Q&A: practice questions with answers

Concept: Find the shift applied to each letter position and repeat it.

1. NZRB → LXOY: N→L (−2), Z→X (−2), R→O (−3), B→Y (−3, wrapping past A).
2. Check VJAT → THXQ: −2, −2, −3, −3 ✔.
3. PGXL: P−2 = N, G−2 = E, X−3 = U, L−3 = I → NEUI.

Trick: Pattern is (−2, −2, −3, −3). Only option C starts with N (P−2), so the answer is fixed after the first letter.

Answer: (C) NEUI

Concept: Each position moves back by a fixed amount (cyclic alphabet).

1. RQAZ → JMSV: R(18)→J(10) −8, Q→M −4, A→S −8 (cyclic), Z→V −4.
2. LAUJ → DWMF confirms −8, −4, −8, −4.
3. NOWX: N−8 = F, O−4 = K, W−8 = O, X−4 = T → FKOT.

Trick: All options start with F; decide by the 2nd letter: O−4 = K → only option D has K second.

Answer: (D) FKOT

Concept: Find the option that contains figure X in the same orientation (no rotation).

1. Note X's key parts: a zig-zag with two peaks and a low point, a horizontal base at bottom-left and a small vertical line joining the slant to the base.
2. In option (b) the zig-zag starts at the bottom-left corner, the base lies on the square's bottom edge and the vertical line meets it — all parts match.
3. Options (a), (c), (d) lack the two peaks joined by a low point.

Trick: Trace the most unusual part of X (the small vertical touching the base) in each option first; it eliminates options fastest.

Answer: (B)

Concept: Compare the original word with its letters sorted A→Z, position by position.

1. PUSHING: P U S H I N G
2. Sorted: G H I N P S U
3. Place by place none matches (1st: P vs G … 7th: G vs U); even the middle letters H, I, N land elsewhere.

Trick: Quick check: the first letter P is not the smallest and the last letter G is not the largest, so test only the middle letters.

Answer: (A) Zero

Concept: If the same face stays on top in two views, the four side faces shown are all adjacent to it.

1. N is on top in both views.
2. Side faces seen: R, I (view 1) and T, P (view 2) — four different letters, all adjacent to N.
3. The only remaining letter, E, must be at the bottom, i.e. opposite N.

Trick: Common face + 4 different neighbours → the 6th letter is its opposite.

Answer: (A) N

Concept: Compare the gaps between consecutive letters in each cluster.

1. LNO: +2, +1
2. TVW: +2, +1; ACD: +2, +1
3. JLN: +2, +2 → different pattern.

Trick: Look at the last two letters: O follows N, W follows V, D follows C directly, but N does not follow L.

Answer: (D) JLN

Concept: Swap the signs as told, then solve using BODMAS.

1. × ↔ + and − ↔ ÷: $44÷9\times 32-8+4$ becomes $44-9+32÷8\times 4$.
2. $32÷8=4$; $4\times 4=16$.
3. $44-9+16=51$.

Trick: Rewrite the whole expression once before calculating — most mistakes come from swapping signs mentally.

Answer: (D) 51

Concept: Decode each symbol pair separately and link them.

1. L * A → L is A's mother.
2. A @ Q → A is Q's husband.
3. Q * M → Q is M's mother (not needed).
4. So L is the mother of Q's husband.

Trick: Read only the links between L and Q; ignore extra parts like Q * M.

Answer: (C) Husband's mother

Concept: Treat each letter position as its own series.

1. 1st letters: F, G, H, I → J
2. 2nd letters: N, O, P, Q → R
3. 3rd letters: V, W, X, Y → Z

Trick: Every letter moves +1, so just add 1 to each letter of IQY → JRZ.

Answer: (D) JRZ

Concept: Find the differences between consecutive terms.

1. Gaps: 25 (153→128), 23, 21, 19 (84→65)
2. Differences fall by 2 → next is 17.
3. $65-17=48$

Trick: Alternatively the terms are ${12}^2+9,{11}^2+7,{10}^2+5,9^2+3,8^2+1$, so next = $7^2-1=48$.

Answer: (D) 48

Concept: Place each class by asking: fully inside, overlapping, or separate?

1. Every mango is a fruit → Mango circle lies inside Fruit circle.
2. A table is neither fruit nor mango → separate circle.
3. Diagram: one circle inside another + one independent circle = option (a).

