Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: 'Each' is singular, so the pronoun referring to it must be singular.

1. Subject head = Each (singular), group = boys (male).
2. their ✗ → his ✓ : Each of the boys recited his poem.
3. 'there' = place word; 'her' = wrong gender; 'their poems' still plural.

Trick: Each / every / either / neither + of + plural noun → singular verb and singular pronoun.

Answer: (C) Each of the boys recited his poem

Concept: Simple past passive: object + was/were + V3 + by + subject.

1. Object 'that sketch' (singular) → was.
2. drew → drawn (V3).
3. That sketch was drawn by the artist in 1999.
4. (B) present, (C) past continuous, (D) present perfect – tense changed.

Trick: Voice change never changes tense: 'drew' (past) must give 'was/were + V3'.

Answer: (A) That sketch was drawn by the artist in 1999.

Concept: Going back to direct speech, move each tense one step forward.

1. had been judged → has been judged (singular 'stock' → has).
2. suggested → suggest; was → is ('now' confirms present).
3. (A) 'have' – agreement error; (B) simple past; (D) keeps past tenses.

Trick: Reverse backshift: past perfect → present perfect, past → present. Check subject-verb agreement too.

Answer: (C) The analyst stated, "Although the stock has been judged stable for years, recent drops now suggest that it is weak."

Concept: The opener introduces the character by noun; pronoun sentences follow.

1. P names 'The tall chef' – Q, R, S begin with He/They → P first.
2. Q: background of the chef's life → after P.
3. R: what he is doing now (kneading dough).
4. S: 'They all' = the loaves – the closing line → PQRS.

Trick: Noun first, pronoun later: the only sentence with a full noun subject usually opens the paragraph.

Answer: (A) PQRS

Concept: Introduce the subject (the art), then the restorer's steps in time order.

1. R introduces 'the art' – others use 'he' → R first.
2. S: 'Before starting the cleaning process' – preparation.
3. P: inspects the canvas closely.
4. Q: 'After that' – wipes the surface → R, S, P, Q.

Trick: Time markers decide order: 'Before …' comes early, 'After that' comes after the step it refers to.

Answer: (D) R, S, P, Q

Concept: Normal year = 1 odd day, leap year = 2 odd days.

1. 29 Feb 2032 → 29 Feb 2036 covers 3 normal years + 1 leap day stretch.
2. Odd days = 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 = 5.
3. Sunday + 5 = Friday.

Trick: Leap-day to leap-day (4 years) always moves the day forward by 5: 1461 days = 208 weeks + 5.

Answer: (B) Friday

Concept: 2 is the only even prime; composites have more than two factors.

1. Smallest even composite = 4 (2 is prime).
2. Smallest odd prime = 3 (2 is even).
3. Product = $4\times 3=$ 12.

Yaad rakhein: Remember: 1 is neither prime nor composite; 2 = only even prime; 4 = smallest composite; 9 = smallest odd composite.

Answer: (B) 12

Concept: Multiply first, then add/subtract left to right.

1. $3.6\times 5.4=19.44$ ($36\times 54=1944$, two decimal places).
2. Club the rest: $17.6-8.3=9.3$
3. $19.44+9.3=$ 28.74

Trick: Last-digit check: product ends in …44, adding/subtracting one-decimal numbers keeps '4' in the 2nd decimal → only 28.74 or 29.74; size gives 28.74.

Answer: (C) 28.74

Concept: For an odd count of evenly spaced numbers, middle term = $\text{sum}÷\text{count}$.

1. Middle = $85÷5=17$.
2. Numbers: 13, 15, 17, 19, 21.
3. Largest = $17+2\times 2=$ 21.

Trick: Largest = average + $\frac{n-1}{2}\times \text{gap}=17+2\times 2=21$ – no equations needed.

Answer: (A) 21

Concept: $\text{New average}=(\text{old total}+\text{new value})÷\text{new count}$.

1. Old total = $4\times 55=220$ kg.
2. New total = $220+75=295$ kg.
3. New average = $295÷5=$ 59 kg.

Trick: Excess of newcomer over old average = $75-55=20$; spread over 5 → +4 → $55+4=59$.

