IBPS Clerk 2017 – Sample Reasoning Questions You Must Practice!

IBPS Clerk Prelims 2017 is scheduled to be held on 2^nd, 3^rd, 9^th and 10 December. With just 10 days to go for the exam, we are positive that you might be in your last phase of exam preparation. Reasoning is one of the important and time-consuming sections in the exam. The Reasoning section will have 35 questions carrying 35 marks. To help you with some last-minute improvement, we bring to you few must do reasoning questions. Before that, let’s glance through the topic-wise break up with no. of questions.

Topic Vs Questions
Coding Decoding	4
Inequalities	5
Syllogism	5
Blood Relation	2
Direction Sense	2
Seating Arrangement	6
Puzzles	6
Miscellaneous	5
Total	35

P.S. The topic -wise break-up of questions is approximate and based on previous years’ trends.

As reasoning is one of the most time-consuming sections in the IBPS clerk exam, to categorize the section in terms of difficulty can be a good trick. You can categorize this section in simple, medium and complex and attempt questions in the same order. This way you will be able to finish more number of answers on time. Below is the categorization and sample questions that you must try to improve your Reasoning preparation for the upcoming exam.

Reasoning Questions – Simple

Classification/Odd Pair

In “Classification/Odd Pair”, certain pairs or groups of numbers are given out of which all except one are similar in some manner and one is different. The candidate is required to choose the odd pair / group.

Sample Question:

1. a) Treachery
2. b) Fraud
3. c) Deceit
4. d) Morbid

Answer: Here, we can see that all except Morbid are synonymous to each other as they all mean ‘falsehood’ while ‘morbid’ means ‘diseased’. So, here we should have good vocabulary to solve such questions.

Series Completion

In “Number Series”, a series is given with one term missing. The solution is to include the correct alternative that will be in the same pattern.

Sample Question:

120, 99, 80, 63, 48?

1. a) 35
2. b) 38
3. c) 39
4. d) 40

Answer: a) 35.

The given series is 120,99,80,63,48….

The difference between the series is 120-99=21, 99-80=19 and so on.

The pattern is – 21, – 19, – 17, – 15….

The main difference between the answer is 2 for all so at the end 63-48 we got 15 so 15-2=13. Therefore, 48-13=35.

Direction Based

“Direction Based” questions are asked to test one’s ability of sensing the direction.

Sample Question:

One morning Jon Snow and Samwell Tarly were talking to each other face to face at a crossing. If Samwell Tarly’s shadow was exactly to the left of Jon Snow, which direction was Jon Snow facing?

1. a) East
2. b) West
3. c) North
4. d) South

Answer: c) North.

Shadow is directly related to direction. Sun rises in the east, so shadow will be in the left, here, shadow of Samwell Tarly is left of Jon Snow. It means Jon Snow is towards north.

Number, Ranking & Time Sequence

In “Number, Ranking and Time Sequence”, questions are managed which are taken after with a grouping comprising numbers, positioning and time. One need to discover answers based on given condition.

Sample Question:

In a queue, Anita is 10th from the front while Mukul is 25th from behind and Mamta is just in the middle of the two. If there be 50 persons in the queue. What position does Mamta occupy from the front?

1. 20^th
2. 19^th
3. 18^th
4. 17th

Answer: c) 18^th

Number of persons between Anita and Mukul = 50 – (10 + 25) = 15. Since, Mamta lies in middle of these 15 persons, so Mamta`s position is 8th from Anita i.e. 18th from the front.

Alphabet /Dictionary

“Alphabet/Dictionary” questions are simple and are majorly based on alphabetic order and word meanings.

Arrange the given words in Alphabetical Order and choose the one that comes first.

1. Wasp
2. Waste
3. War
4. Wrinkle
5. Wrist

Answer: c) War

War, Wasp, Waste, Wrinkle, Wrist.

Reasoning Questions – Medium

Inequalities

“Inequality” in mathematics tells us about the relative size of two values.

Sample Question:

Statements:

P < Q ≤ S = T, R = Q < U, V > U

Conclusions:

1. P > U
2. V > T
3. if only conclusion I follows.
4. if only conclusion II follows.
5. if either conclusion I or conclusion II follows.
6. if neither conclusion I nor conclusion II follows.
7. if both conclusions I and II follow.

Answer: d) if neither conclusion I nor conclusion II follows.

Blood Relations

“Blood Relations” questions try to bring out relation between family members deriving through family tree.

Sample Question:

If A + B means A is the mother of B; A – B means A is the brother B; A % B means A is the father of B and A x B means A is the sister of B, which of the following shows that P is the maternal uncle of Q?

1. a) Q – N + M x P
2. b) P + S x N – Q
3. c) P – M + N x Q
4. d) Q – S % P

Answer: c) P – M + N x Q

P – M → P is the brother of M

M + N → M is the mother of N

N x Q → N is the sister of Q

Therefore, P is the maternal uncle of Q.

Coding Decoding

Coding is a method of transmitting a message between the sender and the receiver without a third person knowing it. Before transmitting, the data is encoded and at receiver side encode data is decoded in order to obtain original data by determining common key in encoded data.

Sample Question:

If in a certain language, MADRAS is coded as NBESBT, how is BOMBAY coded in that code?

1. CPNCBX
2. CPNCBZ
3. CPOCBZ
4. CPOCBZ

Answer: b) CPNCBZ

Each letter in the word is moved one step forward to obtain the corresponding letter of the code.

Reasoning Questions – Complex

Seating Arrangement

“Seating Arrangement” questions lets one identify seating arrangements of a group of people based on various cases like Circle, Square, Rectangle and Lines.

Sample Question:   

A, P, R, X, S and Z are sitting in a row. S and Z are in the centre. A and P are at the ends. R is sitting to the left of A. Who is to the right of P?

1. a) A
2. b) X
3. c) S
4. d) Z

Answer: b) X

Hope this helps!

For any other queries, visit our exclusive Reasoning playlist on our YouTube Channel.