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

Concept: The differences decrease by 2 each time.

1. $95-73=22$, $73-53=20$.
2. Next difference 18: $53-18=35$.
3. Check: $35-16=19$, $19-14=5$ ✓.

Trick: Successive differences 22, 20, 18, 16, 14 – a simple AP of differences.

Answer: (C) 35

Concept: Each element moves one corner clockwise and turns ${90}^{\circ }$ clockwise in every step.

1. Black arrow: top-left (→), top-right (↓), bottom-right (←), so next bottom-left pointing ↑.
2. White arrow: bottom-left (↓), top-left (←), top-right (↑), so next bottom-right pointing →.
3. Half-shaded square: bottom-right, bottom-left, top-left, so next top-right – this rules out (B).
4. Heart turns ${90}^{\circ }$ each step; in the 4th figure its shaded half is at the top – only (A) matches (C has the black arrow pointing down, D the wrong heart).

Trick: Track one element at a time and eliminate options after each element.

Answer: (A)

Concept: Follow each letter position separately.

1. 1st letters: G, J, ?, P, S (+3 each) → M.
2. 2nd letters: S, P, ?, J, G (−3 each) → M.
3. 3rd letters: A, E, ?, M, Q (+4 each) → I.
4. 4th letters: V, R, ?, J, F (−4 each) → N.

Trick: Write the alphabet positions: G7 J10 M13 P16 S19 – the +3 jump shows at once.

Answer: (B) MMIN

Concept: Fix the house as origin and note each turn.

1. 6 km south of the house, then a left turn (facing south, left = east) for 8 km.
2. Another left turn means she now goes north for X km to the school.
3. Point A is 3 km north of the house and due west of the school, so the school is also 3 km north of the house’s level.
4. Northward distance $X=6+3=9$ km.

Trick: “A is west of the school” means A and the school are on the same horizontal line.

Answer: (A) 9 km

Concept: The face common to both views is adjacent to all the other faces shown with it.

1. View 1: B touches C and A. View 2: B touches D and E.
2. So B is adjacent to C, A, D and E – four faces.
3. A cube face has exactly four neighbours, so the only remaining face F is opposite B.
4. Hence the letter opposite F is B.

Trick: If one face appears in both views with 4 different neighbours, the sixth face is its opposite.

Answer: (A) B

Concept: Interchange the signs as instructed, then apply BODMAS.

1. $76\times 4+13÷8-3$ becomes $76÷4\times 13-8+3$.
2. $76÷4=19$, $19\times 13=247$.
3. $247-8+3=242$.

Trick: Rewrite the whole expression with new signs before calculating.

Answer: (D) 242

Concept: With the mirror on the right side (vertical line MN), left and right are interchanged; top and bottom stay the same.

1. The order of characters is reversed: the 7 next to the mirror comes first, R comes last.
2. Each character is also laterally flipped (R, 7, C, @, V appear reversed), but none is turned upside down.
3. Option (A) shows reversed order, every symbol flipped left-right, and the @ kept – this is the true image.
4. (B) loses the @, (C) and (D) turn characters upside down.

Trick: Vertical mirror: reverse the order + flip each symbol sideways, never upside down.

Answer: (A)

Concept: Take the differences and then the second differences.

1. Differences: $10,15,25,40$.
2. Second differences: $5,10,15$ → next $20$.
3. Next difference $40+20=60$, so $510-60=450$.

Trick: If the first differences are irregular, check the second differences.

Answer: (B) 450

Concept: Code = sum of the alphabetical positions of the letters.

1. SO: $19+15=34$ ✓; BED: $2+5+4=11$ ✓.
2. MOAN: $13+15+1+14=43$.

Trick: Remember EJOTY: E5, J10, O15, T20, Y25 for quick positions.

Answer: (A) 43

Concept: Differences are consecutive cubes.

1. $98+1^3=99$, $99+2^3=107$.
2. $107+3^3=107+27=134$.
3. Check: $134+4^3=134+64=198$ ✓.

Trick: Differences 1, 8, … immediately suggest cubes.

Answer: (D) 134

Concept: Substitute the signs and apply BODMAS.

1. $35+68÷34-16\times 1$.
2. $68÷34=2$, $16\times 1=16$.
3. $35+2-16=21$.

