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

Concept: Insert each option's signs in order and evaluate with BODMAS.

1. Option C: $24\times 4+16÷4-15$
2. $=96+4-15=85$ ✓
3. Others: A gives $24-4÷16+4\times 15=83.75$, B gives $6+64-15=55$, D gives $6-16+60=50$.

Trick: Start with the option whose × makes the first term large (24 × 4 = 96 is close to 85).

Answer: (C) ×, +, ÷, –

Concept: Find the code of common words by comparing sentences.

1. "mango tree is tall" (7289) and "tall tree is healthy" (5287) share tree, is, tall ⇒ codes 2, 8, 7.
2. The extra word "healthy" gets the remaining digit 5.

Trick: The word present in only one sentence takes the leftover digit.

Answer: (D) $5$

Concept: Split the word into two halves of three letters and reverse each half.

1. RUB | BER → BUR | REB = BURREB
2. CAT | TLE → TAC | ELT
3. Answer: TACELT

Trick: For 6-letter words, test "reverse each half" first.

Answer: (B) TACELT

Concept: Arrange the classes from the most specific to the most general.

1. Barley is a crop ⇒ Barley lies inside Crops.
2. Crops are grown in fields ⇒ Crops are shown inside Fields.
3. Three concentric circles: Barley ⊂ Crops ⊂ Fields.

Trick: Smallest (Barley) in the centre, largest (Fields) outside.

Answer: (D) Three concentric circles

Concept: The letters of the word are rearranged in alphabetical order.

1. CARPENTER → A C E E N P R R T (alphabetical).
2. BLACKSMITH letters: B, L, A, C, K, S, M, I, T, H
3. Alphabetical: A B C H I K L M S T

Trick: If the code contains exactly the same letters, check alphabetical sorting.

Answer: (C) ABCHIKLMST

Concept: Arrange the birds in increasing order of size.

1. Hummingbird (tiniest) < Bulbul < Myna < Koel < Kite (largest).
2. Order: 3, 5, 1, 4, 2

Trick: Hummingbird is the smallest bird; kite is a raptor and the biggest here.

Answer: (A) 3-5-1-4-2

Concept: Four years ago, each person was 4 years younger.

1. Present total $=86$
2. Total 4 years ago $=86-4\times 4=70$
3. Average $=\frac{70}{4}=17.5$ years

Trick: Average n years ago = present average − n: $21.5-4=17.5$.

Answer: (D) $17.5$ years

Concept: The middle column holds perfect squares; their square roots link the first and third columns.

1. Row 1: $\sqrt{49}=7$, $36+7=43$
2. Row 3: $\sqrt{36}=6$, $24+6=30$
3. Row 2: $\sqrt{64}=8$; the signs alternate (+, −, +), so $42-8=34$

Trick: A column of 49, 64, 36 signals square roots.

Answer: (C) $34$

Concept: Compare sentences two at a time to isolate each word's code.

1. "are" is in all three sentences; common digit is 8 ⇒ are = 8.
2. Sentences 1 & 2 share beautiful (and are) ⇒ beautiful = 5, so watches = 6.
3. Sentences 2 & 3 share things, expensive, are ⇒ 3, 4, 8; so preferred = 7.
4. Watches are preferred = 6, 8, 7 ⇒ 876

Trick: Order of digits in the code does not matter; only the set does.

Answer: (D) $876$

Concept: The given S-shaped figure (three slanting strokes with short end bends) must appear in the option in the same orientation.

1. Look for a slanting line running from top-left to bottom-right, with a bend at each end in the correct direction.
2. In option B the inner square (diamond) lines and the horizontal chords together trace exactly this shape.
3. The other options lack one of the slanting strokes in the required direction.

Trick: Fix the longest stroke of the small figure first, then check the end bends.

Answer: (B)

Concept: The figures repeat in a cycle of three.

