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CSAT · 113 questions

Puzzles, arrangements & general mental ability

Every UPSC CSAT question on this topic, 2016–2026, newest first. Tap an option to check yourself; the answer and explanation open below it.

Puzzles, arrangements & general mental ability questions per year: 2016: 19, 2017: 18, 2018: 17, 2019: 10, 2020: 3, 2021: 10, 2022: 5, 2023: 7, 2024: 8, 2025: 8, 2026: 8 Asked in 11 of 11 years · most in 2016 (19)

UPSC syllabus: “General mental ability;” See the full syllabus →

CSAT 2018 · Q1

Medium

Consider the following three-dimensional figure:

A regular icosahedron drawn as a wire frame, with hidden edges dashed: 12 vertices, 30 edges and triangular faces all round.
From UPSC's question paper.

How many triangles does the above figure have?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) 20

The solid is a regular icosahedron, and every one of its faces is a triangle. Its edges close into no triangles other than the faces, so the count is simply the number of faces: 20.

  1. Identify the solid: every face is a triangle and five faces meet at each vertex — a regular icosahedron.
  2. Count the faces in three layers: 5 around the top vertex, 5 around the bottom vertex and a band of 10 in the middle.
  3. 5 + 10 + 5 = 20 triangular faces.
  4. No three edges outside a face close into a triangle, so there are no extra triangles to add.
  5. Check: Euler's formula V − E + F = 2 with 12 vertices and 30 edges gives F = 20.

Remember · For a solid made of triangular faces, count faces layer by layer and confirm with Euler's formula V − E + F = 2.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

CSAT 2018 · Q3

Easy

Consider the following pattern of numbers:

8101513
6574
4688
61116?
Four columns of three numbers, each ruled off with a result below it: 8, 6, 4 → 6; 10, 5, 6 → 11; 15, 7, 8 → 16; 13, 4, 8 → ?.
From UPSC's question paper.

What is the number at? in the above pattern?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) 17

In each column the result is the first number plus the third minus the second: 8 + 4 − 6 = 6, 10 + 6 − 5 = 11 and 15 + 8 − 7 = 16. The last column gives 13 + 8 − 4 = 17.

  1. Column 1: 8 + 4 − 6 = 6. Column 2: 10 + 6 − 5 = 11. Column 3: 15 + 8 − 7 = 16.
  2. The same rule — top + bottom − middle — fits all three complete columns.
  3. Column 4: 13 + 8 − 4 = 17.

Remember · In column puzzles, try simple combinations (+, −, ×) of the entries on every complete column before filling the gap.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

CSAT 2018 · Q14

Medium

Directions for the following 3 (three) items: Rotated positions of a single solid are shown below. The various faces of the solid are marked with different symbols like dots, cross and line. Answer the three items that follow the given figures.

Four views (I)–(IV) of one rectangular block, each showing its top, front and right faces: (I) line, one dot, two dots; (II) line, two dots, three dots; (III) line, three dots, four dots; (IV) cross, two dots, one dot.
From UPSC's question paper.

What is the symbol on the face opposite to that containing a single dot?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) Three dots

The line is on top in views (I)–(III), so the four dot-faces all touch it and form the ring around the solid, and the cross, the sixth face, is opposite the line. Around the ring the order is one, two, three, four dots, so one dot is opposite three dots.

  1. Views (I)–(III) all have the line on top and between them show one, two, three and four dots on the sides: all four dot-faces touch the line.
  2. The only face left, the cross, must be opposite the line.
  3. Side faces in order: (I) one then two; (II) two then three; (III) three then four — the ring runs 1, 2, 3, 4.
  4. In a ring of four faces, alternate faces are opposite: one dot is opposite three dots (and two dots opposite four dots).
  5. Check with (IV): cross on top, two dots in front, one dot on the right — one and two dots are adjacent, as the ring requires.

