Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Add 1 to every digit, then pick the odd digits of the new number.

1. Number: 7 6 3 4 1 5 2 8.
2. After adding 1: 8 7 4 5 2 6 3 9.
3. Odd digits: 7, 5, 3, 9; sum $=7+5+3+9=24$.

Trick: Adding 1 flips parity: the odd digits of the new number come from the even digits 6, 4, 2, 8 → 7, 5, 3, 9.

Answer: (C) 24

Concept: The differences between consecutive terms increase by 2.

1. Differences: $1220-1212=8$, $1230-1220=10$, $1242-1230=12$, $1256-1242=14$.
2. Next difference $=16$.
3. Missing term $=1256+16=1272$.

Trick: When differences are 8, 10, 12, 14 … the next is simply +16.

Answer: (A) 1272

Concept: Take L as origin; East = +x, North = +y, and track each move.

1. 5 km East → (5, 0); right turn = South 6 km → (5, −6).
2. Right = West 9 km → (−4, −6); right = North 2 km → (−4, −4).
3. Left = West 4 km → (−8, −4); right = North 4 km → O(−8, 0).
4. O is 8 km due West of L, so he must drive 8 km towards the East.

Trick: Net E–W: $5-9-4=-8$; net N–S: $-6+2+4=0$ → O is 8 km West of L.

Answer: (A) 8 km towards the east

Concept: A letter common to two words takes the digit common to their codes.

1. GATE → 3647 and WING → 1265.
2. Common letter: G only. Common digit: 6 only.
3. So G = 6.

Trick: Match the only common letter with the only common digit.

Answer: (C) 6

Concept: Find how the letters of the first cluster are rearranged.

1. ARCE → CARE: letters in order 3-1-2-4; ARCE → ECRA: full reverse.
2. POLE → LPOE (3-1-2-4) and ELOP (reverse) ✓.
3. WORM → RWOM (3-1-2-4) and MROW (reverse) ✓.
4. BING → IBNG (2-1-3-4) ✗; ZEAP → AZEP ✓ but EAPZ is not reverse ✗; SAFE → SFAE ✗.

Trick: Check the last cluster first – it must be the exact reverse of the first.

Answer: (A) WORM - RWOM - MROW

Concept: Compare the shift from the first cluster to the second, letter by letter.

1. NU – PX: N→P $+2$, U→X $+3$.
2. EL – GO: E→G $+2$, L→O $+3$; AH – CK: A→C $+2$, H→K $+3$.
3. KR – NU: K→N $+3$, R→U $+3$ – a different pattern.

Trick: Write position numbers (A=1 … Z=26) and subtract; the odd shift stands out.

Answer: (B) KR – NU

Concept: Number positions 1 (top) to 7 (bottom) and place fixed clues first.

1. Only E above G → E = 1, G = 2.
2. Only two above U → U = 3; U immediately above T → T = 4.
3. S immediately above D: S–D at 5–6 or 6–7. S is not 3rd from bottom (position 5) → S = 6, D = 7, F = 5.
4. Between F (5) and E (1): G, U, T = three boxes.

Trick: 'Only X above Y' instantly fixes X at the top and Y second.

Answer: (A) Three

Concept: Look for the pattern Number – Symbol – Number.

1. Series: 6 @ $ 1 8 # 9 % ≺ 2 4 ⋟ 3 ^ 5 & 7.
2. Valid: 8 # 9, 4 ⋟ 3, 3 ^ 5, 5 & 7 → 4 symbols.
3. @, $, % and ≺ each touch another symbol, so they do not count.
4. 4 is more than three.

Trick: Scan only the symbols and check both neighbours of each.

Answer: (C) More than three

Concept: Each letter moves $+12$ positions (cycling after Z).

1. First letters: F(6) → R(18) → D(4) → P(16) → B(2) → N(14).
2. Second letters: R → D → P → B → N.
3. Third letters: O(15) → A(1) → M(13) → Y(25) → K(11).
4. Next term = BNK.

Trick: $+12$ and $-14$ give the same letter; also each term's 2nd letter becomes the next term's 1st.

Answer: (B) BNK

Concept: Decode each symbol from left to right.

1. E ÷ F: E is the father of F. F + G: F is the son of G, so G is F's mother, i.e. E's wife.
2. G – H: G is the sister of H. H × K: H is the wife of K.
3. So K's wife is H, H's sister is G, and G's husband is E.
4. E is K's wife's sister's husband.

Trick: Draw the couples with double lines – the relation reads straight off the chart.

Answer: (B) Wife's sister's husband

Concept: For people facing the centre, 'right' is anticlockwise and 'left' is clockwise.