Answer: (D) 59 kg

Concept: A valid inference is a reasonable, implied conclusion – not a charge or an extreme claim.

1. I: an online-only rule is practical only if most people can get online → follows.
2. II: one digital channel creates records and cuts middlemen → more transparency is a fair reading → follows.
3. III: calling the old system 'corrupt' is an accusation not supported by the statement → does not follow.

Trick: Strong negative words (corrupt, never, always, only) in an inference are usually a red flag.

Answer: (B) both I and II follow

Concept: Accept inferences that match the action; reject absolute claims.

1. I: launching a scheme shows the body treats water shortage as a serious issue → follows.
2. II: 'never' a shortage again – a scheme can reduce, not guarantee → does not follow.
3. III: harvesting conserves a natural resource → reflects concern for environment and sustainability → follows.

Trick: Words like 'never', 'always', 'completely' make an inference too extreme – drop it first.

Answer: (B) Both I and III Follow

Concept: Find how the second number is built from the first.

1. $256={16}^2$ and $16=15+1$ → rule: $(n+1{)}^2$.
2. 20 → $(20+1{)}^2={21}^2=$ 441.

Trick: Know squares up to 30: when the 2nd term is a square, compare its root with the 1st term (here root − 1 = first).

Answer: (A) 441

Concept: Each term is 5 times the previous one.

1. $25=5^2,125=5^3,625=5^4$.
2. 4th term $=5^5=3125$.
3. 5th term $=5^6=$ 15625.

Trick: Powers of 5 end in 25 from $5^2$ onward – only 15625 and 15225 qualify; $5^6=15625$.

Answer: (B) 15625

Concept: Treat first and second members as two separate series.

1. First: 1, 4, 9, 16, ?, 36 → squares → $5^2=25$.
2. Second: 2, 4, 6, 8, ?, 12 → even numbers → 10.
3. Missing pair = (25, 10).

Trick: Fill the easier series first (second: 10) – it removes (C); then 25 removes (D) and (A).

Answer: (B) $(25,10)$

Concept: Split each pair into two series.

1. First: 4, 9, 16, 25, ?, 49 → $2^2,3^2,\dots$ → $6^2=36$.
2. Second: 3, 5, 7, 9, ?, 13 → +2 → 11.
3. Answer = (36, 11) – order matters, so (D) is wrong.

Trick: In pair series, watch for a 'reversed pair' option – same numbers, wrong order.

Answer: (B) $(36,11)$

Concept: Divisible by both 7 and 13 ⇔ divisible by $7\times 13=91$.

1. $1001=7\times 11\times 13$ → divisible by 91 ✓
2. $299=13\times 23,715=5\times 11\times 13,286=2\times 11\times 13$ – none has 7.

Trick: $1001=7\times 11\times 13$ is a must-know number; any abc-abc type number (e.g. 456456) is divisible by 7, 11 and 13.

Answer: (B) 1001

Concept: When first differences grow unevenly, check the differences of differences.

1. First differences: 36.5, 63.5, 92.5, 123.5.
2. Second differences: 27, 29, 31 → next 33.
3. Next difference = 123.5 + 33 = 156.5 → 338 + 156.5 = 494.5.

Trick: All options end in .5 – just track the integer part: 338 + 156 = 494 → 494.5.

Answer: (D) 494.5

Concept: Use the known gaps to guess the pattern of differences.

1. Visible gaps: first gap is 5, last gap is 11.
2. Pattern +5, +7, +9, +11.
3. Missing = 13.5 + 7 = 20.5; next 20.5 + 9 gives 29.5 ✓

Trick: Always verify a missing term from both sides – it must fit before AND after.

Answer: (B) 20.5

Concept: Remove the decimals by multiplying by a common number.

1. $\times 5$: 0, 1, ?, 27, 64 → $0^3,1^3,2^3,3^3,4^3$.
2. So term = $\frac{n^3}{5}$ → missing = $\frac{2^3}{5}=\frac{8}{5}=$ 1.6.

Trick: Decimals like .2, .4, .6, .8 hint at $÷5$ – multiply by 5 and the hidden pattern appears.

Answer: (C) 1.6