Remember · A face seen beside four different faces is opposite the sixth; the other four then form a ring in which alternate faces are opposite.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

CSAT 2018 · Q15

Easy

Directions for the following 3 (three) items: Rotated positions of a single solid are shown below. The various faces of the solid are marked with different symbols like dots, cross and line. Answer the three items that follow the given figures.

Uses the same figure as Q14 ↑

What is the symbol on the face opposite to that containing two dots?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) Four dots

Two dots is seen next to one dot, three dots, the line and the cross, but never next to four dots. The face it never touches — four dots — is its opposite.

  1. Faces seen beside two dots: one dot (I, IV), three dots (II), the line (II) and the cross (IV).
  2. That is four of the five other faces; four dots never appears with two dots.
  3. So four dots is opposite two dots.
  4. Check: the ring of side faces runs 1, 2, 3, 4, and alternate faces of a ring of four are opposite.

Remember · The opposite face is the one never seen together with the given face in any of the views.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

CSAT 2018 · Q16

Easy

Directions for the following 3 (three) items: Rotated positions of a single solid are shown below. The various faces of the solid are marked with different symbols like dots, cross and line. Answer the three items that follow the given figures.

Uses the same figure as Q14 ↑

What is the symbol on the face opposite to that containing the cross?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) Line

The line is seen beside one, two, three and four dots across views (I)–(III). The only face it never touches is the cross, so the cross is opposite the line.

  1. Faces beside the line: one and two dots (I), two and three dots (II), three and four dots (III).
  2. That covers four of the five other faces; the cross never appears with the line.
  3. So the cross is opposite the line.
  4. Check with (IV): with the cross on top, dot-faces fill the sides, as expected for the face opposite the line.

Remember · A face that appears next to four others is opposite the sixth — the quickest opposite-face test for dice and blocks.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

CSAT 2018 · Q25

Medium

Directions for the following 2 (two) items: Read the following information and answer the two items that follow.

The plan of an office block for six officers A, B, C, D, E and F is as follows: Both B and C occupy offices to the right of the corridor (as one enters the office block) and A occupies on the left of the corridor. E and F occupy offices on opposite sides of the corridor but their offices do not face each other. The offices of C and D face each other. E does not have a corner office. F’s office is further down the corridor than A’s, but on the same side.

If E sits in his office and faces the corridor, whose office is to his left?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) C

The offices, from the entrance, are D, A, F on the left and C, E, B on the right. Sitting in the middle office on the right and facing the corridor, E has the entrance end on his left — and C's office is there.

  1. Sides: B and C are on the right, A on the left. D faces C, so D is on the left; F is on A's side, so F is on the left, and E is on the right.
  2. Each side has three offices. E has no corner office, so E is in the middle office on the right.
  3. F does not face E, so F is not in the middle; F is further down than A, so F has the far-end office on the left.
  4. D must face C; the middle office on the right is E's, so C and D take the offices nearest the entrance. A is left-middle and B right far-end.
  5. Layout from the entrance — left side: D, A, F; right side: C, E, B.
  6. E sits on the right side facing the corridor, i.e. facing across towards the left side; his left hand then points back towards the entrance, where C's office is.

Remember · In corridor puzzles, fix each person's side first, then use 'corner', 'faces' and 'further down'; finally turn the map to the person's own facing.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

CSAT 2018 · Q26

Easy

Directions for the following 2 (two) items: Read the following information and answer the two items that follow.

The plan of an office block for six officers A, B, C, D, E and F is as follows: Both B and C occupy offices to the right of the corridor (as one enters the office block) and A occupies on the left of the corridor. E and F occupy offices on opposite sides of the corridor but their offices do not face each other. The offices of C and D face each other. E does not have a corner office. F’s office is further down the corridor than A’s, but on the same side.

Who is/are F’s immediate neighbour/neighbours?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) A only

F has the corner office at the far end of the left side, with A's office beside it (D, A, F from the entrance). B's office faces F across the corridor but is not beside it, so A is F's only immediate neighbour.

