w e N Test of Reasoning Edition 2017 Study Material For Test of Reasoning Regd. Office :- A-202, Shanti Enclave, Opp.Railway Station, Mira Road(E), Mumbai. www.bankpo.laqshya.in | [email protected] __________________________________________________________________________________ (Not For Sale) (For Private Circulation Only) www.bankpo.laqshya.in Reasoning Aptitude Reasoning Aptitude For IBPS PO / SBI PO / Bank Clerical Exams INDEX 1. Coding – Decoding 2 2. Series Completion 5 3. Odd man Out 7 4. Analogy 8 5. Blood Relationship 10 6. Mathematical Operations 11 7. Puzzle Test 12 8. Number Series 13 9. Alphabet Test 14 10. Direction Sense Test 15 11. Seating Arrangement 16 12. Combinations 18 13. Syllogism 20 Page | 1     www.bankpo.laqshya.in | Mumbai For Private Circulation Only | Not For Sale www.bankpo.laqshya.in Reasoning Aptitude 1. CODING - DECODING A code is a system of signals. Therefore, coding is a method of transmitting messages between the sender and receiver without a third person understanding it.The Coding and Decoding test is set up to judge the candidate’s ability to decipher the law that codes a particular message and break the code to reveal the message. Following Table will help you code-decode - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Z Y X W V U T S R Q P O N M L K J I H G F E D C B A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 A. LETTER CODING - A particular letter stands for another letter in letter coding. Example - If COURSE is coded as FRXUVH, how is RACE coded in that code? (1) HFDU (2) UCFH (3) UDFH (4) UDHF (5) UDFG In the given code, each letter is moved three steps forward than the corresponding letter in the word. So R is coded as U, A as D, C as F, E as H. Hence (3) is the answer. B. NUMBER CODING - In these questions, either numerical code values are assigned to a word or alphabetical code values are assigned to numbers. The candidate is required to analyse the code as per directions. Case I: When numerical values are assigned to words. Example : If in a certain code ROPE is coded as 6821, CHAIR is coded as 73456 what will be the code for CRAPE? (1) 73456 (2) 76421 (3) 77246 (4) 77123 (5) None of these Clearly, in the given code, the alphabets are coded as follows. R O P E C H A I R 6 8 2 1 7 3 4 5 6 So CRAPE is coded as 76421, So the answer is (2) Case II: When alphabetical code values are assigned to the numbers. Example: In a certain code 3456 is coded as ROPE. 15546 is coded as APPLE. Then how is 54613 coded? (1) RPPEO (2) ROPEA (3) POEAR (4) PAREO (5) None of these Page | 2     www.bankpo.laqshya.in | Mumbai For Private Circulation Only | Not For Sale www.bankpo.laqshya.in Reasoning Aptitude Clearly in the given figures, the numbers are coded as follows. 3 4 5 6 1 4 R O P E A L So 54613 is coded as POEAR. The answer is (3) C. MIXED CODING - In this type of question, three or four complete messages are given in the coded language and the code for a particular word is asked. To analyse such codes, any two messages bearing the common word are picked up. The common code word will mean that word. Proceeding similarly by picking up all possible combinations of two messages the entire message can be analysed. Example : If tee see pee means drink fruit juice, see kee lee means juice is sweet, and lee ree mee means he is intelligent, which word in that language means sweet? (1) see (2) kee (3) lee (4) pee (5) tee In the first and the second statements the common word is juice and the common code word is see. So see means juice. In the second and the third statements, the common word is ‘is’ and the common code is lee. So lee means is. Thus in the second statement, the remaining word sweet is coded as kee. Hence the answer is (2). D. MIXED NUMBER CODING - In this type of questions, three or four complete messages are given in the coded language and the code number for a particular word is asked. Example: If in a certain code language, 851 means good sweet fruit; 783 means good red rose and 341 means rose and fruit which of the following digits stands for sweet in that language? (1) 8 (2) 5 (3) 1 (4) 3 (5) None of these In the first and the second statements, the common code digit is 8 and the common word is