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

Concept: All words start with GLO; compare the 4th letter, then further letters.

1. 4th letters: Globe, Gloomy, Glory, Gloss, Glossary, Glow → b, o, r, s, s, w.
2. Gloss vs Glossary: Gloss is a prefix of Glossary, so Gloss comes first.
3. Order: Globe(3), Gloomy(6), Glory(1), Gloss(4), Glossary(2), Glow(5).

Yaad rakhein: A shorter word that is the beginning of a longer word always comes first (Gloss → Glossary).

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

Concept: Swap signs ($+\to -$, $-\to ÷$, $÷\to \times$, $\times \to +$) and apply BODMAS.

1. New: $15\times 405÷3-25+5$
2. $405÷3=135$; $15\times 135=2025$
3. $2025-25+5=2005$

Trick: Do the division first ($405÷3$) to keep numbers small.

Answer: (C) $2005$

Concept: The correct option must appear inside the big figure with the same size and orientation (no rotation).

1. The given figure has a tall left rectangle with two diagonals crossing it and a horizontal line at the top-right.
2. Option (D) — vertical side, a horizontal top line and two crossing slanted lines — traces exactly on the left part of the figure.
3. (A), (B), (C) need lines/angles that are not present in the figure.

Trick: Fix one distinctive corner of the option (here the vertical edge with the cross) and look for it in the figure.

Answer: (D) the fourth option figure

Concept: “All A are B” + “All B are C” gives “All A are C”; the reverse (All C are B) is not certain.

1. Cupboard ⊂ Shelf ⊂ Drawer, so every cupboard is a drawer → I follows.
2. Drawer is the biggest circle; part of it may lie outside Shelf → II does not follow.

Yaad rakhein: “All” cannot be reversed: All shelves are drawers ≠ All drawers are shelves.

Answer: (D) Only conclusion I follows

Concept: Read each letter position of the clusters as a separate series.

1. 1st letters: W, U, ?, Q, O → $-2$ each → S.
2. 2nd letters: W, S, ?, K, G → $-4$ each → O.
3. 3rd letters: V, T, ?, P, N → $-2$ → R; 4th letters: U, Q, ?, I, E → $-4$ → M.

Trick: Split a cluster series column-wise; each column is usually a simple $\pm$ step.

Answer: (C) SORM

Concept: A letter common to two words takes the digit common to both codes.

1. CARD → 3597 and DOGS → 8346.
2. Only common letter: D; only common digit: 3.
3. So D = 3.

Trick: Match common letters with common digits — order of digits does not matter.

Answer: (D) $3$

Concept: Corner symbols alternate between two fixed layouts, while the centre symbol changes in every figure.

1. Figures 1, 3 (odd): X, O at top and T, Δ at bottom. Figures 2, 4 (even): Δ, T at top and O, X at bottom.
2. So figure 5 (odd) must again have X, O at top and T, Δ at bottom → only (A) and (C) remain.
3. The centre shows a new symbol each time (S, C, □, ⊓); (A) repeats figure 4's centre, so the new symbol P in (C) continues the series.

Trick: In alternating series, figure 5 copies figure 3's outer layout — eliminate options first by that.

Answer: (C) the third option figure

Concept: Look for the exact shape (same size, same tilt) inside an option figure; rotation is not allowed.

1. The given shape is a slanted strip with a V-notch at its lower end.
2. In option (D) this strip is formed by the slanted lines near the inner rectangle, with the notch at the right place.
3. In (A), (B), (C) the slanted lines meet at other angles, so the notch shape is not formed.

Trick: Trace the notch (the most distinctive part) first; then check the two long parallel edges.

Answer: (D) the fourth option figure

Concept: The code is the square of the number of letters in the word.

1. BED has 3 letters → $3^2=9$ ✓
2. TABLE has 5 letters → $5^2=25$ ✓
3. RECLINER has 8 letters → $8^2=64$.

Trick: When codes are perfect squares like 9, 25, first test the letter count.

Answer: (D) $64$

Concept: Six people face the centre: “left” means clockwise, “right” means anticlockwise; third to the right of someone in a 6-seat circle is the opposite seat.

1. E is third to the right of C → E sits opposite C.
2. B is second to the left of E; E's neighbours are A and F.
3. A is also next to D, and D is third to the left of F → order clockwise from C: C, D, A, E, F, B.
4. Immediate left of C (next clockwise) is D.

