Logical & analytical reasoning

Answer: (c) South

Assume he starts facing North and trace the walk: the office ends up 200 m West and 200 m South, i.e. South-West. For it to be North-East the whole path must be turned through 180°, so he actually started walking South.

1. Try starting North: 100 m North; left, so 100 m West; left again, so 300 m South; right, so 100 m West.
2. Net: 300 − 100 = 200 m South and 100 + 100 = 200 m West, so the office would be South-West.
3. The office is actually North-East, exactly opposite, so rotate everything by 180°: the first walk was South.
4. Check: 100 m South; left, 100 m East; left, 300 m North; right, 100 m East. Net 200 m North and 200 m East, i.e. North-East.

Remember · Assume North, solve, then rotate the whole figure to match the given final direction.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (d) North-East

Walking West and turning left, he faces South. A 225° clockwise turn from South (bearing 180°) brings him to bearing 405° − 360° = 45°, which is North-East.

1. Walking West, a left turn makes him face South.
2. Clockwise from South: 90° brings West, 180° brings North, and 225° is 45° beyond North towards East.
3. So he now faces North-East.
4. Check with bearings: 180° + 225° = 405°, i.e. 45°, which is North-East.

Remember · Convert to bearings (N 0°, E 90°, S 180°, W 270°), add clockwise turns, and subtract 360° if needed.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (d) Neither Conclusion–I nor Conclusion–II follows

Being the largest producer says nothing about exports or imports: a country may consume most of what it produces, and may still import some. Neither conclusion follows from the statement.

• ✗ I Large production does not mean large exports; home consumption may take most of it. The statement gives no trade data.
• ✗ II Producing the most does not rule out importing, for example particular milk products or to meet demand in some years.

Remember · A conclusion must follow from the statement alone; production figures never settle questions of trade.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (c) Both SP and RQ

Under ‘either a Director or a Producer’, ruling out one role forces the other. So ‘not a Producer’ implies ‘a Director’ (SP), and ‘not a Director’ implies ‘a Producer’ (RQ).

• ✓ SP If Pradeep is not a Producer (S), the Main Statement leaves only Director (P). S implies P.
• ✓ RQ If Pradeep is not a Director (R), he must be a Producer (Q). R implies Q.

Remember · For ‘either A or B’, the valid pairs are ‘not A, therefore B’ and ‘not B, therefore A’.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Statement 1 gives 2x ≥ 3y and 3x = 4z, which lead to 9y ≤ 8z, so ‘9y > 8z’ fails. Statement 2 gives x < 2y and y ≤ z, which still allow x > z (for example x = 1.5, y = z = 1). Neither is correct.

1. Decode: P is >, Q is <, R is ≤ (not greater than), S is ≥ (not less than), T is =.
2. Statement 1: 2x ≥ 3y gives 9y ≤ 6x; 3x = 4z gives 8z = 6x. So 9y ≤ 8z, which rules out 9y > 8z. Incorrect.
3. Statement 2: x < 2y and y ≤ z. Take x = 1.5, y = 1, z = 1: both conditions hold, but x ≤ z fails. Incorrect.
4. So neither statement is correct.

• ✗ 1. From 2x ≥ 3y and 3x = 4z, 9y ≤ 6x = 8z, so 9y can never be greater than 8z.
• ✗ 2. x < 2y and y ≤ z only give x < 2z; x = 1.5, y = z = 1 satisfies both conditions but has x greater than z.

Remember · Decode the symbols, bring both sides to a common term (here 6x), and use one counter-example to kill an ‘always’ claim.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (a) 11880

Each letter stands for its position in the alphabet and the code is the product: 1 × 2 × 3 × 4 = 24 and 5 × 6 × 7 × 8 = 1680. So IJKL = 9 × 10 × 11 × 12 = 11880.

1. ABCD: 1 × 2 × 3 × 4 = 24, which matches.
2. EFGH: 5 × 6 × 7 × 8 = 1680, which matches.
3. IJKL: 9 × 10 × 11 × 12 = 90 × 132 = 11880.

Remember · When letters become numbers, test alphabet positions with sum and product first.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (d) AANERA

Each word is reversed and an A is put in front: POT → TOP → ATOP, and TRAP → PART → APART. ARENA reversed is ANERA, so the code is AANERA.

1. POT reversed is TOP; with A in front it is ATOP, which matches.
2. TRAP reversed is PART; with A in front it is APART, which matches.
3. ARENA reversed is ANERA; with A in front it is AANERA.

Remember · When a code looks like a real word, check for reversal plus a fixed added letter.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error