good. So 8 stands for good. In the first and the third statements, the common code digit is 1 and the common word is fruit. So 1 stands for fruit. Therefore in the first statement, 5 stands for sweet. Hence the answer is (2). E. DECODING - In these questions, artificial or code values are assigned to a word or a group of words and the candidate is required to find out the original words. Example : If in a certain language FLOWER is written as EKNVDQ, what will be written as GNTRD? (1) HEOUS (2) HOUES (3) HUOSE (4) HOUSE (5) None of these Page | 3     www.bankpo.laqshya.in | Mumbai For Private Circulation Only | Not For Sale www.bankpo.laqshya.in Reasoning Aptitude Each letter of the word is one step ahead of the corresponding letter of the code. E K N V D Q F L O W E R G N T R D H O U S E Thus HOUSE is written as GNTRD, So the answer is (4) F. NEW TYPE OF CODING - This is a kind of coding recently included in the Reasoning section. In this type of questions either alphabetical code values are assigned to symbols or symbols are assigned to alphabets. The candidate is required to analyse the code as per direction. Example. In a certain code ‘TOME’ is written as @ $ * ? and ARE is written as • £ ? How can ‘REMOTE’ be written in that code? (1) £ ? • $ @ ? (2) @ ? * $ @ ? (3)£ ? * $ @ ? (4) Cannot be determined (5) None of these Sol: From the data we have T = (cid:31)@ O = (cid:31)$ M = (cid:31)* E = ? and A = (cid:31)• R = (cid:31)£ E = (cid:31)? Hence REMOTE is coded as £ ? * $ @ ? So (3) is the answer. Page | 4     www.bankpo.laqshya.in | Mumbai For Private Circulation Only | Not For Sale www.bankpo.laqshya.in Reasoning Aptitude 2. SERIES COMPLETION This section deals with questions in which series of numbers or letters are given. The term follows a certain pattern throughout. The candidate is required to recognise this pattern either to complete the given series with the most suitable alternative or to find the wrong term in the series. A. NUMBER SERIES - Example-1- Which number would replace the question mark (?) in the series 2, 7, 14, 23, ?, 47 (1) 28 (2) 34 (3) 31 (4) 38 (5) None Ans: The given sequence is +5, +7, +9, —— , ie. 2+ 5 = 7, 7 + 7 = 14, 14 + 9 = 23 Missing Number = 23 + 11 = 34. Example -2- Find the wrong number in the series- 7, 28, 63, 124, 215, 342 (1) 7 (2) 28 (3) 124 (4) 215 (5) None Ans:The correct sequence is 23- 1, 33 - 1, 43 - 1, ...etc. Here 28 is wrong; so the answer is (2) B. ALPHABET SERIES - Alphabet series consists of letters of the alphabet placed in a specific pattern. If you keep in your mind the order of the letters with their respective numbers it will help you answer the questions quickly. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Example. What will be the next term in BKS, DJT, FIU, HHV, ? (1) IJX (2) IGX (3) JGW (4) IGU(5) JGU Ans: (3). In each term, the first letter is moved two steps forward, the second letter one step backward and the third letter one step forward to obtain the corresponding letter of the next term. So, the missing term is JGW. Page | 5     www.bankpo.laqshya.in | Mumbai For Private Circulation Only | Not For Sale www.bankpo.laqshya.in Reasoning Aptitude C. LETTER SERIES - This type of question usually consists of a series of small letters which follow a certain pattern. However some letters are missing from the series. These missing letters are then given in a proper sequence as one of the alternatives. The candidate is required to choose this alternative as the answer. Example. aab - aaa - bba - (1) baa (2) abb (3) bab (4) aab(5) bbb 1. The first blank space should be filled in by ‘b’ so that we have two a’s followed by two b’s. 2. The second blank space should be filled in either by ‘a’. So that we have four a’s followed by two b’s, or by ‘b’. So that we have three a’s followed by three b’s. 3. The last space must be filled in by ‘a’. 4. Thus we have two possible answers - ‘baa’ and ‘bba’. 5. But only ‘baa’ appears in the alternatives. So the answer is (1). 