Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Swap + ↔ − and × ↔ ÷, then use BODMAS.

1. $63\times 12+98÷7-35$
2. $756+14-35=735$

Trick: Rewrite the whole expression first, then solve.

Answer: (B) 735

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

1. Cars ⊂ Buses ⊂ Trucks; Ships overlap only some Buses.
2. (I) Ships may touch Buses outside Cars → "Some ships are cars" not certain.
3. (II) Trucks are larger than Cars → "All trucks are cars" false.

Trick: "All A are B" never gives "All B are A".

Answer: (A) Neither conclusion (I) nor (II) follows.

Concept: Plot each leg with A at origin.

1. 11 km S; left → East 3 km; left → North 4 km; left → West 12 km; right → North 7 km.
2. Vertical: $-11+4+7=0$ → P is level with A.
3. Horizontal: $3-12=-9$ → P is 9 km West of A → drive 9 km East.

Trick: Facing South, a left turn means East.

Answer: (D) 9 km to the east

Concept: Track each letter position separately.

1. 1st letters: V, R, N, J → −4 each → F
2. 2nd letters: C, Y, U, Q → −4 each → M
3. 3rd letters: J, F, B, X → −4 each → T

Trick: All three positions move −4 (with wrap-around B → X).

Answer: (C) FMT

Concept: Mon–Sun = days 1–7; place the fixed clues first.

1. Two before T → T = Wed (3). One after D → D = Sat (6). Three between T and F → F = Sun (7).
2. Left: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri for C, E, S, U. U just before E and one gap between E and C → U = Mon, E = Tue, C = Thu.
3. S = Fri.

Trick: Start with clues giving exact positions ("only two before", "only one after").

Answer: (D) S

Concept: Decode each symbol one link at a time and build a family tree from M to Q.

1. M + N: M is the mother of N.
2. N − O: N is the brother of O, so M is also the mother of O.
3. O ÷ P: O is the father of P, so M is P's father's mother.
4. P × Q: P is the wife of Q, so P is Q's wife.
5. Hence M is Q's wife's father's mother.

Trick: Read the chain from Q backwards: Q → wife (P) → father (O) → mother (M).

Answer: (A) Wife's father's mother

Concept: A word common to two sentences takes the code common to both coded sentences.

1. Sentence 1: pizza base queen → du su qw.
2. Sentence 2: pig queen wave → ic fv su.
3. Common word = queen; common code = su.

Trick: Match common word with common code – no need to decode the other words.

Answer: (B) su

Concept: Replace each sign as instructed, then solve using BODMAS.

1. Given: $502÷78+2-258\times 2$.
2. After replacing: $502+78-2\times 258÷2$.
3. $2\times 258÷2=258$.
4. $502+78-258=322$.

Trick: A number multiplied and divided by the same value (×2 ÷2) cancels out – just compute $580-258$.

Answer: (C) 322

Concept: Identify the highest and lowest numbers, then pick the required digits.

1. Numbers: 956, 521, 251, 156, 335.
2. Highest = 956 → second digit = 5.
3. Lowest = 156 → first digit = 1.
4. Sum $=5+1=6$.

Trick: Compare hundreds digits first: 9 is highest, 1 is lowest.

Answer: (B) 6

Concept: Vowel → next letter; consonant → previous letter. Then check each new cluster for A, E, I, O, U.

1. DIE → C J F (no vowel).
2. CUP → B V O (has O).
3. BOX → A P W (has A).
4. ASK → B R J (no vowel).
5. Clusters without a vowel: CJF and BRJ = two.

Trick: A consonant moved back becomes a vowel only if it is B, F, J, P or V; a vowel moved forward never stays a vowel.

Answer: (A) Two

Concept: Find the operation chain in the given sets and test each option.

1. $3\to 5$ (+2), $5\to 10$ (×2), $10\to 12$ (+2).
2. $8\to 10$ (+2), $10\to 20$ (×2), $20\to 22$ (+2).
3. Option B: $18\to 20$ (+2), $20\to 40$ (×2), $40\to 42$ (+2) ✓.
4. Others fail: A starts with +4, C ends +4, D starts +2 then ×2, ×2.

Trick: Pattern +2, ×2, +2 – the last number is always 2 more than the third.

Answer: (B) 18 - 20 - 40 - 42

Concept: Check the differences between consecutive terms.

