13 November 2025 · Shift 1

Letter coding Place CABBAGES above FDEEDJHV and compare the letters one by one. C → F, A → D, B → E, B → E, A → D, G → J, E → H, S → V — every letter moves three places forward, so the rule is +3. Apply +3 to DELICATA: D → G, E → H, L → O, I → L, C → F, A → D, T → W, A → D. The code is GHOLFDWD, so the correct option is (a).

Letter coding Line up PSYCHOANALYZES with QTZDIPBOBMZAFT: P → Q, S → T, Y → Z, C → D, H → I — each letter moves one place forward, so the rule is +1. The second pair confirms it (B → C, A → B, M → N …), and the pair Z → A shows that the alphabet is treated as a circle. Apply +1 to NONJUDGEMENTAL: N → O, O → P, N → O, J → K, U → V, D → E, G → H, E → F, M → N, E → F, N → O, T → U, A → B, L → M. The code is OPOKVEHFNFOUBM, so option (b) is correct. The traps differ in a single letter: (a) puts L where J must give K, (c) starts with P instead of O, and (d) ends with L instead of M.

Letter coding Compare THERMOCHEMICAL with UIFSNPDIFNJDBM: T → U, H → I, E → F, R → S, M → N — every letter moves one place forward. The second pair follows the same rule (C → D, H → I, E → F …), so the code is simply +1. Apply +1 to IMMUNOCHEMICAL: I → J, M → N, M → N, U → V, N → O, O → P, C → D, H → I, E → F, M → N, I → J, C → D, A → B, L → M. The code is JNNVOPDIFNJDBM, so option (d) is correct. (a) ends in N instead of M, (b) codes the second M as O, and (c) leaves the third letter as M; all three break the +1 rule at exactly one place.

Statement and conclusions A conclusion follows only if the statement itself carries it; anything wider or stronger than the statement must be rejected. Conclusion I says everyone prefers digital payment, but the statement says only 'many people' do and then names whole groups that still use cash, so I does not follow. Conclusion II is exactly what the statement reports: cash survives in rural areas (location) and among older generations who lack digital literacy (familiarity with technology). Conclusion III predicts that rural areas will stop using cash completely; the statement makes no forecast at all, so this is an assumption, not a conclusion. Hence only II follows — option (b).

Situational judgement A balanced decision protects the commitment that cannot be moved and still answers the person who asked for help. Rohit's deadline is fixed and is his own responsibility, so it has to stay first; his anxious friend needs focused help, not a whole day of it. Setting aside a limited, planned slot for the friend and giving the rest of the time to the project meets both needs, so option (c) is the most appropriate. (a) is unkind and needlessly so, (b) sacrifices his own deadline, and (d) drops the work for an interview that is not even his to attend.

Symbol substitution First replace each symbol by the sign it stands for. The given expression therefore becomes $15\times 3÷16\times 2$. Under BODMAS, $\times$ and $÷$ have equal rank and are worked from left to right. $15\times 3=45$ $45÷16=\frac{45}{16}$ $\frac{45}{16}\times 2=\frac{45}{8}$ Hence the required value is $\frac{45}{8}$, which is option (b).

Social intelligence Social intelligence means solving the problem while protecting the other person's dignity. A private conversation lets the member explain the personal difficulty, lets you state clearly what the team needs by when, and lets support be offered — the delay is tackled without humiliating anyone. So option (b) is the correct response. (a) leaves the cause untouched and quietly overloads you, (c) shames a colleague in public and damages the whole team, and (d) punishes a person who was never even heard.

Ranking in a queue Bring both positions to the same end of the queue before subtracting. Sunita is 8th from the back, so her position from the front = 30 - 8 + 1 = 23. Aman is already given as 12th from the front. People standing strictly between the 12th and the 23rd place = 23 - 12 - 1 = 10. So 10 people stand between them, which is option (b).

Position and total Both descriptions point to the same lamp, so that one lamp is counted 12th from the left and 19th from the right. Lamps to its left = 12 - 1 = 11, and lamps to its right = 19 - 1 = 18. Total = 11 + 1 + 18 = 30. The short rule is: total = 12 + 19 - 1 = 30, the 1 being subtracted because the common lamp is counted twice. So there are 30 lamps — option (b).

Course of action A course of action follows only if it removes the cause named in the statement or reduces the harm it does. The cause here is poor visibility during heavy fog; street lighting and warning signboards improve visibility and alert drivers, so Course I follows. Course II asks drivers to go faster in exactly the conditions that are causing crashes, which would raise the accident count instead of cutting it, so it does not follow. Hence only I follows — option (a).

Course of action The stated cause is overloading of the grid in peak summer, so a valid action must either raise the grid's capacity or lower the demand on it. Course I does both — upgrading the infrastructure raises capacity and energy-saving practices cut demand — so it follows. Course II tells citizens to use more appliances, which adds to the very overload that causes the cuts; 'balancing the load' by increasing it is self-contradictory, so it does not follow. Hence only I follows — option (a).

Letter series Write the alphabet position of each letter: Q = 17, N = 14, K = 11, H = 8. Each term is 3 less than the one before it: 17 - 3 = 14, 14 - 3 = 11, 11 - 3 = 8. The next position is 8 - 3 = 5, and the 5th letter of the alphabet is E. So the answer is option (a).