6. In case we had both the possible answers in the alternatives, we should choose the one that forms a more prominent pattern, which is aabb/aaabbb/aa. and our answer would have been ‘bba’. Page | 6     www.bankpo.laqshya.in | Mumbai For Private Circulation Only | Not For Sale www.bankpo.laqshya.in Reasoning Aptitude 3. ODDMAN OUT Classification means ‘to assort the items of a given group on the basis of certain common qualities or characteristics they possess and to spot the stranger.’These types of questions are based on similar relationship that exists between the things, objects, words or letters. In this test, generally, you will be given a group of five items, out of which four are similar to one another in some way and the fifth is different. The candidate is required to choose the item which does not fit into the given group. Types of Classification A. Word classification: In this type similar groups are found among the names, places, things, nouns, verbs, different sexes, races or any other matter out of which four things are similar and one is not. B. Alphabet classification: Here some groups of letters are formed according to a pattern and one of them is different. C. Number classification: Here out of a given group of numbers four will be similar one will be strange. HINTS FOR CLASSIFICATION Verbal classification aims to test your power of observation and ability to notice differences and similarities among various objects. So search for the relationship among the given items. Relationship may be based on meaning, interrelationship, consistency relationship etc. Search for the similarities among alphabet groups. Particularly vowel-consonant relationship, capital- small letter relationship, repetition and frequency of letters skipping pattern in alphabet groups. Remember that in classification you are not searching for a stranger but you are classifying different items into a group and one item which refuses to be a part of the group is the stranger. If you straight away search for a stranger, you may land in trouble because every item in the given group will be a stranger in some way or another. So think of the possible group in which you can group different items and find the stranger. Example – Find the Odd Man Out from the following - (1) Ladder (2) Staircase (3) Bridge (4) Escalator (5) Lift ANS- (3) All except bridge are used for up and down movement. Page | 7     www.bankpo.laqshya.in | Mumbai For Private Circulation Only | Not For Sale www.bankpo.laqshya.in Reasoning Aptitude 4. ANALOGY A. SIMPLE ANALOGY Analogy means ‘correspondence’. In the questions based on analogy, a particular relationship is given and another similar relationship has to be identified from the alternatives provided. Analogy tools are therefore meant to test one’s ability to reason - how far you are able to compare and comprehend the relationship that exists between two objects, things or figures. Verbal analogy measures the ability to understand the relationship between two given words or group of letters, presented in abbreviated form. See the following example. Moon : Satellite : : Earth : Planet This abbreviated form conveys the idea that moon is related to satellite in the same way as the earth is related to planet. Look for the Kinds of Relationship There are many possibilities in establishing a relationship. Here are some useful points on the basic knowledge required for the test. Worker and Product Example: Carpenter : Furniture : : Mason : Wall Carpenter makes Furniture and Mason builds a Wall. Worker and Tool Relationship Example: Woodcutter : Axe : : Soldier : Gun Axe is the tool used by a Woodcutter, likewise a Soldier uses a Gun to shoot. Tool and Action Example: Pen : Write : : Knife : Cut Pen is used for Writing and Knife is used for Cutting Worker and Working Place Example: Farmer : Field : : Doctor : Hospital A Farmer works on a Field while a Doctor works in a Hospital. Product and Raw Material Example: Cloth : Fibre : : Petrol : Crude Oil Cloth is made of Fibre and Petrol is extracted from Crude oil. Quantity and Unit Example: Length : Metre : : Distance : Light Year Metre is the unit of Length and Light year is the unit of Distance. Instrument and Measurement Example: Barometer : Pressure : : Speedometer : Speed Barometer is used to measure Pressure. Speedometer is used to measure Speed. Page | 8     www.bankpo.laqshya.in | Mumbai For Private Circulation Only | Not For Sale