1. Figure 1: plain ellipse, black triangle, striped rectangle.
2. Figures 2 and 3 show the other two sets of shapes/shadings.
3. After three steps the cycle restarts, so Figure 4 = Figure 1.
4. Option C is identical to Figure 1.

Trick: If three figures look totally different, check whether the 4th repeats the 1st.

Answer: (C)

Concept: Break the word into pairs, reverse each pair and reorder the pairs as 2, 3, 1, 4.

1. FE | ED | BA | CK → EF, DE, AB, KC
2. Order 2, 3, 1, 4: DE AB EF KC = DEABEFKC ✓
3. HI | GH | LA | ND → IH, HG, AL, DN
4. Order 2, 3, 1, 4: HG AL IH DN = HGALIHDN

Trick: For 8-letter words, try pairs of two.

Answer: (A) HGALIHDN

Concept: A mother-in-law of B who is not the wife of A must be the wife of C's other son.

1. A is the elder son of C ⇒ C has at least one more (younger) son.
2. C is B's mother-in-law but B is not A's wife ⇒ B is the wife of the younger son.
3. The younger son is D's uncle (father's brother), so B is D's aunt.

Trick: Father's brother's wife = aunt (chachi), not maternal aunt.

Answer: (C) Aunt

Concept: All A are B + All B are C ⇒ All A are C; the reverse "All C are A" is not certain.

1. All wolfs ⊂ dogs ⊂ jackals ⇒ All wolfs are jackals: I follows.
2. Jackals may include animals that are not wolfs ⇒ II does not follow.

Trick: "All" statements cannot be reversed as "All".

Answer: (D) Only conclusion I follows.

Concept: A face is opposite the only number that never appears next to it.

1. Faces seen with 1: 3, 2 (dice 1), 5, 6 (dice 2), 2, 5 (dice 3).
2. So 1 is adjacent to 2, 3, 5 and 6.
3. The remaining number 4 is opposite 1.

Trick: List all neighbours of the asked face; the missing number is its opposite.

Answer: (B) $4$

Concept: E appears in all three positions, so its four neighbours fix its opposite; then find A's opposite.

1. E is adjacent to D, A, C, B ⇒ E is opposite F.
2. A is adjacent to D, E, B.
3. The faces left for A are C and F; F is opposite E, so A is opposite C.

Trick: Remove the pair already fixed (E–F) before deciding the next pair.

Answer: (D) C

Concept: Add and subtract the two equations to get (tyre + tube) and (tyre − tube).

1. $4t+3u=720$ and $3t+4u=610$
2. Add: $7(t+u)=1330\Rightarrow t+u=190$
3. Subtract: $t-u=110$
4. $u=\frac{190-110}{2}=40$

Trick: Symmetric coefficients ⇒ add and subtract directly.

Answer: (C) ₹$40$

Concept: Column-wise: (1st × 3rd) ÷ 2nd = 4th number.

1. Column 1: $\frac{12\times 7}{6}=14$ ✓
2. Column 3: $\frac{14\times 4}{8}=7$ ✓
3. Column 2: $\frac{9\times 10}{?}=18\Rightarrow ?=5$

Trick: Test product/quotient combinations when one row is clearly larger.

Answer: (D) $5$

Concept: A mirror on the right reverses the left-right order and flips each symbol horizontally; nothing turns upside down.

1. The last symbol of the figure becomes the first in the image, and so on.
2. Each symbol is flipped left ↔ right, including the accent mark on the middle letter.
3. Option C shows the reversed order with every symbol correctly flipped.

Trick: Check the small marks (accents) – they flip direction too.

Answer: (C)

Concept: Each letter is 3 less than the previous one in three of the clusters.

1. HEBY: H −3 E −3 B −3 Y (wrap)
2. WTQN: −3, −3, −3
3. OLIF: −3, −3, −3
4. SPLI: S −3 P −4 L −3 I ⇒ different

Trick: Write letter positions: S = 19, P = 16, L = 12, I = 9.

Answer: (B) SPLI