Reasoning Ability: notes & practice

Puzzles, seating arrangement, syllogism, coding-decoding, blood relations, direction sense, series and inequalities.

Key topics

• Puzzles & Seating Arrangement

  Linear, circular, floor and box puzzles; start with the most definite clue.

• Syllogism

  Draw Venn diagrams; check 'some', 'all', 'no' and possibility cases.

• Coding-Decoding

  Letter positions (A=1 ... Z=26), reverse positions, shifting patterns.

• Blood Relations

  Draw a family tree with gender symbols.

• Direction Sense

  Mark North at top; use Pythagoras for shortest distance.

• Inequalities & Series

  Combine statements carefully; look for differences, squares and alternate patterns.

Practice questions

Our own practice questions in the style of past papers.

1. 1. Find the next number: 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, ?

   A. 40B. 42C. 44D. 36

2. 2. If CAT is coded as DBU, how is DOG coded?

   A. EPHB. EPGC. CNFD. FPH

3. 3. A walks 3 km north, then 4 km east. How far is he from the start?

   A. 7 kmB. 5 kmC. 1 kmD. 6 km

4. 4. Pointing to a man, Riya says, 'He is the son of my mother's only brother.' How is the man related to Riya?

   A. BrotherB. CousinC. UncleD. Nephew

5. 5. Statements: All pens are books. Some books are bags. Conclusion I: Some pens are bags. II: Some books are pens.

   A. Only I followsB. Only II followsC. Both followD. Neither follows

6. 6. Odd one out: 8, 27, 64, 100, 125

   A. 27B. 64C. 100D. 125