Q&A: practice questions with answers

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

1. Swap ÷↔× and +↔−: $31-5÷7+27\times 9$ becomes $31+5\times 7-27÷9$.
2. Multiply/divide first: $5\times 7=35$, $27÷9=3$.
3. $31+35-3=63$.

Trick: Rewrite the whole expression once with new signs before calculating – solving half-converted lines is the usual mistake.

Answer: (D) 63

Concept: Each term is a mirror pattern XYYX made of two consecutive letters.

1. Letter pairs used: AB, CD, EF, ?, IJ – each pair jumps 2 letters ahead.
2. After EF comes GH (and then IJ, which fits).
3. Form XYYX with G and H → GHHG.

Trick: Every term reads the same backwards (palindrome) – only GHHG among the options is a palindrome.

Answer: (D) GHHG

Concept: When letters and digits are jumbled, match the letters that appear in only one word with the digits that appear in only one code.

1. DIMS → {1, 9, 7, 3}; MIND → {3, 2, 7, 9}.
2. Common letters D, I, M ↔ common digits 9, 7, 3.
3. N appears only in MIND and 2 appears only in its code → N = 2 (and S = 1).

Trick: Cancel the common letters and common digits – whatever is left over pairs up.

Answer: (B) 2

Concept: Track each symbol separately: its position and whether it is upright or inverted.

1. Letter A stays on an outer triangle and moves one outer triangle clockwise each step → in the 5th figure it reaches the bottom edge, left half.
2. Letter P stays next to the centre and moves one quadrant anticlockwise each step → it comes back to the top-right quadrant.
3. Both letters flip upside down every step; figure 4 is inverted, so figure 5 shows both upright.
4. Only option (c) has upright A at the bottom-left and upright P in the top-right.

Trick: Check the flip (upright/inverted) first – it quickly rejects options (a) and (b).

Answer: (C)

Concept: Decode each link one by one and build the family tree.

1. K × L → K is wife of L.
2. L ÷ M → L is father of M, so K is mother of M.
3. M + N → M is mother of N.
4. So K is the mother of N's mother. (N − O is not needed.)

Trick: Stop decoding as soon as the chain links K to N – extra links only waste time.

Answer: (B) Mother's mother

Concept: Every fold opened produces a mirror copy of the cut across the fold line.

1. The sheet is folded twice upward, so the cut strip has 4 layers → 4 bands on opening.
2. Each unfolding mirrors the cut, so neighbouring bands are flipped.
3. Pattern from one end: upright, inverted, upright, inverted – this is option (d).

Trick: Count layers first: 2 folds = 4 copies. Reject options with 2 or 3 bands instantly.

Answer: (D)

Concept: Find the change in each part: first letter, second letter and the number.

1. TQ 100 → SR 10: T −1 = S, Q +1 = R, $\sqrt{100}=10$.
2. Check: WO 9 → VP 3 (W−1, O+1, $\sqrt{9}=3$).
3. JP 121 → J−1 = I, P+1 = Q, $\sqrt{121}=11$ → IQ 11.

Trick: The number part alone ($\sqrt{121}=11$) removes (d); first letter must go back (I) – removes (b) and (c).

Answer: (A) IQ 11

Concept: Start with the clue that fixes ends; all face north, so left = left end.

1. 5 people between W and X → they take both ends.
2. N must be just left of X, so X is the right end (7), N = 6, W = 1.
3. One person between N and L → L = 4.
4. Seats 2, 3, 5 remain; order Y – M – O gives Y = 2, M = 3, O = 5. Third from left = M.

Trick: In a row of 7, "5 between two people" always means they occupy both ends.

Answer: (C) M

Concept: Arrange letters A→Z, then pick the required positions.

1. MONKEYS in order: E K M N O S Y.
2. 3rd from left = M; 4th from right = N.
3. M (13) and N (14) are consecutive → 0 letters between them.

Trick: In a 7-letter cluster, 4th from right = 4th from left (the middle letter).

Answer: (C) 0

Concept: Check the gaps between terms.

