Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Swap the signs as instructed, then apply BODMAS.

1. $7÷4+20-72\times 6$ becomes $7\times 4-20+72÷6$
2. $=28-20+12$
3. $=20$

Trick: Rewrite the whole expression first; swapping mentally while calculating causes errors.

Answer: (D) 20

Concept: Treat the letters and the numbers as separate series.

1. First letters: Z, V, R, N ($-4$ each) → J; last letters Y, U, Q, M ($-4$) → I
2. Numbers: $122={11}^2+1$, $101={10}^2+1$, $82=9^2+1$, $65=8^2+1$
3. Next number $=7^2+1=50$ → J50I

Trick: The last letter is always the letter just before the first one (Z-Y, V-U …), so J…I.

Answer: (C) J50I

Concept: Facing north, left and right are the viewer's left and right; number the seats 1–7 from the left.

1. No one right of H $\Rightarrow$ H = 7; two between H and M $\Rightarrow$ M = 4
2. M immediately left of S $\Rightarrow$ S = 5; three between I and S $\Rightarrow$ I = 1
3. L, K together (K right of L) in seats 2, 3 $\Rightarrow$ L = 2, K = 3; G = 6
4. Between G (6) and K (3): M, S

Trick: Anchor the end person (H) first; the chain H → M → S → I then fills almost the whole row.

Answer: (D) Two

Concept: Compare 2nd and 3rd letters with the 1st letter's position.

1. MHN: M13, H8 ($-5$), N14 ($+1$)
2. PKQ: P16, K11 ($-5$), Q17 ($+1$); IDJ: I9, D4 ($-5$), J10 ($+1$)
3. SNU: S19, N14 ($-5$), U21 ($+2$) – odd

Trick: In the group, the 3rd letter is just the next letter after the 1st (M-N, P-Q, I-J); S-U breaks it.

Answer: (B) SNU

Concept: Find the shift of each letter in the example pairs.

1. CHRX → HMXD: $+5,+5,+6,+6$
2. WBPV → BGVB: W $+5$ = B, B $+5$ = G, P $+6$ = V, V $+6$ = B ✔
3. LQHN: L $+5$ = Q, Q $+5$ = V, H $+6$ = N, N $+6$ = T → QVNT

Trick: Option elimination: 2nd letter must be Q $+5$ = V, leaving QVTN and QVNT; 3rd letter H $+6$ = N decides.

Answer: (D) QVNT

Concept: Check the differences with alternating signs.

1. $18\stackrel{+5}{\to }23\stackrel{-6}{\to }17\stackrel{+7}{\to }24\stackrel{-8}{\to }16$
2. Next: $16+9=25$

Trick: Alternate terms also work: 18, 17, 16 (down by 1) and 23, 24, 25 (up by 1).

Answer: (C) 25

Concept: Fix the top and bottom boxes using the 'only' clues.

1. Only D above C $\Rightarrow$ D = 1st, C = 2nd (from top)
2. Only E between C and M $\Rightarrow$ E = 3rd, M = 4th
3. Only P below N $\Rightarrow$ P = 7th, N = 6th; O = 5th
4. Between O (5th) and P (7th): N only

Trick: Once both ends are fixed, the single leftover box (O) drops into the only empty slot.

Answer: (D) One

Concept: Plot the path on axes, taking A as the origin; each right turn rotates the direction clockwise.

1. 7 km south: $(0,-7)$; right → west 8 km: $(-8,-7)$
2. Right → north 9 km: $(-8,2)$; right → east 9 km: $(1,2)$
3. Right → south 2 km: P $=(1,0)$
4. A $(0,0)$ is 1 km to the west of P

Trick: Net N–S: $-7+9-2=0$; net E–W: $-8+9=+1$ (east). So go back 1 km west.

Answer: (C) 1 km to west

Concept: Find what happens to the letters and to the number separately.

1. FI 11 → KN 8: F $+5$ = K, I $+5$ = N, $11-3=8$
2. NQ 25 → SV 22: $+5$, $+5$, $-3$ ✔
3. OR 17 → O $+5$ = T, R $+5$ = W, $17-3=14$ → TW 14

Trick: Number part alone ($17-3=14$) leaves UW 14 and TW 14; O $+5$ = T settles it.

Answer: (D) TW 14

Concept: Draw the least-overlap Venn diagram; a conclusion follows only if it is true in every possible diagram.