  1. Sides: B and C are on the right, A on the left. D faces C, so D is on the left; F is on A's side, so F is on the left, and E is on the right.
  2. Each side has three offices. E has no corner office, so E is in the middle office on the right.
  3. F does not face E, so F is not in the middle; F is further down than A, so F has the far-end office on the left.
  4. D must face C; the middle office on the right is E's, so C and D take the offices nearest the entrance. A is left-middle and B right far-end.
  5. Layout from the entrance — left side: D, A, F; right side: C, E, B.
  6. F is at the end of the left side, so the only office beside F is A's; B, across the corridor, faces F rather than adjoins it.

Remember · Neighbours share a wall on the same side; an office across the corridor is 'facing', not 'next to'.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

CSAT 2018 · Q43

Medium

Directions for the following 6 (six) items: Read the information given below and answer the six items that follow.

A, B, C and D are students. They are studying in four different cities, viz., P, Q, R and S (not necessarily in that order). They are studying in Science college, Arts college, Commerce college and Engineering college (not necessarily in that order), which are situated in four different States, viz., Gujarat, Rajasthan, Assam and Kerala (not necessarily in that order). Further, it is given that—

  1. i.D is studying in Assam
  2. ii.Arts college is located in city S which is in Rajasthan
  3. iii.A is studying in Commerce college
  4. iv.B is studying in city Q
  5. v.Science college is located in Kerala

A is studying in

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) Gujarat

Science and Arts take Kerala and Rajasthan, leaving Gujarat and Assam for Commerce and Engineering. D is in Assam and cannot be in A's Commerce college, so Engineering is in Assam and A's Commerce college is in Gujarat.

  1. Science is in Kerala and Arts in Rajasthan (city S), so Commerce and Engineering are in Gujarat and Assam.
  2. D is in Assam, so D studies Commerce or Engineering; Commerce is A's, so D is in Engineering — in Assam — and A's Commerce college is in Gujarat.
  3. B and C share Science and Arts. B is in city Q, but Arts is in city S, so B is in Science (Kerala, city Q) and C in Arts (Rajasthan, city S).
  4. A and D are in cities P and R, in an order the data do not fix.
  5. Result: A — Commerce, Gujarat; B — Science, Kerala, city Q; C — Arts, Rajasthan, city S; D — Engineering, Assam.
  6. So A studies in Gujarat; Rajasthan is C's State, Kerala is B's, and city Q is B's city.

Remember · In grid puzzles, place the fixed pairs first (college with State), then use the 'who is where' clues to settle the two-way choices.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

CSAT 2018 · Q44

Easy

Directions for the following 6 (six) items: Read the information given below and answer the six items that follow.

A, B, C and D are students. They are studying in four different cities, viz., P, Q, R and S (not necessarily in that order). They are studying in Science college, Arts college, Commerce college and Engineering college (not necessarily in that order), which are situated in four different States, viz., Gujarat, Rajasthan, Assam and Kerala (not necessarily in that order). Further, it is given that—

  1. i.D is studying in Assam
  2. ii.Arts college is located in city S which is in Rajasthan
  3. iii.A is studying in Commerce college
  4. iv.B is studying in city Q
  5. v.Science college is located in Kerala

Science college is located in

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) city Q

B is in city Q. B cannot be in the Arts college, which is in city S, and Commerce and Engineering belong to A and D, so B is in the Science college — which places Science in city Q.

  1. Science is in Kerala and Arts in Rajasthan (city S), so Commerce and Engineering are in Gujarat and Assam.
  2. D is in Assam, so D studies Commerce or Engineering; Commerce is A's, so D is in Engineering — in Assam — and A's Commerce college is in Gujarat.
  3. B and C share Science and Arts. B is in city Q, but Arts is in city S, so B is in Science (Kerala, city Q) and C in Arts (Rajasthan, city S).
  4. A and D are in cities P and R, in an order the data do not fix.
  5. Result: A — Commerce, Gujarat; B — Science, Kerala, city Q; C — Arts, Rajasthan, city S; D — Engineering, Assam.
  6. B studies Science and is in city Q, so the Science college is in city Q.

