Mastering Reasoning Ability for Exams

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Want to ace those logic-based exam sections? Discover how to develop razor-sharp reasoning skills and conquer any reasoning ability challenge!

Reasoning Ability: Sharpening Your Logic

The exam assesses your reasoning and analytical skills. Here's a breakdown of key topics with relevant examples, exercises, and study tips:

Logical Reasoning :

Concept: Analyzing information and identifying logical connections between statements.

Examples:

Statement 1: All pens are blue. Statement 2: Some blue objects are shirts. Conclusion: All shirts are pens. (Invalid)

Statement 1: It is raining today. Statement 2: The ground is wet. Conclusion: If the ground is wet, then it rained today. (Valid)

Rahul is taller than Ankit. Ankit is taller than Sameer. Who is the shortest? (Sameer)

Exercises:

Practice identifying valid and invalid arguments, recognizing logical fallacies, and drawing logical inferences from statements.

Tips:

Understand the structure of arguments (premises and conclusion).

Learn to identify different types of logical fallacies (e.g., hasty generalization, false cause).

Alphanumeric Series :

Concept: Identifying the pattern in a sequence of letters and numbers.

Examples:

A1, B2, C3, D4, ... (Pattern: Alternating letters and increasing numbers)

2, 5, 8, 11, ... (Pattern: Adding 3)

XYYX, ZWZZ, AYXY, ... (Pattern: Alternating letters and repeating pairs)

Exercises:

Practice identifying the pattern and predicting the next term in a series.

Tips:

Look for repetitions, differences, or combinations of letters and numbers.

Try writing out a few more terms to see if a pattern emerges.

Alphabetic Series :

Concept: Identifying the pattern in a sequence of letters.

Examples:

A, C, E, G, ... (Pattern: Skipping two letters)

Z, X, W, V, ... (Pattern: Reversing alphabetical order)

T, U, V, W, X, ... (Pattern: Increasing letters)

Exercises:

Practice identifying the pattern and predicting the next letter in a series.

Tips:

Look for alphabetical order, reverse order, or skipping letters.

Consider if the series follows a specific pattern (e.g., every other letter).

Ranking :

Concept: Ordering elements based on given information.

Examples:

A is taller than B. B is taller than C. Who is the shortest? (C)

Ram scored higher than Shyam in Math. Shyam scored higher than Mohan in Math. Who scored the highest? (Ram)

City P is 200 km north of City Q. City R is 100 km south of City Q. Which city is farthest north? (P)

Exercises:

Practice arranging elements in a specific order based on the given clues.

Tips:

Create a visual representation (like a number line) to organize the information.

Pay close attention to relative positions (north/south, higher/lower).

Data Sufficiency Tests :

Concept: Assessing whether the given information is sufficient to answer a question.

Examples:

Statement: The total cost of 5 apples is ₹100. Is the cost of 1 apple sufficient? (Yes)

Statement: The train leaves Station A at 8:00 AM. Is the time taken to reach Station B sufficient to determine the arrival time? (No)

Statement 1: The sum of three numbers is 30. Statement 2: The product of the same three numbers is 240. Is the information sufficient to find the individual numbers? (Yes)

Exercises:

Practice identifying whether the data provided is enough to solve a given problem.

Tips:

Understand the question and what information is needed to answer it.

Analyze the given statements and see if they provide the missing details.

Coded Inequalities :

Concept: Interpreting and solving inequalities involving coded symbols.

Examples:

If A > B, then code A with 3 and code B with 1. (Coded Inequality: 3 > 1)

P = Q + 2. Code P with 5 and code Q with 3. Is P > Q? (Yes, coded inequality: 5 > 3)

Code for 'greater than' is ‘*’. If A * B, then is A always greater than B? (No, depends on the code assigned to A and B)

Exercises:

Practice decoding the symbols and solving inequalities based on the coded information.

Tips:

Understand the meaning of the coded symbols used in the question.

Set up the inequality using the decoded symbols and solve it.

Direction Test :

Concept: Determining the relative positions of people or objects based on directional clues.

Examples:

A is 10 m east of B. C is 5 m west of B. What is the relative position of A and C? (A is east of C)

X is sitting to the left of Y. Z is sitting to the right of Y. Who is between X and Z? (Y)

If south becomes west, west becomes north, and so on, in what direction is east of the new south? (New West)

Exercises:

Practice visualizing the positions and solving for the relative placement based on directional clues.

Tips:

Draw a simple diagram to represent the positions of people or objects.

Translate directional changes if the question involves a new directional system.

Seating Arrangements :

Concept: Determining the seating order of people based on given conditions.