1. Gaps: 10, 12, 14, 16 – rising by 2.
2. Next gap = 18.
3. 70 + 18 = 88.

Trick: Even-step gaps (+2 each time) – just add the next even number.

Answer: (A) 88

Concept: The hidden figure must appear in the same size and orientation (no rotation).

1. Figure X: two slanted lines meeting at a point, a horizontal line from that point to the right, ending at a small vertical rectangle.
2. Option (c) shows this exact set in the same direction.
3. (a) and (b) have only straight horizontal/vertical lines; (d) lacks the slanted pair.

Trick: Look first for the most unusual part (the slanted V-meeting point) – options without it are out.

Answer: (C)

Concept: Each letter shifts by a fixed number of places (wrapping after A to Z).

1. ABYW → VWTR: every letter −5 (A→V, B→W, Y→T, W→R). UVSQ → PQNL also −5.
2. GHEC: G→B, H→C, E→Z, C→X.
3. Result: BCZX.

Trick: −5 is the same as +21; for E and C just count back through Z, Y, X…

Answer: (D) BCZX

Concept: Compare the position gaps inside each cluster.

1. PRM: +2, −5; EGB: +2, −5; GID: +2, −5.
2. KNG: K→N is +3, N→G is −7.
3. KNG breaks the pattern.

Trick: Checking just the first gap (+2) is enough: only KNG has +3.

Answer: (A) KNG

Concept: Split the series into equal blocks that repeat.

1. 20 letters → 4 blocks of 5: HIKLM.
2. HIKLM | HIKLM | HIKLM | HIKLM
3. Blanks in order: K M I L I K L M.

Trick: Fill only the first 2 blanks (K, M) – options (c) and (d) remain; the 3rd blank (I) picks (d).

Answer: (D) KMILIKLM

Concept: Look for gaps that repeat in a cycle.

1. Gaps: +5, +11, +5, +11.
2. Next gap = +5.
3. 45 + 5 = 50.

Trick: Alternate terms 13, 29, 45 and 18, 34, ? both rise by 16 → 34 + 16 = 50.

Answer: (D) 50

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

1. Trees ⊂ Mud; Mud partly overlaps Sand; Sand and Flower are separate.
2. Trees can sit in the non-sand part of Mud and still touch Flower → (I) 'No tree is flower' is not certain.
3. Sand may never touch Trees → (II) 'Some sand are trees' is not certain.

Trick: "Some" + "No" never gives a definite link to a third class through the 'some' part – both conclusions are only possibilities.

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

Concept: Facing the centre: right = anticlockwise, left = clockwise.

1. Fix L at seat 1 (seats numbered clockwise). M = 2nd right → seat 6; Q immediately right of M → seat 5.
2. O 4th right of K works only with K = 4, O = 7.
3. N immediately left of P → P = 2, N = 3.
4. From L moving clockwise (left): P, then N → N is second to the left of L.

Trick: Place the person with the most clues (L) first; fill pairs (K–O) before single seats.

Answer: (B) Second to the Left

Concept: If no item belongs to two classes, draw three separate circles.

1. Table (furniture), Tiger (animal), Lake (water body) – no overlap between any pair.
2. So three disjoint circles → option (c).

Trick: Similar sets: Pen, Lion, River / Chair, Dog, Pond – always three separate circles.

Answer: (C)

Concept: Code = alphabet position − 2.

1. VSDO = 22, 19, 4, 15 → 20-17-2-13 (each −2). ILCY confirms.
2. QNRF = 17, 14, 18, 6.
3. Subtract 2: 15-12-16-4.

Trick: Check only the last letter: F = 6 − 2 = 4 → only option (c) ends in 4.

Answer: (C) 15-12-16-4

Concept: Faces visible together in one view are adjacent, never opposite.

1. Z appears in both views.
2. Z touches U, V (view 1) and W, X (view 2) – four adjacent faces.
3. Only Y is left, so Y is opposite Z.

Trick: A common face that sits beside four different letters is opposite the one letter not seen with it.

Answer: (A) Z