Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Track each letter position of the clusters separately.

1. Position 1: D → F → H → J, each step +2, so next = L.
2. Position 2: G → I → K → M (+2), so next = O.
3. Position 3: M → O → Q → S (+2), so next = U.
4. Required cluster = LOU.

Trick: All three letters jump +2 together, so just shift JMS by 2: J+2, M+2, S+2 = LOU.

Answer: (C) LOU

Concept: Compare the options with the original part by part: number, name, city, state, PIN.

1. (A) misses the comma after 44 and says Uttarakhand – wrong.
2. (C) spells the city 'Lucknou' and gives Rajasthan – wrong.
3. (D) gives Maharashtra as the state – wrong.
4. (B) matches the original fully.

Trick: Check the state name first – three options fail there instantly.

Answer: (B) No. 44, Hillcrest Villas, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh - 171001

Concept: The event that happens first and produces the other is the cause.

1. Kharif crops (rice, maize, cotton) are sown in June–July and depend on monsoon rain.
2. Statement II (very poor monsoon rain) happened first.
3. Statement I (fall in Kharif production) is its result.
4. So II = cause, I = effect.

Trick: Ask 'which one could lead to the other?' – weak rain can cut crop output, but low output cannot reduce rain.

Answer: (B) II is the cause and I is the effect.

Concept: Swap the two signs in each option and solve by BODMAS until LHS = 40.

1. Try (C): swap + and − → $30-10÷2+5\times 3$.
2. Division and multiplication first: $10÷2=5$, $5\times 3=15$.
3. $30-5+15=40$ = RHS. ✓

Trick: The original gives $30+5-15=20$; we need 20 more. Flipping + and − turns +5 −15 into −5 +15, a gain of exactly 20.

Answer: (C) + and −

Concept: A conclusion is definite only if a chain with signs in one direction links the two terms.

1. Combine: E < B = C < A < G (from A > B and A < G).
2. So E < G holds – II is true.
3. D ≥ E but E < B: signs point opposite ways at E, so D has no fixed link with G – I is false.

Trick: If the chain between the two terms has both ≥ and < facing opposite ways, mark the conclusion false straight away.

Answer: (B) Only conclusion II is true

Concept: Children of the same parents share the same father.

1. P is Q's brother and R is Q's sister → P, Q and R are siblings.
2. S is R's father.
3. So S is the father of P as well.

Trick: Once all persons are siblings, any parent of one is the parent of all.

Answer: (A) Father

Concept: Find the multipliers between terms and look for their pattern.

1. 3 → 6 is ×2; 6 → 18 is ×3.
2. Each new multiplier = product of the previous two: $2\times 3=6$, then $3\times 6=18$.
3. Missing term = $18\times 6=108$.
4. Check: $108\times 18=1944$ ✓

Trick: Test options against the last term: $1944÷108=18$ exactly; no other option divides 1944 neatly.

Answer: (A) 108

Concept: Each term is obtained by the rule ×2 − 1.

1. Differences: 17 − 9 = 8, 33 − 17 = 16, 65 − 33 = 32, 129 − 65 = 64 (doubling each time).
2. Next difference = 128, so next term = 129 + 128 = 257.
3. Same as the rule: 129 doubled is 258, minus 1 gives 257.

Trick: Subtract 1 from each term: 8, 16, 32, 64, 128 – powers of 2. Next is 256 + 1 = 257.

Answer: (A) 257

Concept: A conclusion must follow directly from the statement; extreme guesses are rejected.

1. Higher excise duty raises the cost of petrol, which reaches the buyer – I follows.
2. Raising a tax tells us the government wants revenue, not that its treasury is 'completely empty' – II does not follow.

Trick: Words like 'completely', 'only', 'always' usually signal an over-stretched conclusion.

Answer: (A) Only Conclusion I follows

Concept: An assumption is an unstated belief without which the statement makes no sense.

1. Statement says internet and digital tools made remote work possible → I is assumed.
2. It calls data security and cyber threats major challenges → III is assumed.
3. It never compares productivity with office work, and 'every company' is too broad → II is not assumed.

