12 February 2025 · Shift 3

Letter series with blanks Write the string in blocks of four letters; exactly one blank falls in each block. Reading down a column, every letter drops by 2: $S\to Q\to O\to M\to K$ and $X\to V\to T\to R\to P$. So each block is the previous block with every letter moved 2 steps back, and the blanks are S, V, N, F, D. Hence the correct option is (b).

Letter-cluster series In every cluster the first letter moves +3 while the other two move -2 each. From MON: M(13)+3=P(16), O(15)-2=M(13), N(14)-2=L(12). So the missing cluster is PML, option (b).

Linear seating arrangement Only two people sit to the left of S, so S takes seat 3 of the six seats. Two people sit between S and F, so F takes seat 6; one person between F and C puts C at seat 4. D sits immediately left of E, and only seats 1 and 2 are left together, so D is 1st and E is 2nd; B gets seat 5. Only F sits to the right of B, so exactly one person sits to his right - option (b).

Figure series - rotation The ellipse is cut into six sectors and the two marks always sit in alternate sectors. At every step both marks turn through two sectors anticlockwise, so the pattern repeats after three figures - the 4th figure is the same as the 1st. From the 4th figure the ring moves from the left sector into the small sector below the crossing, and the dot moves from that lower sector into the sector just right of the upright line. Only option (a) puts the dot to the RIGHT of the upright line with the ring below it; in (b) the dot lies to the left of that line, so (a) is the answer.

Letter-number analogy Compare RN 20 with SI 4: the first letter moves +1, the second moves -5 and the number falls by 16. MK 5 and NF -11 obey the same rule: M+1=N, K-5=F and 5-16=-11. For QV 3: Q+1=R, V-5=Q and 3-16=-13. So QV 3 is related to RQ -13, option (c).

Number series - differences The series is $4,30,82,160,264,?$ The differences are $26,52,78,104$, i.e. $26\times 1,26\times 2,26\times 3,26\times 4$. So the next difference is $26\times 5=130$ and the missing term is 264+130=394, option (b).

Alphabetical rearrangement Arrange the letters of LANGUID in alphabetical order: A, D, G, I, L, N, U. The third letter from the left end is G (7) and the first from the right end is U (21). Letters lying between them =21-7-1=13, option (d).

Mirror image The mirror MN stands upright beside the figure, so left and right are interchanged while top and bottom stay where they are. In the given figure the beam OUTSIDE the triangle is on the right and the beam INSIDE the triangle is on the left of the upright line; in the image the two sides swap, and both beams keep their heights. Only option (c) shows the outer beam on the left and the inner beam to the right of the upright line. Options (a), (b) and (d) keep the outer beam on the right, so they merely repeat the given figure - the answer is (c).

Odd one out - letter clusters Check the two steps inside each cluster. MOL, OQN and HJG all move +2 and then -3, so they form the group. YXV moves -1 and then -2, so YXV does not belong - option (b).

Coding - number of letters The code does not depend on which letters are used, only on how many there are. MCOPT has 5 letters and $5\times 4=20$; VSB has 3 letters and $3\times 4=12$. JIGETY has 6 letters, so its code is $6\times 4=24$, option (a).

Interchange of numbers As the equation stands, LHS =150+60-33+44-22=199, which is not 160. Interchange 3 and 2, i.e. the 3 in $50\times 3$ goes into the bracket and the 2 of $66÷2$ comes out. Now LHS $=50\times 2+12\times 5-\left(66÷3\right)+11\times 4-22$ =100+60-22+44-22=160= RHS, so the numbers to interchange are 3 and 2 - option (a).

Syllogism - statements and conclusions Every cucumber is a carrot and every cucumber is also a bean, so the cucumbers lie inside both circles at once. That common part is enough for conclusion (II): some beans (the cucumbers) are certainly carrots, so (II) follows. 'Some beans are apples' need not touch the cucumbers at all - the apples may lie in the part of beans that has no cucumber, so (I) does not follow. Only conclusion (II) follows - option (d).

Venn diagram of classes Pizza, pasta and noodles are three different dishes. No pizza is a pasta, no pasta is a noodle and no noodle is a pizza, so no two classes share a member. Three classes with nothing in common are drawn as three circles that do not touch one another. Option (d) is the only such diagram, so it is the answer.

Letter-cluster analogy The four letters move +2, +3, +2, +3 in turn. Applying it to XUNC: X+2=Z, U+3=X, N+2=P, C+3=F. So XUNC is related to ZXPF, option (c).

Coded blood relations Read the code piece by piece: U*F means U is the mother of F, F-L means F is the father of L, and L#M means L is the brother of M. F is a father, so F is male, and he is U's son. L is a brother, so L is male, and his father is F. Hence L is the son of U's son, i.e. U's son's son - option (b).

Linear seating arrangement Only two people sit to the right of G, so G takes seat 5 of the seven seats, and M sits immediately left of him at seat 4. Two people sit between G and L, so L takes seat 2; two people between E and M then put E at seat 1. H sits immediately right of K and only seats 6 and 7 are still free together, so K is 6th and H is 7th; F is left with seat 3. The third seat from the left end belongs to F - option (a).

Number series - doubling gaps The series is $24,34,54,94,174,?$ The differences are $10,20,40,80$ - each one is double the one before. So the next difference is 160 and the missing term is 174+160=334, option (c).

Dice - opposite faces In view 1 the faces P and M stand beside T; in view 2 the same two faces P and M stand beside I. Exactly two faces of a cube touch both P and M, and those two faces are opposite each other. T and I are those two faces, so the face opposite I is T - option (c). (The remaining pair then falls into place: A is opposite D.)

Letter-digit coding 'HIDS' is coded as 1273 and 'DISK' as 3210. The letters I, D and S appear in both words, so the digits common to both codes - 1, 2 and 3 - stand for them. That leaves 7 for the extra letter H of the first word and 0 for the extra letter K of the second. So the code for K is 0 - option (b).

Paper folding and punching The right half is folded on to the left half, so the sheet is two layers thick where the punch goes through. Each punch therefore makes two holes, and the second hole is the mirror image of the first across the vertical crease. The two punches lie near the crease, so on opening, the sheet carries four holes: two on each side of the centre line, at the same two heights. Only option (b) has a hole on BOTH sides of the centre line at each height, so it is the answer.