Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Split the 20-letter series into 5 blocks of 4; each block is the previous one shifted forward.

1. Blocks: _NJO | K_LQ | MR_S | OTP_ | QVR_.
2. Each letter of a block moves +2 in the next block: N→P→R→T→V, J→L→N→P→R, O→Q→S→U→W.
3. So blocks are INJO, KPLQ, MRNS, OTPU, QVRW.
4. Missing letters in order: I, P, N, U, W.

Trick: 20 letters → try 4-letter blocks first; check only the first column (?, K, M, O, Q = +2 steps) to get I quickly, then match options starting with I and P.

Answer: (B) IPNUW

Concept: Arrange the letters from Z towards A and compare each position with the original word.

1. Word: TREASURE → descending order: UTSRREEA.
2. Position check: 1st T vs U, 2nd R vs T, 3rd E vs S, 4th A vs R, 5th S vs R, 6th U vs E, 7th R vs E, 8th E vs A.
3. No position keeps its letter → zero.

Trick: The biggest letter U must come first and the smallest A last; since the word starts with T and ends with E, both ends already change – then scan the middle only.

Answer: (D) Zero

Concept: Fix the people with definite seats first (seats 1–7 from left), then place the pairs.

1. Nobody left of H → H = 1. Three people right of N → N = 4.
2. Four people between H and F → F = 6.
3. K immediately left of L → only free pair 2–3: K = 2, L = 3.
4. G not next to N → G = 7, E = 5. Order: H K L N E F G.
5. Fourth to the left of G (seat 7) = seat 3 = L.

Trick: Facing north, 'x-th to the left' simply means subtract x from the seat number: 7 − 4 = 3.

Answer: (A) L

Concept: A word repeated in two sentences gets the code repeated in both coded groups.

1. 'can I go' → pr nt gs; 'he can swim' → li ed pr.
2. Common word: can. Common code: pr.
3. Hence can = pr.

Trick: Just look for the one code present in both groups – no need to decode the other words.

Answer: (B) pr

Concept: When first differences are irregular, check the differences of the differences.

1. First differences: 19, 28, 55, 100.
2. Second differences: 9, 27, 45 → increasing by 18.
3. Next second difference = 63 → next first difference = $100+63=163$.
4. ? = $214+163=377$.

Trick: 9, 27, 45 are $9\times 1,9\times 3,9\times 5$ – odd multiples of 9, so the next is $9\times 7=63$.

Answer: (C) 377

Concept: Number seats 1–7 from the left; place fixed people first.

1. Nobody right of N → N = 7. Three between N and S → S = 3.
2. Two between S and T → T = 6.
3. M third left of L with A just right of L → M = 1, L = 4, A = 5; B = 2.
4. Order: M B S L A T N. Between B (2) and T (6): S, L, A = 3 people.

Trick: People between seats p and q = |p − q| − 1 = 6 − 2 − 1 = 3.

Answer: (B) Three

Concept: Climb from T upward one generation at a time.

1. T is daughter of S, and S is Q's wife → Q is T's father.
2. R is Q's father → R is T's father's father.
3. P is R's sister → P = T's father's father's sister.

Trick: Start from the person named last (T) and move up the chain; each 'father' link adds one generation.

Answer: (B) Father's father's sister

Concept: Treat each letter and the number as separate parts with their own fixed change.

1. ER 32 → DS 34: E−1 = D, R+1 = S, 32+2 = 34.
2. XW 54 → WX 56: X−1 = W, W+1 = X, 54+2 = 56 ✓.
3. ZB 78 → Z−1 = Y, B+1 = C, 78+2 = 80 → YC 80.

Trick: Number +2 leaves only YC 80 and YA 80; second letter must move forward (B→C), so YC 80.

Answer: (A) YC 80

Concept: If the same face stays on top in both views, the four side faces just rotate in a ring.

1. 10 is on top in both views → bottom fixed, only sides turn.
2. View I: 11 then 12 around the side; view II: 12 then 8.
3. Side ring order: 11 → 12 → 8 → (fourth face).
4. In a 4-face ring, alternate faces are opposite → 11 opposite 8.

Trick: Common top face → write the side faces in sequence; the face two steps away is the opposite.

Answer: (A) 8

Concept: Check each pair of classes: partial overlap, inside, or totally separate.

1. Grapes & Green: some grapes are green, many green things aren't grapes → overlapping circles.
2. Grapes & Table: no relation → separate.
3. So: two intersecting circles + one independent circle, as in option (c).

