Reasoning Ability Practice Set 1 - Logical Problems

🧠 Practice Overview

This practice set covers fundamental reasoning ability concepts that are essential for IBPS PO exam success. Each question includes detailed logic and solution.

📊 Practice Questions

Question 1: Syllogism

Question: Statements:

1. All pens are pencils
2. Some pencils are erasers

Conclusions: I. Some pens are erasers II. Some erasers are pens

Options: A) Only conclusion I follows B) Only conclusion II follows C) Both I and II follow D) Neither I nor II follows E) Either I or II follows

Solution:

Analysis:
From Statement 1: All pens are pencils → Some pens are pencils (true)
From Statement 2: Some pencils are erasers → Some erasers are pencils (true)

But we cannot conclude the relationship between pens and erasers.

Conclusion I: "Some pens are erasers" - Not necessarily true
Conclusion II: "Some erasers are pens" - Not necessarily true

Answer: D) Neither I nor II follows

Explanation: Syllogism requires logical deduction, not possibility.

Question 2: Blood Relations

Question: A is the brother of B. C is the mother of A. D is the daughter of C. How is D related to B?

Options: A) Sister B) Mother C) Daughter D) Aunt E) Niece

Solution:

Relationship mapping:
A is brother of B → A and B are siblings
C is mother of A → C is parent of A and B
D is daughter of C → D is child of C
Since D and B are both children of C, they are siblings.
As B's gender is not specified, D could be sister to B.

Answer: A) Sister (assuming B is male), or D) Aunt/Niece depending on gender

Explanation: Based on family tree relationships.

Question 3: Number Series

Question: 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, ?

Options: A) 40 B) 42 C) 48 D) 56 E) 62

Solution:

Pattern analysis:
2 (+4) → 6 (+6) → 12 (+8) → 20 (+10) → 30
Next difference: +12
Next term = 30 + 12 = 42

Answer: B) 42

Explanation: Differences increase by 2 each time (4, 6, 8, 10, 12).

Question 4: Coding-Decoding

Question: If in a certain code, TEACHER is coded as UFBFIS, how would you code STUDENT?

pattern: T→U (+2), E→F (+1), A→B (+1), C→F (+4), H→I (+1), E→R (+9), R→S (+1)

Options: A) TWFUFS B) UWDFTS C) TWEVFS D) UWDENT E) UWFENT

Solution:

Applying the pattern:
S→T (-19), T→U (+2), U→D (+3), D→E (+1), N→T (-13), T→W (+22), E→N (-13)

STUDENT = TWEVFS

Answer: C) TWEVFS

Explanation: Each letter follows its unique coding pattern.

Question 5: Direction Sense

**Question: Rahul starts from his home and walks 10m east, then turns left and walks 10m, then turns left again and walks 5m. In which direction is he facing finally?

Options: A) North B) South C) East D) West E) Northeast

Solution:

Movement analysis:
Start: Facing unknown (assume North)
1. Walks 10m East (still facing East)
2. Turns left (from East → North) and walks 10m (now facing North)
3. Turns left again (from North → West) and walks 5m (now facing West)

Final direction: West

Answer: D) West

Explanation: Two left turns from East makes direction West.

Question 6: Inequality

Question: Statements: P ≥ Q, Q > R, R ≥ S

Conclusions: I. P > S II. Q = S

Options: A) Only conclusion I follows B) Only conclusion II follows C) Both I and II follow D) Neither I nor II follows E) Either I or II follows

Solution:

From P ≥ Q and Q > R: P > R (since P ≥ Q > R)
From R ≥ S: R could be > S or = S
Thus: P > S is definitely true
Q = S is not necessarily true (Q > R ≥ S, so Q could be > S or Q = S)

Answer: A) Only conclusion I follows

Explanation: P > R > R ≥ S means P > S, but Q and S relationship is uncertain.

Question 7: Analogy

Question: Pen : Ink :: Chalk : ?

Options: A) Board B) White C) Dust D) Teacher E) Student

Solution:

Analogy reasoning:
Pen is used with Ink
Chalk is used with Dust

Answer: C) Dust

Explanation: Both first pairs show tool and its medium.

Question 8: Alphabet Series

Question: AB, CD, EF, GH, IJ, ?

Options: A) KL B) KL C) LM D) MN E) OP

Sequence: AB (+1 letter each time) → CD → EF → GH → IJ

Solution:

Next after IJ: KL
Next after KL: MN

Answer: C) LM

Explanation: Alphabet series with 2-letter increments.

Question 9: Logical Reasoning

Question: If all cats are animals and some animals are pets, then:

Options: A) All cats are pets B) Some pets are cats C) All animals are cats D) Some cats are animals E) No conclusion can be drawn

Solution:

Given: All cats are animals (true)
Given: Some animals are pets (true)
From this: Some cats are pets (subset relationship)

Answer: B) Some pets are cats

Explanation: Subset relationship allows for some overlap between sets.

Question 10: Mathematical Operations

Question: If 5 + 3 = 8, 8 - 3 = 5, then 5 × 3 = ?

Options: A) 8 B) 12 C) 15 D) 16 E) 24

Solution:

Following the pattern:
5 + 3 = 8
8 - 3 = 5
5 × 3 = 15

Answer: C) 15

Explanation: Pattern uses the result of previous operation.

📊 Performance Analysis

Question Type Distribution:

• Syllogism: Logical deduction
• Blood Relations: Family relationships
• Number Series: Pattern recognition
• Coding-Decoding: Pattern matching
• Direction Sense: Spatial reasoning
• Inequality: Logical comparison
• Analogy: Relationship matching
• Alphabet Series: Sequential patterns
• Logical Reasoning: Set theory concepts
• Mathematical Operations: Pattern continuation

Difficulty Assessment:

• Easy Questions: 1, 7, 8, 9
• Medium Questions: 2, 4, 5, 10
• Hard Questions: 3, 6

Common Mistakes:

1. Syllogism: Making assumptions beyond given statements
2. Blood Relations: Wrong gender assumptions
3. Number Series: Missing pattern recognition
4. Coding-Decoding: Incorrect pattern application
5. Direction Sense: Wrong left/right orientation
6. Inequality: Wrong logical interpretation
7. Alphabet Series: Pattern not recognized
8. Logical Reasoning: Set theory confusion

🎯 Success Tips

Strategy for Reasoning Questions:

1. Read carefully: Understand exact conditions
2. Draw diagrams: Visualize relationships
3. Consider all possibilities: Don’t make assumptions
4. Use elimination: Eliminate wrong options
5. Time management: Allocate 1 minute per question average

Quick Reference Points:

• Blood Relations: Start from given person and trace relationships
• Direction Sense: Assume facing North unless specified
• Syllogism: Use Venn diagram method
• Series: Look for addition, multiplication, prime numbers, squares

🔗 Related Topics

• - Puzzles and Seating Arrangement
• - Blood Relations
• - Direction Sense
• - Coding and Decoding
• - Number Series

📚� Continue Learning

Master reasoning ability:

1. Practice different question types regularly
2. Improve logical thinking skills
3. Take timed practice tests
4. Analyze and learn from mistakes