Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Draw the family tree from the couple downwards.

1. S is married to R and S is the father of Q → S is male, R is Q's mother.
2. K is Q's sister → K is a daughter of S and R.
3. So K is R's daughter.

Trick: "Sister of a child" = daughter of the parents; the gender word "sister" fixes K as female.

Answer: (C) Daughter

Concept: Find one operation that works for both given pairs.

1. $17\times 4=68$ and $24\times 4=96$ → rule: multiply by 4.
2. $21\times 4=84$.

Trick: Check the ratio second ÷ first: $68÷17=4$, $96÷24=4$ – constant, so it's a pure multiple.

Answer: (B) 84

Concept: Look at the differences – they are perfect squares.

1. $95-70=25,70-54=16,54-45=9,45-41=4$.
2. Differences $5^2,4^2,3^2,2^2$ → next $1^2=1$ → $41-1=40$.

Trick: Decreasing series with differences $25,16,9,4,1$ – squares counting down.

Answer: (A) 40

Concept: Compare position numbers of corresponding letters in each pair and find the fixed shift pattern.

1. UND → SSB: U(21)−2 = S(19), N(14)+5 = S(19), D(4)−2 = B(2). Pattern: −2, +5, −2.
2. QXZ → OCX: Q(17)−2 = O, X(24)+5 = 29 → 3 = C, Z(26)−2 = X. Same pattern confirmed.
3. Apply to MHV: M(13)−2 = K, H(8)+5 = M, V(22)−2 = T → KMT. Other options break the pattern (e.g. WRK → SWG has −4, +5, −4).

Trick: Write the letter numbers quickly (EJOTY: E=5, J=10, O=15, T=20, Y=25) and test only the first letter of each option first – it eliminates most options.

Answer: (A) MHV : KMT

Concept: When people face the centre, "left" means clockwise and "right" means anticlockwise. Fix one person and place the others step by step.

1. Fix P. O is to the immediate right of P. Counting from P's left (clockwise), two people sit between P and R → R is the 3rd seat clockwise from P.
2. From C's left, three people sit between C and O → C is 4 seats anticlockwise from O, i.e. the 2nd seat clockwise from P.
3. Remaining seats (clockwise from P): 1st, 4th and 5th for B, Q, D. B is to the immediate right of Q → Q in 5th, B in 4th; so D takes the 1st seat.
4. Order clockwise: P, D, C, R, B, Q, O. Fourth to the left (clockwise) of D: C, R, B, Q.

Trick: Facing centre → left = clockwise. Place the "immediate" clues last; they slot the leftover people in one shot.

Answer: (B) Q

Concept: Treat each letter position and the number as separate series and find the constant jump.

1. 1st letters: Q(17) → E(5) → S(19) → G(7): each +14 (mod 26). Next: G+14 = 21 = U.
2. 2nd letters: B → P → D → R: +14. Next: R(18)+14 = 32 → 6 = F. 3rd letters: L → Z → N → B: +14. Next: B(2)+14 = P.
3. Numbers: 8, 16, 24, 32 → +8 → 40. So the term is UFP 40.

Trick: +14 in a 26-letter alphabet is the same as −12; also note the first letters alternate odd/even positions (17, 5, 19, 7, 21).

Answer: (D) UFP 40

Concept: Put A at the origin; East = $+x$, North = $+y$. Each left turn rotates the heading anticlockwise: E → N → W → S → E.

1. East 31: $(31,0)$. Left → North 19: $(31,19)$. Left → West 34: $(-3,19)$.
2. Left → South 32: $(-3,-13)$. Left → East 3: $(0,-13)$ = P.
3. P is directly below A on the same vertical line, 13 km to the South. So Vishu must drive 13 km North to reach A.

Trick: Net East–West $=31-34+3=0$ and net North–South $=19-32=-13$. Zero horizontal shift means the answer is a pure North/South distance – no Pythagoras needed.

Answer: (D) 13 km to the North

Concept: Find the shift applied to each letter position in the given pairs and apply the same to the new word.

1. RAFI → TELQ: R+2 = T, A+4 = E, F+6 = L, I+8 = Q. Shifts: +2, +4, +6, +8.
2. NEGL → PIMT: N+2 = P, E+4 = I, G+6 = M, L+8 = T ✓
3. JRTB: J(10)+2 = L, R(18)+4 = V, T(20)+6 = Z, B(2)+8 = J → LVZJ.

Trick: The last letter decides between options A and B: B+8 = J (not I). Always verify the final letter carefully.

Answer: (B) LVZJ

Concept: Draw the minimal Venn diagram: "All cars are X" means the Cars set lies inside X. Three statements put Cars inside Tram, Rickshaw and Bus simultaneously.

1. Conclusion I "All trams are bus": Tram need not lie inside Bus – only the Cars part is common. Does not follow.
2. Conclusion II "Some buses are rickshaws": every car is both a bus and a rickshaw, so Bus and Rickshaw definitely overlap. Follows.

Trick: From "All A are B" and "All A are C" you can always conclude "Some B are C" (and "Some C are B"), never "All B are C".

Answer: (A) Only conclusion (II) follows.

Concept: Scan the series element by element and check both neighbours of every letter: we need symbol–letter–symbol triplets.

1. Series: # F * G W # C # Y R & @ W Z @ L & L N % # W
2. Triplets found: # F *, # C #, @ L &.
3. Near-misses: * G W (letter after), # Y R, @ W Z, & L N (letter after), # W (nothing after). Total = 3.

Trick: Underline every symbol first; then look only at single letters sandwiched between two underlines.