Remember · In grid puzzles, place the fixed pairs first (college with State), then use the 'who is where' clues to settle the two-way choices.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

CSAT 2018 · Q45

Easy

Directions for the following 6 (six) items: Read the information given below and answer the six items that follow.

A, B, C and D are students. They are studying in four different cities, viz., P, Q, R and S (not necessarily in that order). They are studying in Science college, Arts college, Commerce college and Engineering college (not necessarily in that order), which are situated in four different States, viz., Gujarat, Rajasthan, Assam and Kerala (not necessarily in that order). Further, it is given that—

  1. i.D is studying in Assam
  2. ii.Arts college is located in city S which is in Rajasthan
  3. iii.A is studying in Commerce college
  4. iv.B is studying in city Q
  5. v.Science college is located in Kerala

C is studying in

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) Rajasthan

Once A (Commerce), D (Engineering) and B (Science, city Q) are placed, C is left with the Arts college, which is in city S in Rajasthan.

  1. Science is in Kerala and Arts in Rajasthan (city S), so Commerce and Engineering are in Gujarat and Assam.
  2. D is in Assam, so D studies Commerce or Engineering; Commerce is A's, so D is in Engineering — in Assam — and A's Commerce college is in Gujarat.
  3. B and C share Science and Arts. B is in city Q, but Arts is in city S, so B is in Science (Kerala, city Q) and C in Arts (Rajasthan, city S).
  4. A and D are in cities P and R, in an order the data do not fix.
  5. Result: A — Commerce, Gujarat; B — Science, Kerala, city Q; C — Arts, Rajasthan, city S; D — Engineering, Assam.
  6. C studies in the Arts college in city S, Rajasthan; Science and city Q are B's, and Gujarat is A's.

Remember · In grid puzzles, place the fixed pairs first (college with State), then use the 'who is where' clues to settle the two-way choices.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

CSAT 2018 · Q46

Easy

Directions for the following 6 (six) items: Read the information given below and answer the six items that follow.

A, B, C and D are students. They are studying in four different cities, viz., P, Q, R and S (not necessarily in that order). They are studying in Science college, Arts college, Commerce college and Engineering college (not necessarily in that order), which are situated in four different States, viz., Gujarat, Rajasthan, Assam and Kerala (not necessarily in that order). Further, it is given that—

  1. i.D is studying in Assam
  2. ii.Arts college is located in city S which is in Rajasthan
  3. iii.A is studying in Commerce college
  4. iv.B is studying in city Q
  5. v.Science college is located in Kerala

Which one of the following statements is correct?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) D is not studying in city S.

City S holds the Arts college, which is C's, so D — in the Engineering college in Assam — cannot be in city S. The other statements contradict the solved grid: A is in Commerce in Gujarat, and Engineering is in Assam.

  1. Science is in Kerala and Arts in Rajasthan (city S), so Commerce and Engineering are in Gujarat and Assam.
  2. D is in Assam, so D studies Commerce or Engineering; Commerce is A's, so D is in Engineering — in Assam — and A's Commerce college is in Gujarat.
  3. B and C share Science and Arts. B is in city Q, but Arts is in city S, so B is in Science (Kerala, city Q) and C in Arts (Rajasthan, city S).
  4. A and D are in cities P and R, in an order the data do not fix.
  5. Result: A — Commerce, Gujarat; B — Science, Kerala, city Q; C — Arts, Rajasthan, city S; D — Engineering, Assam.
  6. (a) is true because city S is C's; (b) and (c) fail since A is in Commerce in Gujarat; (d) fails since Engineering is in Assam.

Remember · In grid puzzles, place the fixed pairs first (college with State), then use the 'who is where' clues to settle the two-way choices.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

CSAT 2018 · Q47

Easy

Directions for the following 6 (six) items: Read the information given below and answer the six items that follow.

