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

Concept: All face North, so their left/right is the same as ours. Fix the corner person first.

1. G is at a corner and E is third to the left of G, so G must be at the right end (8) and E at 5.
2. F is between D and G: F = 7, D = 6.
3. H is third to the left of C and only 1–4 are free: H = 1, C = 4.
4. B is between H and A: B = 2, A = 3. Order: H B A C E D F G.

Trick: Start with the person at a corner – it fixes the whole row.

Answer: (D) C

Concept: When a folded paper is opened, every cut appears again as a mirror image across each fold line.

1. The paper was folded top-to-bottom, then right-to-left; the cuts lie in the bottom-left quarter: ▲ and ○ in the upper row, ▼ and ellipse in the lower row.
2. Opening the side fold mirrors them to the right: rows become ▲ ○ ○ ▲ and ▼ ⬭ ⬭ ▼.
3. Opening the top fold mirrors these upward and flips the triangles: top rows ▲ ⬭ ⬭ ▲ and ▼ ○ ○ ▼.
4. Only figure (C) shows exactly this pattern.

Trick: Unfold in the reverse order of folding and flip shapes across each fold line.

Answer: (C) the figure with ▲ ⬭ ⬭ ▲ in the top row

Concept: In a vertical mirror placed on the right, the order of letters reverses and each letter is flipped left-to-right; up–down stays the same.

1. Read the word backwards: z a k p h g f m.
2. Each letter is laterally flipped: p looks like q, k and z face the other way, but nothing turns upside down.
3. (A), (B) and (D) each show at least one letter with a wrong shape (turned upside down or not flipped properly). Only (C) is a true lateral flip.

Trick: Vertical mirror: left ↔ right only; top and bottom never change.

Answer: (C) the correct laterally inverted string

Concept: Decode each symbol and draw the family tree.

1. S # Z: S is husband of Z. Z @ R: Z is sister of R. R % K: R is son of K.
2. K # J: K is husband of J. J & T: J is mother of T. T # N: T is husband of N.
3. So K and J are parents of Z, R and T; S is J's son-in-law and N is K's daughter-in-law.
4. (A), (B), (C) are true; (D) 'J is the mother of S' is false – J is S's mother-in-law.

Trick: In 'NOT correct' questions, check every option against the tree.

Answer: (D) J is the mother of S.

Concept: A vertical mirror reverses the order of characters and flips each one left-to-right; nothing turns upside down.

1. Reversed order: G P 8 Q F S, each laterally flipped.
2. S and F, Q, P, G must face the opposite way but keep their top and bottom.
3. (A), (B) and (C) each contain a character with the wrong shape (for example F, P or Q drawn incorrectly). Only (D) is correct.

Trick: Check one asymmetric letter (like F or P): its top must stay on top.

Answer: (D) the correct laterally inverted string

Concept: At every exact hour the minute hand is at 12.

1. At 12:00 the minute hand is at 12, and it points South – so in this clock '12' faces South.
2. At 3:00 the minute hand is again at 12.
3. Hence it again points South.

Trick: Minute hand position repeats every hour: 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 … all the same.

Answer: (A) South

Concept: Replace letters by signs, then use BODMAS.

1. A = $+$, B = $\times$, C = $-$, D = $÷$.
2. Expression: $50÷(2\times 5)+3\times (15+12)-2\times (18-15)$
3. $=50÷10+3\times 27-2\times 3=5+81-6=80$

Trick: Solve brackets first, then $÷,\times$, then $+,-$.

Answer: (C) $80$

Concept: Form a linear equation from the statement.

1. Let the number be $x$; next number $=x+1$; four times next number $=4(x+1)$.
2. $x+(x+1)+4(x+1)=95\Rightarrow 6x+5=95$
3. $6x=90\Rightarrow x=15$. Check: $15+16+64=95$.

Trick: Check options directly: $15+16+4\times 16=95$.

Answer: (D) $15$

Concept: Check the gaps between consecutive letters using position values.

1. KNRW: K(11) N(14) R(18) W(23) → $+3,+4,+5$.
2. ZCGL: Z(26) C(3) G(7) L(12) → $+3,+4,+5$ (wrapping after Z). HKOT: $+3,+4,+5$.
3. ORVB: O(15) R(18) V(22) B(2) → $+3,+4,+6$ – different.

Trick: Learn EJOTY (5, 10, 15, 20, 25) to get positions fast.

Answer: (D) ORVB

Concept: In a straight strip of faces, alternate faces (one face skipped) are opposite each other.

1. The column E, X, Z, R is a straight strip: E is opposite Z and X is opposite R.
2. The remaining two faces, Q and A, lie on opposite sides of the strip, so Q is opposite A.
3. Pairs: E–Z, X–R, Q–A. Among options only 'R and X' is a pair.

