Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Within the same month, 'n days later' simply means date + n.

1. Mumbai event: 10 January.
2. Delhi event = 10 + 5 = 15 January (still within January, which has 31 days).

Trick: 'Later' → add, 'earlier' → subtract. Check only that the total does not cross the month's last date.

Answer: (B) 15th January

Concept: Compare the given address part by part with each option.

1. (B) has 'Delhii' – extra i.
2. (C) has 'Haozkhas' instead of 'Hauz Khas'.
3. (D) changes 'Admin' to 'Academic'.
4. (A) matches word for word, including PIN 110016.

Trick: Scan in chunks – room no. → block → institute → area → PIN – and strike out an option at its first mismatch.

Answer: (A) Room 210, Admin Block, IIT Delhi, Hauz Khas, Delhi - 110016

Concept: Find one rule that fits both examples: a # a $=2a^2$.

1. 3 # 3: $2\times 3^2=2\times 9=18$ ✓
2. 4 # 4: $2\times 4^2=2\times 16=32$ ✓
3. 5 # 5: $2\times 5^2=2\times 25=50$

Trick: 18 and 32 are both double a square (9, 16) – spot this and the rule is instant.

Answer: (B) 50

Concept: Put the given values directly into the defined rule.

1. $P=8$, $Q=6$
2. 8 # 6 $=8\times 6-8=48-8=40$

Trick: $P\times Q-P=P(Q-1)=8\times 5=40$ – one multiplication.

Answer: (A) 40

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

1. Now: $20+5\times 3÷3-1=20+5-1=24$ ✗
2. Swap ÷ and +: $20÷5\times 3+3-1$
3. $=4\times 3+3-1=12+2=14$ ✓

Trick: The left side (24) is too big – look for a swap that turns '20 +' into a division, which shrinks the value.

Answer: (A) ÷ and +

Concept: Check the direction in which consecutive digits move.

1. 8765, 7654, 6543 – each digit is 1 less than the previous (decreasing).
2. 3456 – each digit is 1 more (increasing).

Trick: Read just the first two digits: 8→7, 7→6, 6→5 go down; only 3→4 goes up.

Answer: (D) 3456

Concept: Three of the cities are state capitals.

1. Lucknow – Uttar Pradesh, Jaipur – Rajasthan, Bhopal – Madhya Pradesh.
2. Pune is in Maharashtra, whose capital is Mumbai.

Yaad rakhein: Pune was the 'monsoon capital' of the Bombay Presidency in British times, but it is not a state capital today.

Answer: (C) Pune

Concept: Change each digit as per its odd/even nature, then sort.

1. Even digits 4, 2, 2, 6, 8, 4 become 5, 3, 3, 7, 9, 5.
2. Odd digits 7, 9, 5, 3 become 6, 8, 4, 2.
3. In descending order the five rightmost are the five smallest: 2, 3, 3, 4, 5 → total 17

Trick: The last five of a descending list are simply the five smallest digits: 2, 3, 3, 4, 5.

Answer: (A) 17

Concept: In every pair, the second letter is 2 places ahead of the first.

1. K→M, N→P, D→F: every pair jumps +2.
2. Options: G→I also jumps +2 ✓; PN is backwards, OP and QR have gap +1.

Trick: Each pair skips exactly one letter (K_L_M, N_O_P) – find the option that also skips one: G_H_I.

Answer: (B) GI

Concept: The pair follows $n\to n^3-n$.

1. $4\to 4^3-4=64-4=60$ ✓
2. $5\to 5^3-5=125-5=120$

Trick: $n^3-n=(n-1)\times n\times (n+1)$: $3\times 4\times 5=60$, so $4\times 5\times 6=120$.

Answer: (B) 120

Concept: A valid action must be practical, reasonable and actually reduce the problem.

1. I – banning every social media platform is extreme and not enforceable → does not follow.
2. II – outdoor activities plus a daily limit directly cuts screen time → follows.

Trick: Words like 'ban all', 'always', 'completely' usually mark an extreme, invalid action.

Answer: (A) Only II follows

Concept: Fix the definite positions first, then use the gaps.

1. R = 1. T is even and U is 1 floor away from T (one floor between), with U above T and U ≠ 2.
2. T = 4 → U = 6, but Q (2 floors between) would be 1 = R's floor ✗. T = 6 → U would be 8 ✗.
3. So T = 2 → U = 4, and Q = 5.
4. S is on an even floor → S = 6; with 2 people between, P = 3.
5. Order: R1, T2, P3, U4, Q5, S6 → 2 floors below Q(5) is floor 3 = P.

Trick: In floor puzzles, start with the person whose floor is given (R = 1) and test the even-floor options for T one by one.

Answer: (A) P

Concept: All A are B + No B is C ⇒ No A is C; 'All A are B' also gives 'Some B are A'.

1. Cherry circle lies inside mango circle; mango circle is apart from red → no cherry is red. I ✓
2. All cherries are mangoes → some mangoes are cherries (conversion). II ✓

Trick: 'All + No = No' is a fixed rule – conclusion I follows without drawing.

Answer: (C) Both I and II follow

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

1. Books ⊂ notebooks; the notebooks that are 'not diaries' may be outside books. Books can even be entirely rulers → I is not certain ✗.
2. No diary is a ruler means the two are separate; rulers cannot be 'all diaries' → II ✗.

Trick: 'Some … not' never passes a definite link to a subset – books get no fixed relation with rulers.

Answer: (D) Neither I nor II follows

Concept: Group the words by category.

1. Nile (Africa), Amazon (South America), Ganga (India) – rivers.
2. Everest – a mountain peak (8,848.86 m, highest in the world).

Yaad rakhein: The Nile is generally counted as the longest river; the Amazon carries the most water.

Answer: (D) Everest

Concept: Convert letters to positions and look at the differences.

1. A1, C3, F6, J10, O15 → gaps +2, +3, +4, +5
2. Next gap +6 → 15 + 6 = 21 → U

Trick: 1, 3, 6, 10, 15 are triangular numbers; next is 21 = U.

Answer: (D) U

Concept: Each term is half of the previous term.

1. $200÷2=100$, $100÷2=50$
2. $50÷2=25$

Trick: Ratio of consecutive terms is constant ($\frac{1}{2}$) → geometric series; just apply the ratio once more.

Answer: (B) 25

Concept: Each letter of GLASS moves one step back to give FKZRR.

1. G→F, L→K, A→Z (wraps around), S→R, S→R
2. CLEAN: C→B, L→K, E→D, A→Z, N→M → BKDZM

Trick: Only A and C start with B, K, D – then A→Z must stay 4th, which kills BKDMZ.

Answer: (A) BKDZM

Concept: Differences between terms rise by 1 each step.

1. 7−4 = 3, 11−7 = 4, 16−11 = 5, 22−16 = 6, 29−22 = 7
2. Next difference 8 → 29 + 8 = 37

Trick: Once the first two differences are 3 and 4, assume +1 growth and check just the last gap.

Answer: (A) 37

Concept: Two series run alternately: one from the front of the alphabet, one from the back.

1. 1st, 3rd terms: B3, C4 → letter moves +1 and number = position + 1 → next D5.
2. 2nd, 4th terms: X24, W23 → would continue with V22 (6th term).
3. 5th term belongs to the front series → D5.

Trick: Count the position: the 5th term is odd-placed, so it continues B3, C4.

Answer: (B) D5