1. $802-800=2$, $800-796=4$, $796-790=6$, $790-782=8$.
2. The differences increase by 2, so the next difference is 10.
3. $782-10=772$.

Trick: Subtract consecutive even numbers: −2, −4, −6, −8, −10.

Answer: (C) 772

Concept: Compare the backward gaps between letters using positions (A = 1 … Z = 26).

1. KGE: K(11) → G(7) = −4, G(7) → E(5) = −2.
2. SOM: S(19) → O(15) = −4, O(15) → M(13) = −2.
3. WSQ: W(23) → S(19) = −4, S(19) → Q(17) = −2.
4. DAX: D(4) → A(1) = −3, A → X = −3 (cyclic). Pattern differs.

Trick: Three clusters follow −4, −2; the odd one is DAX.

Answer: (A) DAX

Concept: Place the fixed person first, then the block of consecutive people.

1. X is on Wednesday (3rd day).
2. Three people between X and T → T is on day 7 (Sunday) (day −1 is impossible).
3. V, Z, Y must be on three consecutive free days: only Thu, Fri, Sat are available together.
4. W is not on Monday → W = Tuesday, U = Monday. So Thursday = V.

Trick: A block of 3 consecutive days fits only in the longest gap – here Thu–Sat.

Answer: (A) V

Concept: Track each letter position separately.

1. First letters: F, G, H, I → J (+1).
2. Second letters: C, D, E, F → G (+1).
3. Third letters: A, B, C, D → E (+1).
4. Next term = JGE.

Trick: Every letter moves +1, so just shift IFD by one: JGE.

Answer: (A) JGE

Concept: For people facing the centre, left = clockwise and right = anticlockwise. Fix A and place the others.

1. Two people between A and H counted from A's right → H is 3rd to the right of A.
2. Two between H and D → D is 3rd from H on the other side, i.e. immediate left of A.
3. Three between A and B → B is 4th from A (the seat next to H on the left side).
4. Remaining seats for C, G, I: C immediate left of I fixes I, C, and G takes the last seat.
5. Third to the left of G (clockwise) → I.

Trick: In a 7-seat circle, "3 between" on one side = "2 between" on the other – use this to settle positions quickly.

Answer: (D) I

Concept: Combine the "before/after" chains and fit them into the free days.

1. P is on Thursday. S is after P, V is after S, and Q is after V → S, V, Q need three days after Thursday.
2. Only Fri, Sat, Sun remain → S = Friday, V = Saturday, Q = Sunday.
3. R before U before T fill Mon, Tue, Wed → R = Mon, U = Tue, T = Wed.
4. People before V (Saturday): R, U, T, P, S = 5.

Trick: A chain of three after Thursday must fill Fri–Sat–Sun exactly.

Answer: (A) 5

Concept: Write the direct codes first, then apply only the condition that matches.

1. Direct codes: 2 = D, # = P, @ = Z, 7 = L, 9 = C.
2. Condition (i): first element 2 is not a symbol – does not apply.
3. Condition (ii): first element 2 is even and last element 9 is odd → both coded as ©.
4. Condition (iii): second element # is not a perfect square – does not apply.
5. Code: © P Z L ©.

Trick: Check first and last elements first – conditions (i) and (ii) depend only on them.

Answer: (D) © P Z L ©

Concept: The Paika Rebellion was an armed uprising of the Paikas (traditional militia) of Khurda, Odisha, against British rule.

1. It broke out in 1817 under Bakshi Jagabandhu, military chief of the Raja of Khurda.
2. Causes: the new British land-revenue settlement, loss of Paika rent-free lands and rising salt prices.
3. 1806 is the Vellore Mutiny year – a common trap.

Yaad rakhein: Khurda + Bakshi Jagabandhu = 1817; it is sometimes called the "first war of independence" of Odisha.

Answer: (D) 1817

Concept: The Labour Bureau (Ministry of Labour & Employment) conducted the Annual Employment-Unemployment Surveys (EUS) before PLFS replaced them.

1. The 6th EUS reported the all-India unemployment rate at about 5.4% (usual principal status approach).
2. The figure 4.9% belongs to the earlier 4th EUS (2013-14), so it is a trap.
3. Since 2017-18, unemployment data come from NSO's Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS).

Yaad rakhein: Labour Bureau EUS → replaced by PLFS (NSO) from 2017-18.

Answer: (A) 5.4%