Yaad rakhein: In a circle of 6 facing the centre, 3rd to the left = 3rd to the right = opposite seat.

Answer: (B) D

Concept: The figure alternates between a horizontal and a vertical position, and the number of small cross-lines increases by one each time.

1. Cross-lines: 1, 2, 3, 4 → figure 5 has 5 lines.
2. Positions: horizontal, vertical, horizontal, vertical → figure 5 is horizontal like figures 1 and 3 (left end up, right end down).
3. (A) is horizontal with left end up, right end down and 5 cross-lines; (C) has only 4 lines, (B) and (D) have the ends turned the wrong way.

Trick: Track two things separately — count of lines and orientation — and combine.

Answer: (A) the first option figure

Concept: Draw Dog inside Cat; Doll may only partly touch Cat.

1. All dogs are cats → by conversion, some cats are dogs. II follows.
2. “Some cats are not dolls” says nothing that puts all dolls inside Cat → I does not follow.

Yaad rakhein: “All A are B” always gives “Some B are A”.

Answer: (A) Only conclusion II follows

Concept: Replace letters by signs (A $=+$, B $=\times$, C $=-$, D $=÷$) and use BODMAS.

1. $80-16\times 4+96÷4$
2. $=80-64+24$
3. $=40$

Trick: Finish all $\times$ and $÷$ first, then add/subtract left to right.

Answer: (D) $40$

Concept: A vertical mirror swaps left and right; top and bottom stay the same.

1. The triangle stays upright and the band with the black square stays in the middle.
2. The small black triangle at the bottom-right corner moves to the bottom-left corner.
3. (B) shows this; (A) and (C) add a black tip at the top, (D) is upside down.

Trick: For a vertical mirror, only items on the left/right sides move — check the corner mark.

Answer: (B) the second option figure

Concept: Swap signs ($+\to ÷$, $-\to \times$, $\times \to -$, $÷\to +$) and apply BODMAS.

1. New: $108-343÷7\times 2+13$
2. $343÷7=49$; $49\times 2=98$
3. $108-98+13=23$

Trick: Rewrite first, then do $÷$ and $\times$ left to right.

Answer: (A) $23$

Concept: Find the gaps between consecutive letters of each cluster.

1. SUPT: $S\stackrel{+2}{\to }U\stackrel{-5}{\to }P\stackrel{+4}{\to }T$
2. JLGK and PRMQ follow the same $+2,-5,+4$.
3. EHBG: $E\stackrel{+3}{\to }H\stackrel{-6}{\to }B\stackrel{+5}{\to }G$ — different.

Trick: Check only the first gap: $+2$ in three clusters, $+3$ in EHBG.

Answer: (C) EHBG

Concept: Decode: @ = mother of, $ = brother of, # = sister of, * = father of.

1. V $ Y → V is the brother of Y.
2. Y @ G → Y is the mother of G (Y is female).
3. G * F → G is the father of F. So Y is the mother of F's father.

Yaad rakhein: Father's mother = paternal grandmother (dadi).

Answer: (A) Father's mother

Concept: Animal : its foot with nails/claws.

1. A cat walks and grips with its paw.
2. A bird like the crow grips with its claw (clawed foot).
3. Beak and wings are other body parts, not the foot; “Hoof” belongs to horses.

Yaad rakhein: Paw – cat/dog; Claw – birds; Hoof – horse/cow.

Answer: (D) Claw

Concept: Differences are fourth powers with alternating signs.

1. $14-13=+1=+1^4$; $-2-14=-16=-2^4$
2. $79-(-2)=+81=+3^4$; $-177-79=-256=-4^4$
3. Next: $+5^4=+625$ → $-177+625=448$

Trick: Differences 1, 16, 81, 256 are $1^4,2^4,3^4,4^4$ — remember fourth powers up to $5^4=625$.

Answer: (D) $448$

Concept: Common words in two sentences share common codes.

1. “How are you” → si de tu; “You are fine” → de mu si.
2. Common words: are, you → common codes: si, de.
3. So “How” = tu (and “fine” = mu).

Trick: Remove the shared words and shared codes; the leftover pairs match.

Answer: (B) tu