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

Concept: Find which classes are inside, overlapping or separate.

1. The Prime Minister and the Finance Minister are both members of the Union Government (Union Council of Ministers).
2. The Prime Minister and the Finance Minister are two different posts — no overlap.
3. So two separate circles inside one big circle.

Trick: Two distinct members of one larger group → two separate circles inside a bigger one.

Answer: (B) Option (B)

Concept: Second term $=\frac{n^2}{3}+n$.

1. $9$: $\frac{81}{3}+9=27+9=36$
2. $18$: $\frac{324}{3}+18=108+18=126$
3. $12$: $\frac{144}{3}+12=48+12=60$

Trick: Same as $n\times (\frac{n}{3}+1)$: $9\times 4$, $18\times 7$, $12\times 5=60$.

Answer: (B) $60$

Concept: When one face is common to all positions, the faces around it in cyclic order give the opposite pairs.

1. '3' is on top in all three figures.
2. Faces around 3 in order: 6 → 2 (fig. 1), 2 → 5 (fig. 2), 5 → 4 (fig. 3).
3. So the ring around 3 is 6, 2, 5, 4; alternate faces are opposite.
4. 6 is opposite 5 (and 2 is opposite 4).

Trick: In a ring of four faces around a common face, the 1st and 3rd are opposite.

Answer: (D) $5$

Concept: Middle number = (first − third)${}^2$.

1. $(19,64,11)$: $(19-11{)}^2=8^2=64$
2. $(27,169,14)$: $(27-14{)}^2={13}^2=169$
3. (D) $(22,121,11)$: $(22-11{)}^2={11}^2=121$ ✓
4. (A) ${11}^2=121\ne 110$, (B) ${12}^2=144$, (C) $9^2=81$ — no match.

Trick: A perfect square in the middle hints at a square of a difference or sum.

Answer: (D) $(22,121,11)$

Concept: Trace the path with coordinates, starting at A $(0,0)$.

1. 6 km North → $(0,6)$; left (West) 3 km → $(-3,6)$.
2. Left (South) 3 km → $(-3,3)$; left (East) 6 km → $(3,3)$.
3. Right (South) 3 km → B $=(3,0)$.
4. B is 3 km East of A, so he must drive 3 km towards West.

Trick: Net North–South: $6-3-3=0$; net East–West: $-3+6=3$ East.

Answer: (B) 3 km towards west

Concept: Alternate addition and subtraction of consecutive squares.

1. $90+{11}^2=90+121=211$
2. $211-{12}^2=211-144=67$
3. $67+{13}^2=67+169=236$
4. $236-{14}^2=236-196=40$

Trick: Big up-down jumps usually mean ± squares or cubes.

Answer: (C) $40$

Concept: Match common words with common codes.

1. 'day of rest' & 'rest after work' share 'rest' → 'per' → rest = per.
2. 'rest after work' & 'all day work' share 'work' → 'fin' → work = fin.
3. In 'rest after work' = 'per fin tds', the remaining code tds = after.

Trick: Eliminate two known codes in a three-word sentence — the third is the answer.

Answer: (C) tds

Concept: Replace symbols, then apply BODMAS.

1. Given: $2÷5+2-5\times 5$
2. After replacing: $2+5-2\times 5÷5$
3. $2\times 5÷5=2$
4. $2+5-2=5$

Trick: Do the multiplication and division part ($2\times 5÷5$) first.

Answer: (A) $5$

Concept: Use the common face and read the faces around it in the same (clockwise) order.

1. Face 1 is the front face in both positions.
2. Around 1 (clockwise): top 5 → right 3 (position 1); top 3 → right 2 (position 2).
3. So the ring around 1 is 5 → 3 → 2 → (the fourth face).
4. In this ring 5 and 2 are alternate faces → opposite.

Trick: In the ring of four faces around a common face, alternate faces are opposite.

Answer: (D) $2$

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

1. Fold 1: top half onto bottom half. Fold 2: right half onto left. The cut is made on the folded bottom-left quarter.
2. Undo fold 2: the bottom-right quarter gets a left-right mirror image of the cut.
3. Undo fold 1: the top half gets an upside-down mirror image of the bottom half.
4. So the bottom row and top row must be vertical mirror images — option (C).

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

Answer: (C) Option (C)

Concept: Take differences twice.

1. First differences: 11, 14, 21, 34, 55, 86, 129
2. Second differences: 3, 7, 13, 21, 31, 43 (these increase by 4, 6, 8, 10, 12)
3. Next second difference $=43+14=57$ → next first difference $=129+57=186$
4. Next term $=360+186=546$

Trick: If first differences are irregular, go one level deeper.