Answer: (C) 3

Concept: Fix the definite positions first, then use "only one below" type clues, and finally parity (even/odd) clues.

1. Q = floor 5. B lives above Q → B = floor 6.
2. Only R lives below C → R = floor 1, C = floor 2.
3. A lives on an even floor; 2 and 6 are taken → A = floor 4. The remaining floor 3 goes to S.
4. People below S (floor 3): R and C → two.

Trick: Build the stack bottom-up: R, C, S, A, Q, B. "Only X lives below Y" pins Y to floor 2 instantly.

Answer: (B) Two

Concept: Check each letter position and the number separately for a constant step.

1. 1st letters: Z → E → J → O: +5 each (Z=26 → 31−26 = 5 = E). Next: O(15)+5 = T.
2. 2nd letters: O → T → Y → D: +5. Next: D(4)+5 = I. 3rd letters: B → G → L → Q: +5. Next: Q(17)+5 = V.
3. Numbers: 6, 10, 14, 18 → +4 → 22. Term = TIV 22.

Trick: Within each cluster the letters themselves differ by +15 and +13 (Z,O,B), but across terms every letter simply moves +5 – test across terms first.

Answer: (D) TIV 22

Concept: Both sides of :: must follow the same rule. Test each option's rule on the pair where the full answer is given, then confirm on the other side.

1. Option C: RSN : MNI → R−5 = M, S−5 = N, N−5 = I (each letter −5).
2. Apply −5 to UVQ: U(21)−5 = P, V(22)−5 = Q, Q(17)−5 = L → PQL, which matches option C's % = PQL.
3. Option A: OPN → MNI gives −2, −2, −5 (irregular); B and D give no consistent rule for both sides.

Trick: The left and right pairs must share ONE rule. Check option by option – here only "−5 to every letter" works on both sides.

Answer: (C) # = RSN % = PQL

Concept: Decode left to right and draw a family tree; each symbol gives the relation of the letter before it to the letter after it.

1. K + L: K is the sister of L. L − M: L is the husband of M (so L is male).
2. M × N: M is the mother of N. N + O: N is the sister of O.
3. Hence M is O's mother and L is O's father; K, being L's sister, is O's father's sister (bua).

Trick: Husband of the mother = father. Then "sister of the father" – do not slip into "mother's sister" (that would need K to be M's sister).

Answer: (D) Father's sister

Concept: Use number-property clues (prime, product) to pin exact floors, then place the rest with "above/below" clues.

1. Product of Q's and R's floors is 3, and Q is on a prime floor → Q = 3, R = 1.
2. Only 2 people above P → P = floor 4.
3. T is immediately below S; free floors are 2, 5, 6 → S = 6, T = 5. U gets floor 2.
4. Below U (floor 2) lives only R → one person.

Trick: Stack bottom-up: R, U, Q, P, T, S. "Only 2 above" in a 6-floor building always means floor 4.

Answer: (D) 1

Concept: Drop all letters, write the remaining symbols in order, then count from the right.

1. Symbols in order: £, $, Ω, %, *, &, #, @, *, & (10 symbols).
2. From the right: 1st &, 2nd *, 3rd @, 4th #, 5th &, 6th *, 7th %.

Trick: "$n$-th from the right" in a list of $N$ items is the $(N-n+1)$-th from the left: $10-7+1=4$th → %.

Answer: (B) %

Concept: Find one operation on the whole number that turns the first number into the second, and confirm it on the second pair.

1. $8\to 41$: $8\times 5+1=41$.
2. $81\to 406$: $81\times 5+1=406$ ✓ (same rule).
3. $13\to 13\times 5+1=66$.

Trick: When the second number is roughly 5 times the first, try $5n\pm k$ first; the pair $(81,406)$ settles $k=+1$.

Answer: (B) 66

Concept: Under the flexible inflation-targeting framework (RBI Act amendment, 2016), the Government, in consultation with RBI, fixes the CPI inflation target every five years.

1. Target for 2016–21 and again for April 2021 – March 2026: 4% CPI inflation.
2. Tolerance band: ±2%, i.e. 2% to 6%. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) sets the repo rate to keep inflation in this band.
3. If inflation stays outside 2–6% for three consecutive quarters, RBI must explain the failure to the Government.

Yaad rakhein: "4 ± 2" – target 4%, band 2% to 6%; MPC has 6 members, Governor has the casting vote.

Answer: (A) 4% with a tolerance of ±2%

Concept: Thermal pollution is the degradation of water quality by a rise in its temperature.

1. Thermal and nuclear power plants, steel plants and refineries draw river/lake water as a coolant and discharge it back hot.
2. Warm water holds less dissolved oxygen and disturbs aquatic life – this is thermal pollution.
3. Detergents, heavy metals and suspended solids are chemical/physical pollutants, not thermal.

Yaad rakhein: "Thermal" = heat; the only option involving heat exchange is water used as a coolant.

Answer: (C) Use of water as a coolant

Concept: Alauddin Khilji (1296–1316) introduced strict market control to keep prices low for his large army.

1. Diwan-i-Riyasat was the department of market control and prices, headed by the Rais-i-Riyasat; the Shahna-i-Mandi supervised individual markets.
2. Fixed prices for grain, cloth, horses and slaves were enforced with heavy punishment for cheating.
3. Other departments: Diwan-i-Mustakhraj (arrears of revenue), Diwan-i-Insha (royal correspondence), Diwan-i-Arz (army).

Yaad rakhein: Alauddin = market reforms → Riyasat (market), Mustakhraj (revenue arrears), Arz (army, dagh and chehra).

Answer: (C) Department controlling markets and prices