Letter series Alphabet positions: C = 3, H = 8, N = 14, U = 21. The gaps are 8 - 3 = 5, 14 - 8 = 6 and 21 - 14 = 7, so the jump grows by one each time. The next jump must be +8, giving position 21 + 8 = 29. There are only 26 letters, so continue round the circle: 29 - 26 = 3, and the 3rd letter is C. Hence option (b) is correct.

Decision making Two conditions are fixed: the complaint about waiting is genuine, and the quality of treatment must not be touched. So the remedy has to lie in the process around the consultation, not in the consultation itself. Reviewing how appointments are scheduled, adding support staff where possible and then monitoring the waiting time shortens the queue while the doctors keep working exactly as they do now. So option (c) is the right judgement. (a) and (d) merely dismiss a real grievance, and (b) cuts the number of patients seen each day, which reduces access and may turn away urgent cases.

Word formation First list the stock of letters in EAVESDROPPERS: A(1), D(1), E(3), O(1), P(2), R(2), S(2), V(1). A word can be formed only if every letter it needs is present and no letter is needed more often than it occurs. ERASER needs E(2), R(2), A(1), S(1) — all within the stock. DROPPER needs D(1), R(2), O(1), P(2), E(1) — all within the stock. PREPARE needs P(2), R(2), E(2), A(1) — all within the stock. VESSEL needs the letter L, which does not occur in EAVESDROPPERS at all, so this word alone cannot be formed — option (b).

Fair decision making The hall can hold only one event, and both groups hold an equally valid booking for the very same date. A solution is 'fair' only when it treats both parties alike instead of favouring one of them. Splitting the available hours equally lets both functions actually take place and gives neither group an advantage, so it is the fairest course offered. Handing the hall to whichever group booked first or cancelling both bookings kills at least one function outright, and letting the larger group decide rewards size rather than fairness. Hence option (c) is correct.

Letter-pair analogy Write the alphabetical position of every letter: D = 4, F = 6, W = 23, U = 21. Each letter is replaced by its opposite letter, since 4+23=27 and 6+21=27. Apply the same rule to L and H. For L, 27-12=15, which is O. For H, 27-8=19, which is S. So LH becomes OS, and option (d) is correct.

Letter-pair analogy Take the positions: B = 2, D = 4, E = 5, C = 3. The first letter moves three places forward, 2+3=5 (B → E), and the second letter moves one place backward, 4-1=3 (D → C). Apply the same two steps to FH. For F, 6+3=9, which is I. For H, 8-1=7, which is G. So FH becomes IG, and option (d) is correct.

Number series Compare each term with the one before it: $3\times 2+3=9$. $9\times 2+3=21$ and $21\times 2+3=45$, so the rule 'double it and add 3' holds all through. The next term is therefore $45\times 2+3=90+3=93$. Hence option (b) is correct.

Number series The terms grow roughly five-fold, so test a rule of the form 'previous $\times 5+c$'. $2\times 5+11=21$, $21\times 5+11=116$ and $116\times 5+11=591$, so c=11 works everywhere. The missing term is $591\times 5+11=2955+11=2966$. Hence option (b) is correct.

Number series Again the terms grow about five times, so try 'previous $\times 5+c$'. $11\times 5=55$ and the next term is 46, so c=-9; check it: $46\times 5-9=221$ and $221\times 5-9=1096$. So the next term is $1096\times 5-9=5480-9=5471$. Hence option (c) is correct.

Odd number pair Look for the relation inside each pair by subtracting the first number from the second. 22-15=7, 35-28=7 and 51-44=7. In 17 : 25 the difference is 25-17=8, which breaks the common pattern. Hence option (d) is the odd pair.

Symbol substitution Replace every symbol by the sign it stands for: # becomes ×, ^ becomes +, and the dollar symbol becomes −. The expression therefore becomes $14\times 6+8-7$. By BODMAS the multiplication is done first: $14\times 6=84$. Then 84+8=92 and 92-7=85. Hence option (c) is correct.

Dictionary order All five words begin with 'Qua'. The 4th letter is c in Quackishness and d in the other four, and c comes before d, so Quackishness (1) is first. The rest begin with 'Quadr'. The 6th letter is a in Quadrangular, Quadraphonic and Quadraplegic but i in Quadricepses, so Quadricepses (4) goes last. Among the three 'Quadra…' words the 7th letters are n, p and p, so Quadrangular (2) comes next. Quadraphonic and Quadraplegic agree up to 'Quadrap'; their 8th letters are h and l, so Quadraphonic (5) precedes Quadraplegic (3). The order is 1, 2, 5, 3, 4, so option (b) is correct.

Dictionary order The options number the words 1 to 6 in the order in which they are listed: Fabian = 1, Fadges = 2, Fading = 3, Faerie = 4, Fabric = 5, Factum = 6. All six begin with 'Fa'. The 3rd letter is b in Fabian and Fabric, c in Factum, d in Fadges and Fading, and e in Faerie, which fixes the four groups in that order. Fabian and Fabric agree up to 'Fab'; their 4th letters are i and r, so Fabian (1) precedes Fabric (5). Fadges and Fading agree up to 'Fad'; their 4th letters are g and i, so Fadges (2) precedes Fading (3). The order is 1, 5, 6, 2, 3, 4, so option (a) is correct.