Examples:

A, B, C, D, and E are sitting around a circular table. A is not next to B. C is between D and E. Who is sitting opposite A? (B)

P, Q, R, and S are sitting in a row. R is not next to P. S is to the left of Q. Who is sitting in the middle? (P)

There are two groups of friends sitting in a straight line - A, B, and C, and D, E, and F. A sits at one end, and F sits at the other end. Who is sitting between B and E? (C or D)

Exercises:

Practice solving seating arrangements based on the given constraints. You can use methods like drawing diagrams or using linear notations.

Tips:

Pay attention to who cannot sit next to whom and use those clues to eliminate possibilities.

Try to fix the positions of some people based on the information and then work around them to determine the remaining placements.

Puzzles :

Concept: Solving problems that require logical thinking and creative problem-solving skills.

Examples:

You have 12 coins, some are heads and some are tails. In three weighings on a balance scale with two pans, can you determine the number of heads and tails coins? (Yes, by strategically placing the coins in each weighing.)

There are five boxes labeled Apple, Orange, Banana, Mango, and Grape, but the labels are all incorrect. By tasting only one fruit from one box, can you identify all the fruits correctly? (Yes, by choosing a fruit that can't be what the label says and using deduction based on the taste.)

Exercises:

Practice solving various types of puzzles that test your logical reasoning and problem-solving abilities.

Tips:

Read the puzzle instructions carefully and identify the key information.

Look for patterns, inconsistencies, or hidden clues within the puzzle.

Consider trying out different approaches and see which one leads to a solution.

Tabulation :

Concept: Arranging information in a table format to identify patterns or relationships.

Examples:

A table shows the number of employees from different departments who prefer tea or coffee. Analyze the table to find the department with the most coffee drinkers.

Information about the age, gender, and job profile of different employees is presented in a table. Use the table to find the average age of female employees in the manager role.

Exercises:

Practice creating and analyzing tables to organize data and identify trends or relationships between variables.

Tips:

Understand the information provided in each column and row of the table.

Look for patterns or relationships between different categories in the table.

Use calculations if necessary to derive required values from the data.

Syllogism :

Concept: Identifying the logical relationship between two statements (premises) and drawing a valid conclusion.

Examples:

Premise 1: All cats are mammals. Premise 2: No dogs are mammals. Conclusion: All dogs are cats. (Invalid)

Premise 1: If it rains, the ground is wet. Premise 2: The ground is wet. Conclusion: It rained today. (Valid)

Premise 1: Some doctors are lawyers. Premise 2: All lawyers are educated. Conclusion: All doctors are educated. (Invalid)

Exercises:

Practice identifying the type of syllogism (categorical, hypothetical) and determining whether the conclusion logically follows from the premises.

Tips:

Understand the structure of a syllogism (premises and conclusion).

Identify the relationship between the terms in each premise (e.g., all, some, no).

Check if the conclusion logically follows from the information provided in the premises.

Input/Output :

Concept: Following a set of rules to manipulate input data and produce a specific output.

Examples:

Input: 12. Rule: Add 3 and then multiply by 2. Output: 30

Input: FACE. Rule: Reverse the order of letters. Output: ECAF

Exercises:

Practice applying given rules to input data to get the desired output.

Tips:

Carefully analyze the rules and identify the specific operations to be performed on the input data.

Pay attention to the order of operations if multiple steps are involved in the rule.

Practice applying the rules to different inputs to solidify your understanding.

Coding and Decoding :

Concept: Decoding messages where letters or numbers are replaced with symbols or codes, and vice versa.

Examples:

Coding: A = 1, B = 2, C = 3. Decoded message: 231122 (Original message: CABB)

Coding rule: Shift each letter two positions forward in the alphabet. Encoded message: CRFG (Original message: ABCD)

Substitution cipher: Each letter is replaced by a symbol (e.g., A = $, B = %). Decoded message: $#pple (Original message: Apple)

Exercises:

Practice decoding messages using given codes and encoding messages based on specific coding rules.

Tips:

Identify the pattern or logic behind the coding system.

If a frequency table is allowed, create one to analyze the appearance of symbols and potentially identify frequently used letters (e.g., E and T).

Practice applying the coding/decoding rules consistently.

Blood Relations :

Concept: Understanding relationships between family members.

Examples:

A is the brother of B. B is the son of C. What is the relation between A and C? (Nephew)

D is the mother of E. E is the daughter of F. What is the relation between D and F? (Daughter-in-law)

G is the father of H. H is the sister of I. What is the relation between G and I? (Uncle)

J is the wife of K. K is the son of L. What is the relation between J and L? (Daughter-in-law)

M is the daughter of N. N is the brother of O. What is the relation between M and O? (Niece)

Exercises:

Practice solving problems that involve identifying relationships between family members based on the information provided.

Tips:

Draw a family tree to visualize the relationships if it helps.

Pay attention to keywords like brother, sister, son, daughter, father, mother, wife, husband, etc.

Use logical deduction to determine the relationships between different family members.