Trick: Reject any assumption that adds a comparison or a universal word ('every', 'all') the statement never used.

Answer: (A) Only I and III are implicit

Concept: Accept the conclusion that is a fair general lesson; reject one that claims a single exclusive cause.

1. More dustbins (an easy facility) → less littering. This supports I: convenience can improve behaviour.
2. II says people litter ONLY due to lack of dustbins – habits, awareness etc. may also matter, so it does not follow.

Trick: 'Only' in a conclusion is a red flag – the statement rarely proves a single cause.

Answer: (A) Only Conclusion I follows

Concept: Every character – hyphen, plural 's', PIN digit – must match.

1. Copy 2: '18-B' has an extra hyphen – different.
2. Copy 4: 'Silver Tower' (no s) and PIN 110001 – different.
3. Copies 1 and 3 match the original exactly.

Trick: Scan the PIN code first, then the house number – most traps hide there.

Answer: (B) 1 and 3

Concept: Number the letters of the first word and note the order used in its code.

1. SIMPLE: S1 I2 M3 P4 L5 E6. Code LMSIPE = L5 M3 S1 I2 P4 E6 → order 5-3-1-2-4-6.
2. TARGET: T1 A2 R3 G4 E5 T6.
3. Order 5-3-1-2-4-6 gives E R T A G T = ERTAGT.

Trick: Only option (C) starts with E (the 5th letter of TARGET) – the first letter alone decides it.

Answer: (C) ERTAGT

Concept: Find the person who does not share the common office.

1. Shastri, Morarji Desai, Charan Singh, Chandra Shekhar and Manmohan Singh all became Prime Minister.
2. Sardar Patel was India's first Deputy PM and Home Minister; he never became PM (he died in 1950).

Yaad rakhein: Morarji Desai was India's first non-Congress Prime Minister (1977).

Answer: (C) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Concept: Rearrange the given letters into a meaningful instrument name.

1. Letters: T, I, G, R, U, A.
2. Arranged: G-U-I-T-A-R = GUITAR, a string instrument.
3. The other options are not real words.

Trick: Only one option is a dictionary word – pick it after checking that it uses all six letters.

Answer: (A) guitar

Concept: Treat the 1st, 2nd and 3rd letters as three separate series.

1. 1st: P(16) → S(19) → V(22): +3 → Y(25).
2. 2nd: X(24) → V(22) → T(20): −2 → R(18).
3. 3rd: K(11) → I(9) → G(7): −2 → E(5).
4. Next = YRE.

Trick: Only (A) and (C) start with Y; the 2nd letter must drop 2 from T, giving R – so (A).

Answer: (A) YRE

Concept: Group the items by category.

1. Laterite, desert and mountain soil are types of soil found in India.
2. Igneous rock is a class of rock formed when magma/lava cools and hardens.
3. So igneous rock does not belong to the group.

Yaad rakhein: Laterite soil forms by heavy leaching in hot, wet areas and is rich in iron and aluminium – good for tea, coffee and cashew.

Answer: (D) Igneous Rock

Concept: Find the shift used in the example and apply it to the new word.

1. R → Q, U → T, N → M: each letter is moved one place back (−1).
2. MOON: M → L, O → N, O → N, N → M.
3. Code = LNNM.

Trick: The code must begin with L, N (M−1, O−1) and have a double letter in the middle – only LNNM fits both.

Answer: (B) LNNM

Concept: If p% of N = value, then $N=\text{value}\times \frac{100}{p}$.

1. 25% of N = 50.
2. $N=50\times \frac{100}{25}=50\times 4=200$.

Trick: $25\%=\frac{1}{4}$, so the number is simply 4 times 50 = 200.

Answer: (A) 200

Concept: Find a single rule that fits both given examples.

1. 5 ∗ 3: $5\times 3=15$, and $15\times 3=45$ ✓.
2. 8 ∗ 2: $8\times 2=16$, and $16\times 3=48$ ✓.
3. 5 ∗ 4 = $(5\times 4)\times 3=60$.

Trick: Both answers are 3 times the product of the numbers – divide each result by the product to spot the constant 3.

Answer: (D) 60