CSIR-UGC (NET)

Part-A
SAMPLE THEORY
Data Interpretation & Analysis

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 PART-A (Sample Theory)

1. PUZZLES

In this type of questions a set of information pertaining to persons, objects or some other entities
along with their qualities, which can be compared, is provided. Candidates are required to arrange the
given entities in either ascending or descending order on the basis of relative quality.
SOLVED EXAMPLES:
1. The three numbers in each box have a relationship that is the same in all six boxes. Can you
find the missing number where the question mark is? What is the relationship?

3 1 5
2 7 6
4 0 3
8 4 5
10 1 6 2
1 ?

Sol. The missing number is 4. The sum of the three numbers in each box is 12.
2. The numbers in the corners of the boxes below fit together in such a way that they determine
the number in the middle of each box. The rule for finding that middle number is the same in each
box.

5 3 1 6 8 2 7 5

13 17 14 19

4 1 8 2 1 3 3 4

Once you find that rule, see if you can put the correct number in this box:

3 6

7 2

Sol. The missing number is 18. If we add the four numbers in the corners of each box, the sum will
be the number in the middle box.
3. At a 100 m race the first runner Amit beats the second Bijender by 10m, and the second Bijender
beats the third Chandu by 10m. How many meters is the first runner Amit ahead of the third
Chandu when crossing the finishing line?
Sol. Amit needed tA time units, distance = 100 m. Hence his speed is vA = 100/tA.
Bijender needed tB for the 100m. Hence his speed is vB = 100/tB = 90/tA.
Therefore tA/tB = 0.9.
The speed of Chandu is vC = 90/tB = x/tA.
Therefore x = 90tA/tB = 90 × 0.9 = 81 m.
Thus, the first runner Amit beats Chandu by 19 m.
4. Ten people, numbered 1 to 10, are seated around a table. Every second person is asked to leave
until only one remains. The order in which they leave is 2, 4, 6, .... The last person remaining at
the table is which number?

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 PART-A (Sample Theory)

Sol. On the first round, numbers 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 go away, leaving 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 at the table. At the next
round, numbers 3 and 7 go away, leaving 1, 5, 9 behind. Finally, numbers 1 and 9 go away, and
number 5 remains.
5.

H
A A
R R R
M M M M
O O O
N N
Y

How many paths from top to bottom spell HARMONY?

Sol. The number of paths to each letter after H is equal to the total number of paths to the preceding
letter or letters.Thus the numbers of paths to the letters in the pattern are :

1
1 1
1 2 1
1 3 3 1
4 6 4
10 10
20

The last number is 20.

6. Mr. and Mrs. Monu, working in shifts, made an agreement with their employer that Mr. Monu will
be off every 8th day and Mrs. Monu every 5th day. If they were both off on Thursday the 20th of
January 2000, on what date will they be off together the last time during year 2000?
Sol. The lowest common multiple of 8 and 5 is 40. Therefore they will be off together every 40th day.
The year 2000 has 366 days. Hence 31 December 2000 is 366 – 20 = 346 days after 20 January.
We need the highest multiple of 40 which is less than 346. That is 320 which is 26 less than 346.
The required date then is 31 – 26 = 5. The 5th day of December.
7. You have to move from point A to point B by a path that goes either downwards or horizontally
along the line segments in the diagram. You may not use any segment more than once. How
many different paths are possible?

B
Sol. Every possible path uses exactly four downward line segments (one for each level).
There are 2 × 4 × 4 × 2 = 64 possible ways to choose these downward segments. Each choice
given exactly one path from A to B, since there is only one way to link the downward line
segments by horizontal ones (if necessary). Therefore, there are 64 such paths.

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 PART-A (Sample Theory)

8. If we put the numeral 1 at the beginning, we get a number three times smaller than if we put the
numeral 1 at the end of the number. What is the 5-digit number?
Sol. Using an easy equation :
3(100000 + x) = 10x + 1
10x + 1 = 3(100000 + x) = 300000 + 3x
10x = 299999 + 3x
7x = 299999
x = 299999/7 = 42857.
9. A game is played on the board shown. In this game, a player can move three places in any
direction (up, down, right or left) and then can move two places in a direction perpendicular to
the first move. If a player starts at S, which position on the board (P, Q, R, T, or W) cannot be
reached through any sequence of moves?

Q R

S W

Sol. If S is the starting position we can reach position R immediately. From S we can also reach P
and then W and Q in sequence. To reach position T, it would have to be reached from the upper
right or upper left square. There is no way for us to reach these two squares unless we are
allowed to move outside the large square which is not permitted. So the player cannot reach point
P through any sequence of moves.
10. In the diagram, each of the integers 1 through 9 is to be placed in one circle so that the integers
in every straight row of three joined circles add to 18. The 6 and 1 have been filled in. What is
the value of the number represented by x?

Sol. Consider the possible ways that the numbers from 1 to 9 can be used three at a time to sum
to 18.
Since we may not repeat any digit in the sum, the possibilities are :
1 + 8 + 9, 2 + 7 + 9, 3 + 6 + 9, 3 + 7 + 8, 4 + 5 + 9, 4 + 6 + 8, 5 + 6 + 7.

b c 1

a x d

6 f e

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 PART-A (Sample Theory)

Next, consider the row 1 + d + f in above figure.

Since the sum of every row is 18, d + f = 17.
This gives that either d = 8 and f = 9 or d = 9 and f = 8.
Next, consider the 3 rows in which x appears.
The sums of these 3 rows are a + x + d, b + x + f, and c + x + 6.
That is, x appears in exactly 3 distinct sums.
Searching our list of possible sums above, we observe that only the numbers 6, 7 and 8 appear
in 3 distinct sums.
That is, x must equal either 6, 7 or 8.
However, the number 6 already appears in the table.
Thus, x is not 6.
Similarly, we already concluded that either d or f must equal 8.
Thus, x is not 8. Therefore, x = 7 is the only possibility.