Trick: Do ÷ and × first, then go left to right with + and −.

Answer: (A) 21

Concept: The given figure is a small flag: a vertical line with a triangle pointing left at its top. It must appear in the same orientation.

1. Look in the small inner part of each pentagon where short vertical lines and small triangles are drawn.
2. In option (D) a vertical line with a left-pointing triangle at its top end is present exactly as given.
3. In the other options the triangle points the other way, is missing, or the line is cut short.

Trick: Search for the smallest distinctive piece (the little triangle) first.

Answer: (D)

Concept: Each letter becomes two letters: (letter − 2) followed by (letter + 3).

1. DUNE: D→B,G; U→S,X; N→L,Q; E→C,H ⇒ BGSXLQCH ✓.
2. NEED: N→LQ, E→CH, E→CH, D→BG ⇒ LQCHCHBG ✓.
3. KING: K→I,N; I→G,L; N→L,Q; G→E,J.
4. Code = INGLLQEJ.

Trick: Check the first pair only (D→BG) to find the rule, then apply it.

Answer: (C) INGLLQEJ

Concept: Third number = (difference of the first two)${}^4$.

1. $(23,25,16)$: $(25-23{)}^4=2^4=16$.
2. $(21,17,256)$: $(21-17{)}^4=4^4=256$.
3. Option (C): $(18-15{)}^4=3^4=81$ ✓.
4. Others: $5^4=625\ne 125$, $4^4=256\ne 64$, $2^4=16\ne 12$.

Trick: 16, 256, 81 are all perfect fourth powers – look at the difference.

Answer: (C) (18, 15, 81)

Concept: Substitute the signs and use BODMAS.

1. $17\times 6-21+93÷3+35-12$.
2. $17\times 6=102$, $93÷3=31$.
3. $102-21+31+35-12=135$.

Trick: Group positives and negatives: $(102+31+35)-(21+12)=168-33=135$.

Answer: (A) 135

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

1. The paper was folded top-to-bottom, then right-to-left; the cut is in the bottom-left quarter.
2. Undo the second fold: the bottom-right quarter gets the left–right mirror of the cut.
3. Undo the first fold: both top quarters get the up–down mirror of the bottom designs (arrows point down).
4. Option (B) shows exactly this four-fold symmetric pattern.

Trick: Adjacent quarters across a fold are always mirror images of each other.

Answer: (B)

Concept: For a person facing south, the right hand is towards the west; for a person facing north, the right hand is towards the east.

1. U is at the right end of the south-facing row, i.e. the west end; X sits opposite U.
2. T is next to U (middle) and Z sits opposite T, so S is at the east end and Y is opposite S.
3. North-facing row from west to east: X, Z, Y.
4. Its right end (east) is occupied by Y.

Trick: Draw both rows on one page with West–East marked; opposite-facing rows have opposite “right ends”.

Answer: (B) Y

Concept: Compare the denominators of each pair.

1. $97-63=34$ and $89-55=34$: the second denominator is 34 less than the first.
2. For $\left[\frac{1}{114}\right]$: $114-34=80$.
3. Required term $=\left[\frac{1}{80}\right]$.

Trick: Numerators stay 1, so only the denominators carry the pattern.

Answer: (A) $\left[\frac{1}{80}\right]$

Concept: The given figure is a slanted quadrilateral (a thin kite-like shape pointing left, with its right side sloping down-left). It must be found unchanged inside the option.

1. Look at the left-middle part of each square, where a left-pointing wedge is drawn.
2. In option (B) the wedge together with the slanting line on its right closes exactly into the given quadrilateral.
3. In the other options the closing line is missing or meets the wedge at a different angle.

Trick: Match the sharpest corner of the given figure first, then check the remaining sides.

Answer: (B)

Concept: Draw the least-overlap Venn diagram: Backpack ⊂ Suitcase ⊂ Trolley, and Luggage overlaps Backpack.

1. I: The backpacks that are luggage are also suitcases ⇒ “Some suitcases are luggage” follows.
2. II: All backpacks are trolleys ⇒ “Some backpacks are trolley” follows.
3. III: Luggage may lie largely outside Trolley, so “All trolleys are luggage” does not follow.

Trick: “All A are B” always gives “Some A are B” and “Some B are A”.

Answer: (A) Both Conclusions I and II follow.