Trick: Pick the odd class first (Table has nothing to do with grapes/colour) – it must be a stand-alone circle; eliminate options where it touches others.

Answer: (C) the given figure

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

1. Tops ⊂ Bags; Cats overlap Bags; Cats and Dogs are disjoint.
2. Dogs are not linked to Tops at all, so 'No top is a dog' is not certain → I fails.
3. Cats may touch only the non-top part of Bags, so 'Some cats are tops' is not certain → II fails.

Trick: Two 'some/all' chains joined through the middle term (bags) by 'some' give no definite link – such conclusions never follow.

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

Concept: A face adjacent to four of the remaining five faces must be opposite the fifth.

1. View I: L, E, G seen together → E touches L and G.
2. View II: E, I, N seen together → E touches I and N.
3. E touches L, G, I, N → the only face left, B, is opposite E.

Trick: Find the letter common to both views and list all its neighbours; the missing letter is its opposite.

Answer: (B) E

Concept: Track two things: how many letters appear and which way the block moves.

1. The letters sit on the 8 border spots of the square.
2. Each figure adds one letter: R, RA, MRA, MRAT → next has 5 letters (LMRAT).
3. The block's starting spot shifts one step anticlockwise each time.
4. Figure 5 starts at bottom-centre: L, M, R, A, T going anticlockwise → option (a).

Trick: First eliminate options without five letters, then check only the position of the first letter.

Answer: (A) the given figure

Concept: Convert letters to positions and compare the gaps within each cluster.

1. JMS: 10, 13, 19 → +3, +6
2. EHN: 5, 8, 14 → +3, +6
3. KNT: 11, 14, 20 → +3, +6
4. WXQ: 23, 24, 17 → +1, −7 → odd one.

Trick: Use EJOTY (5, 10, 15, 20, 25) to get positions instantly: J = 10, T = 20, etc.

Answer: (A) WXQ

Concept: Without rotating, find the exact shape (same size and direction) hidden in an option.

1. Figure X: a tall rectangle joined by a horizontal line to a triangle pointing left.
2. (a) and (d) have no triangle; triangles in (b) face other directions.
3. Option (c) contains the rectangle–line–left-pointing-triangle exactly.

Trick: Spot the most distinctive part (here the left-facing triangle) and reject every option where it is missing or turned.

Answer: (C) the given figure

Concept: Find how much is subtracted each time.

1. 673 − 3 = 670, 670 − 6 = 664, 664 − 9 = 655, 655 − 12 = 643.
2. Subtracted amounts: 3, 6, 9, 12 (multiples of 3) → next 15.
3. ? = 643 − 15 = 628.

Trick: Differences are the 3-table; the answer must be 643 minus a multiple of 3 – only 628 fits (643 − 628 = 15).

Answer: (C) 628

Concept: Compare the same position across consecutive terms.

1. 1st letters: C, G, K, O (+4) → S
2. 2nd letters: E, I, M, Q (+4) → U
3. 3rd letters: A, E, I, M (+4) → Q
4. Next term: SUQ.

Trick: Within each term the pattern is +2, −4 (C→E→A); only SUQ (S→U→Q) keeps it.

Answer: (A) SUQ

Concept: Each letter is replaced by its opposite letter (A↔Z); the code is the sum of their positions.

1. ZIYJ → A R B Q → $1+18+2+17=38$ ✓
2. PXBO → K C Y L → $11+3+25+12=51$ ✓
3. VTUC → E G F X → $5+7+6+24=42$.

Trick: Opposite position = 27 − position, so code = $27\times 4$ − (sum of actual positions): $108-(22+20+21+3)=108-66=42$.

Answer: (B) 42

Concept: Find the shift for each position from one example and verify with the other.

1. CLICHE → IHJAMF: shifts +6, −4, +1, −2, +5, +1.
2. KINDLY → QEOBQZ gives the same shifts ✓.
3. FUMBLE: F→L (+6), U→Q (−4), M→N (+1), B→Z (−2, wrapping), L→Q (+5), E→F (+1) → LQNZQF.

Trick: Check just the last letter: E+1 = F, and only LQNZQF ends in F.

Answer: (C) LQNZQF

Concept: Swap the signs first, then solve using BODMAS.

1. After swapping: $11\times 4+3÷3-1$
2. $=44+1-1$
3. $=44$

Trick: +1 and −1 cancel, so the answer is simply $11\times 4=44$.

Answer: (C) 44