A, B, C and D are students. They are studying in four different cities, viz., P, Q, R and S (not necessarily in that order). They are studying in Science college, Arts college, Commerce college and Engineering college (not necessarily in that order), which are situated in four different States, viz., Gujarat, Rajasthan, Assam and Kerala (not necessarily in that order). Further, it is given that—

  1. i.D is studying in Assam
  2. ii.Arts college is located in city S which is in Rajasthan
  3. iii.A is studying in Commerce college
  4. iv.B is studying in city Q
  5. v.Science college is located in Kerala

Which one of the following statements is correct regarding Engineering college?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) D is studying there.

D is in Assam, and only Commerce or Engineering can be in Assam; since Commerce is A's, D studies in the Engineering college.

  1. Science is in Kerala and Arts in Rajasthan (city S), so Commerce and Engineering are in Gujarat and Assam.
  2. D is in Assam, so D studies Commerce or Engineering; Commerce is A's, so D is in Engineering — in Assam — and A's Commerce college is in Gujarat.
  3. B and C share Science and Arts. B is in city Q, but Arts is in city S, so B is in Science (Kerala, city Q) and C in Arts (Rajasthan, city S).
  4. A and D are in cities P and R, in an order the data do not fix.
  5. Result: A — Commerce, Gujarat; B — Science, Kerala, city Q; C — Arts, Rajasthan, city S; D — Engineering, Assam.
  6. Engineering is D's college, in Assam; B is in Science, C in Arts, and Gujarat has the Commerce college.

Remember · In grid puzzles, place the fixed pairs first (college with State), then use the 'who is where' clues to settle the two-way choices.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

CSAT 2018 · Q48

Easy

Directions for the following 6 (six) items: Read the information given below and answer the six items that follow.

A, B, C and D are students. They are studying in four different cities, viz., P, Q, R and S (not necessarily in that order). They are studying in Science college, Arts college, Commerce college and Engineering college (not necessarily in that order), which are situated in four different States, viz., Gujarat, Rajasthan, Assam and Kerala (not necessarily in that order). Further, it is given that—

  1. i.D is studying in Assam
  2. ii.Arts college is located in city S which is in Rajasthan
  3. iii.A is studying in Commerce college
  4. iv.B is studying in city Q
  5. v.Science college is located in Kerala

Which one of the following statements is correct?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) Engineering college is located in Assam.

D, who is in Assam, studies Engineering, so the Engineering college is in Assam. City Q is B's city in Kerala, C is in Rajasthan and B is in Kerala, so the other three statements are false.

  1. Science is in Kerala and Arts in Rajasthan (city S), so Commerce and Engineering are in Gujarat and Assam.
  2. D is in Assam, so D studies Commerce or Engineering; Commerce is A's, so D is in Engineering — in Assam — and A's Commerce college is in Gujarat.
  3. B and C share Science and Arts. B is in city Q, but Arts is in city S, so B is in Science (Kerala, city Q) and C in Arts (Rajasthan, city S).
  4. A and D are in cities P and R, in an order the data do not fix.
  5. Result: A — Commerce, Gujarat; B — Science, Kerala, city Q; C — Arts, Rajasthan, city S; D — Engineering, Assam.
  6. (a) holds; city Q is in Kerala (not Assam), C is in Rajasthan and B is in Kerala.

Remember · In grid puzzles, place the fixed pairs first (college with State), then use the 'who is where' clues to settle the two-way choices.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

CSAT 2018 · Q59

Medium

Consider the sequence given below:

4/12/95, 1/1/96, 29/1/96, 26/2/96, ....

What is the next term of the series?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) 25/3/96

Each date is 28 days after the one before. 26 February 1996 plus 28 days is 25 March, because 1996 is a leap year and February has 29 days.

  1. 4 December 1995 to 1 January 1996: 27 days to the end of December + 1 = 28 days.
  2. 1 January to 29 January: 28 days; 29 January to 26 February: 2 + 26 = 28 days.
  3. 1996 is divisible by 4, so February 1996 has 29 days.
  4. 26 February + 28 days: 3 days to 29 February, then 25 more — 25 March 1996.