Trick: Unrelated objects (table vs food items) always get a separate circle.

Answer: (A)

Concept: Code = sum of opposite-letter values (27 − position) + 6.

1. WGOA: opposites D, T, L, Z = 4 + 20 + 12 + 26 = 62; 62 + 6 = 68 ✔
2. ISLT: R, H, O, G = 18 + 8 + 15 + 7 = 48; 48 + 6 = 54 ✔
3. DXRI: W, C, I, R = 23 + 3 + 9 + 18 = 53; 53 + 6 = 59

Trick: Shortcut: code = 114 − (sum of the word's own positions). DXRI: 4 + 24 + 18 + 9 = 55 → 114 − 55 = 59.

Answer: (D) 59

Concept: Facing the centre, 'left' means clockwise.

1. Fix F. E is 1 seat clockwise of F, G is 3 seats clockwise → one seat between E and G.
2. K neighbours both L and G, so K sits on G's far side and L next to K.
3. H is not G's neighbour → J takes the seat between E and G; H takes the last seat.
4. Clockwise order: F, E, J, G, K, L, H. Three seats clockwise from J: G, K, L.

Trick: Place the two fixed people (E, G) relative to F first; the rest fall in by elimination.

Answer: (C) L

Concept: Track each element (arrow, circles) separately.

1. Arrow turns clockwise by 45°, 90°, 45° … → next turn 90°, so it points left.
2. Circles move clockwise around the corners; each older circle gets a bar → next figure: barred circles at top-right and bottom-right, a new plain circle at bottom-left.
3. Only option (c) has the left arrow with this circle arrangement.

Trick: Use the arrow first — it eliminates (a), (b), (d) at once.

Answer: (C)

Concept: Number seats 1–6 from the left and fix definite positions first.

1. No one left of M → M = 1. Three between M and K → K = 5.
2. Three to the right of O → O = 3; Z immediately left of O → Z = 2.
3. Seat 4 is O's neighbour, so N can't sit there → L = 4, N = 6.

Trick: Fix end-seat clues ("no one to the left") first — they anchor the whole row.

Answer: (C) N

Concept: Each term is roughly double the previous → test ×2 + 1.

1. $110\times 2+1=221$; $221\times 2+1=443$
2. $443\times 2+1=887$; $887\times 2+1=1775$
3. $1775\times 2+1=3551$

Trick: All terms are odd after 110, and only 3551 is close to double 1775 ($\approx 3550$).

Answer: (C) 3551

Concept: Unfold in reverse order; every fold line acts as a mirror.

1. The paper is folded twice (top to bottom, then right to left) → the punch passes through 4 layers.
2. Opening the vertical fold mirrors the mark into the bottom-right quarter.
3. Opening the horizontal fold mirrors both marks into the top half → 4 marks, each a mirror image across the fold lines = option (d).

Trick: Number of holes = $2^{\text{number of folds}}$ (here $2^2=4$); then check mirror direction.

Answer: (D)

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

1. Treks ⊂ Hikes; Hikes and Climbs partly overlap; Walks ⊂ Climbs.
2. Walks can be drawn in the part of Climbs outside Hikes → 'Some walks are hikes' is not certain.
3. Treks lie inside Hikes, so walks can't be definitely treks either.

Trick: Two 'All' statements linked only through a 'Some' never give a definite conclusion.

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

Concept: Add alphabet positions and compare with the code.

1. XIAP: 24 + 9 + 1 + 16 = 50 → code 60 (+10)
2. NGQC: 14 + 7 + 17 + 3 = 41 → code 51 (+10)
3. TFIZ: 20 + 6 + 9 + 26 = 61 → 61 + 10 = 71

Trick: When both codes exceed the letter-sum by the same number, the rule is 'sum + constant'.

Answer: (C) 71

Concept: Each 4-letter group follows: first, first+2, first+5, first+1; groups start +3 apart.

1. Group starts: _, D, G, J, M → first blank = A (D − 3).
2. D_IE: D + 2 = F; GI_H: G + 5 = L.
3. JLO_: J + 1 = K; MOR_: M + 1 = N.
4. Blanks: A, F, L, K, N.

Trick: Only option A begins with A and has F second — decide after two blanks.

Answer: (A) AFLKN