F I V; each $-2$ → I D G T ✓.
2. COOL: opposites X L L O; each $-2$ → V J J M ✓.
3. LIPS: opposites O R K H; each $-2$ → M P I F.

Trick: Opposite pairs to remember: A-Z, B-Y, … L-O, P-K, S-H (sum of positions = 27).

Answer: (B) MPIF

Concept: Check whether the code is simply the word written backwards.

1. FAVORITE written from right to left = ETIROVAF ✓.
2. MINIMIZE backwards = EZIMINIM ✓.
3. RESEMBLE backwards: E-L-B-M-E-S-E-R = ELBMESER.

Trick: If the code starts with the last letter and ends with the first letter, test full reversal first.

Answer: (B) ELBMESER