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

Concept: Find the repeating block of the series.

1. Filling F, O, F, L, O, L, W gives: FFOOLLW FFOOLLW FFOOLLW
2. The block 'FFOOLLW' repeats three times, so the series is complete and consistent.
3. Other options break the block (e.g. option B gives a third F in the first block).

Trick: Count the letters (21 here) — a block of 7 repeated 3 times is likely; test it with the options.

Answer: (A) F O F L O L W

Concept: Draw the path and find the straight-line distance between start and end points.

1. 15 km North, then left (West) 7 km.
2. Left again (South) 15 km — back on the starting East–West line, 7 km West of the house.
3. Right turn while going South = West; 13 km more.
4. Total West displacement $=7+13=20\text{km}$; North–South displacement $=15-15=0$.

Trick: Equal North and South moves cancel; just add the West moves.

Answer: (A) $20\text{km}$

Concept: Follow every element: star, half-disc, arrow and small diamond.

1. Star moves corner to corner clockwise: top-left → top-right → bottom-right → bottom-left.
2. Half-disc on the big rhombus moves top → left → bottom → right.
3. Arrow points down → right → up → left (next).
4. Small diamond sits left → below → right → above the arrow (next).
5. Option (A): star bottom-left, half-disc right, arrow left, diamond above.

Trick: Eliminate fast: (B) has the star in the wrong corner, (C) has the arrow/half-disc on the wrong side, (D) has the diamond below.

Answer: (A) Option (A)

Concept: Arrange from the largest to the smallest unit.

1. Universe (1) contains the Milky Way galaxy (5).
2. The Milky Way contains the Sun (3) and its solar system.
3. Earth (4) is a planet of the Sun; a Country (2) is a part of Earth.
4. Order: 1, 5, 3, 4, 2

Yaad rakhein: Big to small: Universe → Galaxy → Star → Planet → Country.

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

Concept: Match common words with common codes.

1. 'the' appears in all three sentences; 'fern' is the only code in all three → the = fern.
2. Sentences 1 and 2 share 'the, mountain' → 'fern, lor' → mountain = lor.
3. Sentences 1 and 3 share 'to, the' → 'tes, fern' → to = tes.
4. Sentence 1: trek to the mountain = tes mel fern lor → trek = mel.

Trick: Remove known codes from the sentence containing the target word; what remains is the answer.

Answer: (C) mel

Concept: Third number = (first + second) $÷3$.

1. $(27,21,16)$: $\frac{27+21}{3}=\frac{48}{3}=16$
2. $(24,33,19)$: $\frac{24+33}{3}=\frac{57}{3}=19$
3. (B) $(36,15,17)$: $\frac{36+15}{3}=\frac{51}{3}=17$ ✓
4. (A) $\frac{46}{3}$, (C) $\frac{60}{3}=20$, (D) $\frac{46}{3}$ — do not match.

Trick: When the third number is smaller than both, try sum divided by a constant.

Answer: (B) $(36,15,17)$

Concept: Levels of biological organisation go from smallest to largest.

1. Cell (4) → Tissue (1) → Organ (3) → Organism (5) → Population (2)
2. Similar cells form tissue; tissues form organs; organs form an organism; organisms of one species form a population.

Yaad rakhein: Cell → Tissue → Organ → Organ system → Organism → Population → Community.

Answer: (C) 41352

Concept: Unfold in reverse order; each unfolding gives a mirror image across the fold line.

1. The paper is folded left to right, then top to bottom — the cut is made in the bottom-right quarter.
2. Unfolding the top fold: the top-right quarter gets a mirror image (upside-down) of the cut.
3. Unfolding the left fold: the left half gets a left-right mirror image of the right half.
4. Option (C) shows the bottom row as original + mirror and the top row flipped upside-down.

Trick: Each fold doubles the cuts; neighbouring quarters are always mirror images, never copies.

Answer: (C) Option (C)

Concept: Track the letter and the circle–triangle pair separately.

1. Letters go backward: Z, Y, X, W → next V.
2. The letter moves to corners anticlockwise: top-right → top-left → bottom-left → bottom-right → next top-right.
3. The circle–triangle pair alternates: figures 1 and 3 have the same arrangement, figures 2 and 4 the other; figure 5 repeats figures 1 and 3.
4. Option (C) has V at top-right with the pair as in figure 1.

Trick: Alternating elements: the 5th figure matches the 1st and 3rd.

Answer: (C) Option (C)

Concept: Replace symbols, then apply BODMAS.