1. Fix Z. S is third to the right of Z; M is immediately left of S; T is third to the right of M.
2. Remaining seats for A, B, L: two seats beside Z and the seat between S and T.
3. B is second to the left of L. If A sat next to Z on M's side, A would neighbour M – not allowed. So A sits between S and T, L between Z and M, B between T and Z.
4. From A going right: T, B, Z, then L → 3 people.

Trick: Place the chain Z → M → S → T first; only three seats remain to test.

Answer: (C) 3

Concept: Find the rule from the complete pair and apply it to both sides of ::.

1. Option C: UOR → ZTW: U+5=Z, O+5=T, R+5=W.
2. NHK → SMP: N+5=S, H+5=M, K+5=P – same rule $+5$.
3. Other options do not give a single consistent rule on both sides.

Trick: Test each option on the left pair first; the moment it fails, drop it.

Answer: (C) # = UOR, % = SMP

Concept: Fill the definite clues first.

1. R lives on floor 1.
2. Only A above T → A = 6, T = 5.
3. Only two between R (1) and P → P = 4.
4. Y on an even floor → Y = 2 (4 and 6 are taken), so L = 3.
5. Between L (3) and A (6): T and P → two people.

Trick: 'Only X above Y' → X on the top floor, Y just below it.

Answer: (C) Two

Concept: Take A as origin; East = +x, North = +y.

1. North 9 → (0, 9); right = East 11 → (11, 9).
2. Right = South 17 → (11, −8); right = West 12 → (−1, −8).
3. Right = North 8 → P(−1, 0).
4. P is 1 km West of A, so he must drive 1 km to the East.

Trick: Net E–W: $11-12=-1$; net N–S: $9-17+8=0$.

Answer: (C) 1 km to the east

Concept: A conclusion follows only if it is true in every possible diagram.

1. All letters are messages; some messages are emails; no email is a post.
2. Letters may lie in the part of 'messages' outside 'emails', so 'Some emails are letters' is not certain – (II) fails.
3. Post is barred only from emails; letters may still overlap post, so 'No letter is a post' is not certain – (I) fails.

Trick: 'Some' linking through the middle term (messages) never gives a definite link between letters and emails.

Answer: (B) Neither conclusion (I) nor (II) follows

Concept: Treat the two letters and the number separately.

1. 1st letter: N, M, L, K → J ($-1$).
2. 2nd letter: R, Q, P, O → N ($-1$).
3. Number: 25, 36, 47, 58 → 69 ($+11$).
4. Next term = JN69.

Trick: Number +11 rules out JM68, JN68; letter −1 rules out JM69.

Answer: (B) JN69

Concept: Change each digit by its own rule: odd $+1$, even $-1$.

1. Number: 2 6 3 7 4 5 8.
2. New: 1 5 4 8 3 6 7.
3. Greatest digit $=8$, smallest $=1$; sum $=9$.

Trick: Odd digits rise and even digits fall, so check 7 → 8 (largest) and 2 → 1 (smallest) directly.

Answer: (A) 9

Concept: The UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2024 (titled “No more hot air … please!”) estimates warming under current policies.

1. If current policies continue, global temperature is projected to rise by about 3.1 °C above pre-industrial levels by 2100.
2. Even if all current NDC pledges are implemented, warming would still be about 2.6–2.8 °C – far above the Paris goal of 1.5 °C.

Yaad rakhein: Emissions Gap 2024 → “3.1” (current policies); remember the Paris target 1.5 °C.

Answer: (A) 3.1 (°C)

Concept: PowerPoint’s Slide Show tab has tools to rehearse and record presentations.

1. Record Slide Show records slide timings plus narration, ink and laser-pointer movements, which replay automatically.
2. Rehearse Timings records only the time spent on each slide – no narration or pointer.
3. Presenter View shows notes to the speaker; Set Up Slide Show sets show options.

Trick: Narration / laser pointer = Record; only time = Rehearse.

Answer: (C) Record Slide Show

Concept: The Badami (Vatapi) rock-cut caves were excavated by the Chalukyas of Badami in the 6th century CE.

1. Badami was the capital of the early Chalukyas (Pulakeshin I founded it); Cave 3 was made under Mangalesha (578 CE).
2. The four caves have Hindu and Jain carvings – Vishnu, Shiva (Nataraja) and Jain Tirthankaras.
3. Pallavas built Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu), not Badami.

Yaad rakhein: Badami–Aihole–Pattadakal = Chalukya triangle of Karnataka.

Answer: (D) Chalukyas