Answer: (B) $546$

Concept: Substitute each option and test.

1. Option (D): $121÷11-99÷11+77$
2. $=11-9+77=79$ ✓
3. Option (C): $11-99\times 11+77$ is negative — wrong.

Trick: 121 and 99 are both multiples of 11 — the '÷' signs are a strong hint.

Answer: (D) $÷,-,÷,+,=$

Concept: Look for the exact figure (circle on top, vertical line, horizontal line to a small hexagon at the right) without rotating it.

1. Given figure: a circle at the top, a vertical line going down, then a horizontal line to the right ending in a hexagon.
2. In option (C), the circle at the top-left of the inner square, its left side going down, and the bottom side going right to the hexagon reproduce exactly this shape.
3. In the other options the hexagon or circle is at a different position relative to the L-shape.

Trick: Fix the most distinctive part (circle–line–hexagon) and trace it in each option.

Answer: (C) Option (C)

Concept: '6' is common in all positions; read the faces around it in order.

1. Around 6: 1 → 2 (fig. 1), 2 → 3 (fig. 2), 3 → 5 (fig. 3).
2. So the ring around 6 is 1, 2, 3, 5.
3. Alternate faces are opposite: 1 ↔ 3 and 2 ↔ 5.
4. The face opposite 5 is 2.

Trick: Common face on top in every view → its four neighbours form a ring; skip one to get the opposite.

Answer: (B) $2$

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

1. Fold 1: bottom half up onto top. Fold 2: right half onto left. Cuts (dash, triangle, circle, square) are in the top-left quarter.
2. Undo fold 2: the top-right quarter gets the left-right mirror image (dash and triangle in the top row, circle and square below).
3. Undo fold 1: the bottom half is an upside-down mirror of the top half — the triangles now point downward in the bottom row.
4. Option (A) shows inverted triangles in the bottom row with the correct order.

Trick: Look at asymmetric shapes (triangles) — they flip upside-down across a horizontal fold.

Answer: (A) Option (A)

Concept: Differences increase by 4.

1. Differences: $67-42=25$, $96-67=29$, $129-96=33$, $166-129=37$
2. Next difference $=41$
3. Next term $=166+41=207$

Trick: Constant second difference (4 here) → just extend the differences.

Answer: (A) $207$

Concept: Number the seats 1 to 7 from left (facing North) and fix definite positions first.

1. Two people to the left of C → C at 3. One person to the right of D → D at 6.
2. B is left of A with two people between, and E is immediately right of A: possible only as B = 1, A = 4, E = 5.
3. Remaining seats 2 and 7 go to F and G; F is not next to B → F = 7, G = 2.
4. Order: B, G, C, A, E, D, F → B is at the extreme left.

Trick: Fill 'only n people to the left/right' clues first — they give exact seat numbers.

Answer: (A) B

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

1. Fold 1: bottom half up onto top. Fold 2: right half onto left. Cuts (circle, square, square, triangle) are in the top-left quarter.
2. Undo fold 2: the top-right quarter is the left-right mirror — circles at the outer corners, triangles near the centre.
3. Undo fold 1: the bottom half is an upside-down mirror — the triangles point downward and the circles are at the bottom corners.
4. Option (D) shows upright triangles above and inverted triangles below the centre line.

Trick: Across a horizontal fold, a triangle ▲ becomes ▼ — check this first to eliminate options.

Answer: (D) Option (D)

Concept: A Master teaches and guides a Disciple — a teacher–learner relationship.

1. Coach : Player — a coach trains and guides a player (same relationship).
2. Cup : Plate and Tea : Coffee are items of the same category.
3. Doctor : Medicine is a professional and the thing he prescribes, not a person he trains.

Trick: Form a sentence with the given pair ('X trains/guides Y') and test each option with it.

Answer: (A) Coach : Player

Concept: Decode each symbol from left to right and draw the family tree.

1. W # Q: W is the brother of Q; Q @ T: Q is the sister of T (W, Q, T are siblings).
2. T & Y: T is the husband of Y.
3. Y @ M: Y is the sister of M; M % K: M is the daughter of K → Y is also K's daughter.
4. K # L: K is the brother of L (K is male).
5. K is the father of T's wife → Wife's father.

Trick: Two sisters share the same parents — if M is K's daughter, so is her sister Y.

Answer: (A) Wife’s father