1. Given: $132+6-9\times 13÷31$
2. After replacing: $132÷6\times 9+13-31$
3. $132÷6=22$, $22\times 9=198$
4. $198+13-31=180$

Trick: Make a small table of symbol changes before rewriting.

Answer: (A) $180$

Concept: Numerator = sum of reverse alphabet positions (A = 26 … Z = 1); denominator = number of letters.

1. VACCINE: $5+26+24+24+18+13+22=132$; 7 letters → $\frac{132}{7}$
2. MASKS: $14+26+8+16+8=72$; 5 letters → $\frac{72}{5}$
3. SANITIZE: $8+26+13+18+7+18+1+22=113$; 8 letters
4. Code $=\frac{113}{8}$

Trick: Reverse position = $27-$ (forward position).

Answer: (A) $\frac{113}{8}$

Concept: Decode each symbol step by step and build the family tree.

1. M × O: M is the wife of O.
2. O $ N: O is the son of N.
3. N @ Q: N is the brother of Q.
4. Q % R: Q is the father of R; R # S: R is the husband of S.
5. So N is the brother of Q, who is R's father → N is the brother of R's father.

Trick: M is the daughter-in-law of N, not of R — a common trap in option (B).

Answer: (D) N is the brother of R’s father.

Concept: Replace letters with signs and apply BODMAS.

1. $29\times 7-168÷4+71-39+14\times 2$
2. $=203-42+71-39+28$
3. $=161+71-39+28=221$

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

Answer: (A) $221$

Concept: Letters shift by +3, +2, +1 and the number is cubed.

1. FAN2 → ICO8: F+3 = I, A+2 = C, N+1 = O; $2^3=8$
2. NAP5 → QCQ125: N+3 = Q, A+2 = C, P+1 = Q; $5^3=125$
3. GUN8 → G+3 = J, U+2 = W, N+1 = O; $8^3=512$
4. Answer = JWO512

Trick: Option (D) JVO512 has U+1 — check every letter, not only the number.

Answer: (B) JWO512

Concept: Put each option's signs in place and check which side equals 131.

1. Option (B): $467+231-123-789+345$
2. $=698-123=575$; $575-789=-214$
3. $-214+345=131$ ✓
4. Option (A) gives $467+231-123+789+345=1709$, not 131.

Trick: The last sign before 131 is '='; work only with the left side.

Answer: (B) $+,-,-,+,=$

Concept: Replace letters with signs and apply BODMAS.

1. $124÷4-86÷2+61+17\times 3$
2. $=31-43+61+51$
3. $=100$

Trick: Group positives and negatives: $(31+61+51)-43=143-43$.

Answer: (A) $100$

Concept: Third number = (first)${}^3$ + (second)${}^3$.

1. $(2,3,35)$: $2^3+3^3=8+27=35$
2. $(11,6,1547)$: ${11}^3+6^3=1331+216=1547$
3. (A) $(4,15,3439)$: $4^3+{15}^3=64+3375=3439$ ✓
4. (B) $1000+729=1729$, (C) $343+512=855$, (D) $27+1728=1755$ — no match.

Trick: A large third number from two small numbers suggests squares or cubes.

Answer: (A) $(4,15,3439)$

Concept: Check the opposite-letter pair (sum of positions $=27$) and the +1 link.

1. XCY: X(24) and C(3) are opposites ($24+3=27$); Y = X+1.
2. OLP: O(15), L(12) → $27$; P = O+1. TGU: T(20), G(7) → $27$; U = T+1.
3. BXC: B(2), X(24) → $26$, not opposites (B's opposite is Y).
4. So BXC is odd.

Yaad rakhein: Opposite pairs: A–Z, B–Y, C–X, D–W … (sum $=27$).

Answer: (D) BXC

Concept: Draw Dogs inside Cats and Rats separate from Cats.

1. All dogs are cats → Dogs circle inside Cats.
2. No cat is a rat → Rats circle is outside Cats, hence outside Dogs too.
3. I: Some rats are cats — false (no cat is a rat).
4. II: Some dogs are rats — false (no dog can be a rat).

Trick: All A are B + No B is C ⇒ No A is C.

Answer: (A) Neither conclusion I nor II follows

Concept: Each term is 13 less than the previous one.

1. $159-13=146$
2. $146-13=133$
3. $133-13=120$, $120-13=107$, $107-13=94$, $94-13=81$ ✓

Trick: Check the known consecutive terms ($120\to 107$) to get the common difference first.

Answer: (C) $133$