Trick: In a line of three or four squares, skip one square to get the opposite face.

Answer: (A) R and X

Concept: Arrange units of mass from smallest to largest.

1. Milligram $=\frac{1}{1000}$ g, Decigram $=\frac{1}{10}$ g, Gram, Kilogram $=1000$ g, Quintal $=100$ kg.
2. Order: Milligram (5) → Decigram (4) → Gram (2) → Kilogram (1) → Quintal (3).

Trick: milli $<$ centi $<$ deci $<$ unit $<$ kilo; 1 quintal = 100 kg.

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

Concept: Draw the least-overlap Venn diagram and test each conclusion.

1. 'All pomegranates are trees' puts Pomegranates inside Trees; 'No tree is a plum' keeps Plums fully outside Trees.
2. I: Pomegranates are inside Trees, so no pomegranate can be a plum – follows.
3. II: 'No tree is a plum' converts to 'No plum is a tree' – follows. III: 'All pomegranates are trees' converts to 'Some trees are pomegranates' – follows.

Trick: 'No A is B' ⇔ 'No B is A'; 'All A are B' ⇒ 'Some B are A'.

Answer: (A) All of the conclusions follow

Concept: Look at the differences – they are consecutive cubes.

1. $25-24=1=1^3$, $33-25=8=2^3$, $60-33=27=3^3$.
2. Next difference $=4^3=64$: $60+64=124$.
3. Check: $124+5^3=124+125=249$ ✓.

Trick: Differences 1, 8, 27, 64 … are cubes $n^3$.

Answer: (C) $124$

Concept: Count odd days from a known reference date.

1. 1 January 2010 was a Friday.
2. Days from 1 Jan to 14 March 2010 $=30$ (rest of Jan) $+28$ (Feb, 2010 is not a leap year) $+14=72$.
3. $72÷7$ leaves remainder $2$ odd days: Friday $+2$ = Sunday.

Trick: Remainder 0 → same day; each extra odd day moves the weekday forward by one.

Answer: (A) Sunday

Concept: Use first and second differences.

1. Differences: $183-160=23$, $213-183=30$, $252-213=39$, $303-252=51$ – they grow every time.
2. With 367: next differences are $367-303=64$ and $446-367=79$, so the differences $23,30,39,51,64,79$ keep increasing (second differences $7,9,12,13,15$).
3. Other options break this: 361 gives $58$ then $85$ (second difference falls), 379 gives $76$ then $67$ (difference falls), 333 gives $30$ then $113$.

Trick: When the gap pattern is not perfect, choose the option that keeps differences and their growth steady at both ends of the blank.

Answer: (A) $367$

Concept: $n(G\cup K)=\text{Total}-\text{Neither}$.

1. Friends in at least one class $=73-7=66$.
2. Only Gym $=36-14=22$.
3. Only Karate $=66-36=30$ (or $66-22-14=30$).

Trick: Only K = (Total − Neither) − Gym total.

Answer: (A) $30$

Concept: Split the word into parts: 3 letters + 1 letter + 3 letters.

1. OBESITY = OBE | S | ITY → EBO | H | YTI.
2. OBE → EBO and ITY → YTI: each 3-letter group is reversed. S → H: opposite letter ($19+8=27$).
3. FIXTURE = FIX | T | URE → XIF | G | ERU (T(20) ↔ G(7)). Code: XIFGERU.

Trick: Opposite letters add up to 27: A–Z, H–S, G–T.

Answer: (A) XIFGERU

Concept: The differences are multiples of 3.

1. $65-3=62$, $62-6=56$, $56-9=47$, $47-12=35$.
2. Next: $35-15=20$.

Trick: Subtract $3\times 1,3\times 2,3\times 3,\dots$

Answer: (B) $20$

Concept: Put each option's signs in place and check with BODMAS.

1. Option (C): $15\times 5-24+140÷7=71$.
2. $=75-24+20=71$ ✓ – both sides are equal.
3. (A) gives $3+24-980\ne 71$; (B) and (D) also fail.

Trick: The '=' must come last; test the option whose division gives a whole number ($140÷7=20$).

Answer: (C) $\times ,-,+,÷,=$

Concept: Swap the pair given in each option and evaluate with BODMAS.

1. Given: $36\times 12+48÷6-18=432+8-18=422\ne 202$.
2. Swap 6 and 12: $36\times 6+48÷12-18=216+4-18=202$ ✓.

Trick: The result must drop from 422 to 202, so the multiplier 12 must become smaller – try swapping it with 6.

Answer: (B) 6 and 12