1. All bricks are spoons: Bricks circle inside Spoons
2. No brick is a cricket: Crickets lie outside Bricks, but may or may not touch Spoons
3. (I) Some crickets are spoons – not certain (Crickets can be fully outside Spoons)
4. (II) All spoons are crickets – false (bricks are spoons but not crickets)

Trick: A 'No' statement never guarantees a 'Some' link with a third set.

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

Concept: With two 'Some' statements through a middle term, the end terms have no definite relation.

1. Homestays overlap Resorts; Resorts overlap Palaces
2. Homestays and Palaces may not meet at all → (I) not certain
3. Palaces may lie partly outside Resorts → (II) not certain

Yaad rakhein: Some + Some = no conclusion between the two end terms.

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

Concept: Swap the signs as instructed, then apply BODMAS.

1. $32+8\times 2-12÷5$ becomes $32-8÷2+12\times 5$
2. $=32-4+60$
3. $=88$

Trick: Write the new expression completely before solving.

Answer: (B) 88

Concept: Find the gaps between consecutive letters using their positions.

1. BIL: B2 → I9 ($+7$) → L12 ($+3$)
2. PWZ: P16 → W23 ($+7$) → Z26 ($+3$); OVY: O15 → V22 ($+7$) → Y25 ($+3$)
3. YEI: Y25 → E5 ($+6$, wrapping) → I9 ($+4$) – odd

Trick: Pattern $+7,+3$ in three clusters; YEI gives $+6,+4$.

Answer: (A) YEI

Concept: A number is even when its last (third) digit is even.

1. Third digits: 5, 8, 7, 1, 2
2. After adding 1: 6, 9, 8, 2, 3
3. Even: 476, 858, 592 → three numbers

Trick: Adding 1 flips parity: the numbers that were odd (475, 857, 591) become even.

Answer: (C) Three

Concept: Differences are perfect squares.

1. $6\stackrel{+0}{\to }6\stackrel{+1}{\to }7\stackrel{+4}{\to }11\stackrel{+9}{\to }20$
2. Differences $0^2,1^2,2^2,3^2$; next $4^2=16$
3. $20+16=36$

Trick: Differences 0, 1, 4, 9 are squares of 0, 1, 2, 3.

Answer: (C) 36

Concept: Check each number: the term just before must be a number and the term just after must be a symbol (pattern number–NUMBER–symbol).

1. 1 7 %: 7 is preceded by 1 and followed by % ✔
2. 4 9 &: 9 is preceded by 4 and followed by & ✔
3. Others fail, e.g. @ 2 ©, © 1 ©, 4 4 9, 5 5 (end)

Trick: Scan only for symbols; look at the two terms just before each symbol.

Answer: (D) 2

Concept: Find one rule that fits both given pairs.

1. $24\times 3-6=66$; $18\times 3-6=48$ ✔
2. (B) $30\times 3-6=84$ ✔
3. (A) $22\to 60$, (C) $20\to 54$, (D) $28\to 78$ – do not match

Trick: Second number $=3\times$ first $-6$, i.e. $3(\text{first}-2)$: $3\times 28=84$ for 30.

Answer: (B) 30, 84

Concept: Plot the path with Y at the origin; net displacement gives the answer.

1. 23 km north: $(0,23)$; right → east 12 km: $(12,23)$
2. Right → south 27 km: $(12,-4)$; right → west 12 km: Z $=(0,-4)$
3. Z is 4 km south of Y, so drive 4 km north

Trick: East 12 and west 12 cancel; net N–S $=23-27=-4$ (south). Return 4 km north.

Answer: (C) 4 km towards north

Concept: A bicameral state legislature has a Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) and a Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad); Article 169 lets Parliament create or abolish a Council.

1. Six states have a Legislative Council: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.
2. Jammu & Kashmir lost its Council in 2019 when it became a Union Territory, so the count is six, not seven.

Yaad rakhein: Remember "UP-BiMaK-AT": UP, Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra, Telangana.

Answer: (B) Six

Concept: Under Article 164(2), the State Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Legislative Assembly of the State.

1. The ministry stays in office only while it enjoys the confidence of the Vidhan Sabha; a no-confidence motion there removes it.
2. Ministers hold office during the pleasure of the Governor (individual responsibility), but collective responsibility is to the Assembly, not the Governor.
3. The Council of States is the Rajya Sabha, unrelated to state ministries.

Yaad rakhein: Union: Art. 75(3) → Lok Sabha; State: Art. 164(2) → Vidhan Sabha.

Answer: (C) State Legislative Assembly