Remember · In date sequences, find the constant gap in days and watch for leap years when crossing February.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

CSAT 2018 · Q66

Medium

Consider the figures given below:

A 3 × 3 grid of line figures; the last cell is ‘?’. Each figure joins one of three bodies (a U-shaped curve with a dot, a straight bar with a solid square, an arc ending in a triangle) to one of three leg sets (two bent legs, three short T-shaped legs, four long forked legs). The four options are also drawn as figures.
From UPSC's question paper.

To fit the question mark, the correct answer is

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) Figure: a straight bar with a solid square at its left end and two bent legs

Each row and each column uses each body once and each set of legs once. The last row already has the arc-with-triangle and U-with-dot bodies, and the T-shaped and forked legs, so the missing figure is the bar with a square and two bent legs — (a).

  1. Bodies: U-curve with dot, straight bar with square, arc with triangle. Legs: two bent, three T-shaped, four forked.
  2. Row 1: U + two bent; bar + three T; arc + four forked. Row 2: bar + four forked; arc + two bent; U + three T.
  3. Row 3 has arc + three T and U + four forked, so it lacks the bar body and the two bent legs.
  4. Column 3 agrees: arc and U are used, so the bar is missing; forked and T-shaped legs are used, so two bent legs are missing.
  5. Only (a) — a bar with a square and two bent legs — fits.

Remember · In 3 × 3 figure matrices, split each figure into parts and check that each part appears once in every row and column.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

CSAT 2018 · Q70

Medium

Consider the following figures:

Six circles (I)–(VI), each cut into six sectors by a horizontal line and two diagonals, holding a small square and a small triangle. Square: top, upper right, lower right, bottom, lower left, upper left. Triangle: lower left, bottom, lower right, upper right, top, upper left. The four options are drawn as circles too.
From UPSC's question paper.

In the figures (I) to (VI) above, some parts are shown to change their positions in regular directions. Following the same sequence, which of the figures given below will appear at (VII) stage?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) Figure: square in the top sector, triangle in the lower-left sector

The square moves one sector clockwise at each step and the triangle one sector anticlockwise. At stage (VII) the square returns to the top and the triangle to the lower left — option (b).

  1. Name the sectors clockwise: top, upper right, lower right, bottom, lower left, upper left.
  2. Square in (I)–(VI): top, upper right, lower right, bottom, lower left, upper left — one step clockwise each time.
  3. Triangle in (I)–(VI): lower left, bottom, lower right, upper right, top, upper left — one step anticlockwise each time.
  4. Stage (VII): the square moves from upper left to top; the triangle moves from upper left to lower left.
  5. Check: after six steps both are back where they were in (I), as expected in a six-sector circle.

Remember · Track each moving part separately — its direction and step size; after a full cycle the figure repeats.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

CSAT 2018 · Q72

Medium

Lakshmi, her brother, her daughter and her son are badminton players. A game of doubles is about to begin:

  1. i.Lakshmi’s brother is directly across the net from her daughter.
  2. ii.Her son is diagonally across the net from the worst player’s sibling.
  3. iii.The best player and the worst player are on the same side of the net.

Who is the best player?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (a) Her brother

The brother and the daughter face each other, so Lakshmi and her son are also on opposite sides. Whichever side the son takes, clue (ii) puts the worst player on the brother's side of the net, and clue (iii) then makes the brother the best player.

  1. Siblings: Lakshmi and her brother; the daughter and the son.
  2. Clue (i): the brother and daughter are on opposite sides, directly facing; so Lakshmi and her son are on opposite sides too.
  3. Case 1 — the son partners the brother: the son is diagonally across from the daughter, so the worst player's sibling is the daughter and the worst is the son. By (iii) the best is his partner, the brother.
  4. Case 2 — the son partners the daughter: the son is diagonally across from the brother, so the worst player's sibling is the brother and the worst is Lakshmi. The best is her partner — again the brother.
  5. Both cases give the brother as the best player.

Remember · When the clues allow two layouts, work out both; if they agree on the person asked about, that is the answer.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

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