3 5 1

2 7 9

6 8 4

Above figure shows the completed table and verifies that the number represented by x is indeed
7.
11. In the sequence shown, each figure after the first is formed by adding 4 squares to the previous
figure. How many squares form figure 2010?

Fig: 1
Fig: 2
Fig: 3

Sol. Figure 1 is formed with 1 square.

Figure 2 is formed with 4 + 1 squares.
Figure 3 is formed with 4 + 4 + 1 = 2 × 4 + 1 squares.
Figure 4 is formed with 4 + 4 + 4 + 1 = 3 × 4 + 1 squares.
Figure 5 is formed with 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 1 = 4 × 4 + 1 squares.
Thus, the number of groups of 4 squares needed to help from the figure is increasing by 1.
Also, in each case the number of groups of 4 squares needed is one less than the figure number.
For example, figure 6 will be formed with 5 groups of 4 squares plus 1 additional square.
In general, we can say that figure N will be formed with N – 1 groups of 4 squares, plus 1
additional square.
Thus, figure 2010 will be formed with 2009 × 4 + 1 = 8036 + 1 = 8037 squares.

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 PART-A (Sample Theory)

12. In how many ways can 101 be expressed as the sum of two integers, both greater than zero,
with the second integer greater than the first?
Sol. Beginning with the positive integer 1 as a number in the first pair, we get the sum 101 = 1 + 100.
From this point we can continue to increase the first number by one while decreasing the second
number by one, keeping the sum equal to 101.
The list of possible sums is:
101 = 1 + 100
101 = 2 + 99
101 = 3 + 98

101 = 50 + 51
After this point, the first number will no longer be smaller than the second if we continue to add
1 to the first number and subtract 1 from the second. There are 50 possible sums in all.
13. Chandni had two candles, one of which was 32 cm longer than the other. She lit the longer one
at 3 p.m. and lit the shorter one at 7 p.m. At 9 p.m., they were both the same length. The longer
one was completely burned out at 10 p.m. and the shorter one was completely burned at
midnight. The two candles burned at different, but constant, rates. What was the sum of the
original lengths of the two candles?
Sol. Since the length of the candles was equal at 9 p.m., the longer one burned out at 10 p.m., and
the shorter one burned out at midnight, then it took 1 hour for the longer candle and 3 hours for
the shorter candle to burn this equal length.
Therefore, the longer candle burned 3 times as quickly as the shorter candle.
Suppose that the shorter candle burned x cm per hour.
Then the longer candle burned 3x cm per hour.
From its lighting at 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., the longer candles burned for 6 hours, so burned 6 × 3x
= 18x cm.
From its lighting at 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., the shorter candle burned for 2 hours, so burns 2 × x = 2x
cm.
But, up to 9 p.m., the longer candle burned 32 cm more than the shorter candle, since it began
32 cm longer.
Therefore, 18x – 2x = 32 or 16x = 32 or x = 2.
The shorter candle burned for 5 hours at 2 cm per hour, so its initial length was 10 cm.
Also, the longer candle burned for 7 hours at 6 cm per hour, so its initial length was 42 cm.
Thus, the sum of the original lengths is 42 + 10 = 52 cm.
14. If three cats catch three rats in three minutes, how many cats will catch 100 rats in 100 minutes?
Sol. If it takes three cats three minutes to catch three rats, it must take them one minute to catch one
rat. If it takes them a minute for each rat, then the same three cats would catch 100 rats in 100
minutes.
15. Two persons on bicycles, 20 kilometers apart, began racing directly toward each other. The
instant they started, a honeybee on the handle bar of one bicycle started flying straight toward
the other cyclist. As soon as it reached the other handle bar it turned and started back. The
honeybee flew back and forth in this way, from handle bar to handle bar, until the two bicycles
met. If each bicycle had a constant speed of 10 kilometers an hour, and the honeybee flew at
a constant speed of 15 kilometers an hour, how far did the honeybee fly?

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 PART-A (Sample Theory)

Sol. Each bicycle travels at 10 kilometers an hour, so they will meet at the center of the 20 kilometers
distance in exactly one hour. The honeybee travels at 15 kilometers an hour, so at the end of the
hour it will have gone 15 kilometers.
16. One of the four – A, B, C and D committed a crime. A said, “I did it.” B said, “I didn’t.” C said,
“B did it.” D said, “A did it.” Who is lying?
Sol. Two of them i.e. A and D are saying that A has done it. It means that A has committed the crime.
Since only one of them is lying but C is saying ‘B did it’ which is not true. Hence C is lying.
17. Each of the following pairs of words hides a number, based on which you can arrange them in
ascending order.
Find the ascending order of digits.
P. Cloth reel
Q. Silent wonder
R. Good tone
S. Bronze rod
Sol. We can find the hidden number in each of the following groups of words.
P. Cloth reel — 3
Q. Silent wonder — 2
R. Good tone — 1
S. Bronze rod — 0
When arranged in the ascending order, the numbers are 0, 1, 2, 3.
18. On an island there are two types of inhabitants: Heroes who always tell the truth and Villains who
always lie. Four inhabitants are seated around a table. When each is asked “Are you a Hero or
a Villain?”, all four reply “Hero”. When asked “Is the person on your right a Hero or a Villain?”, all
four reply “Villain”. How many Heroes are present?
Sol. First, we note that no matter how many Heroes are present, all four would always reply “Hero”
when asked “Are you a Hero or a Villain?”. (This is because Heroes will tell the truth and answer
“Hero” and Villains will lie and answer “Hero”.) When each is asked “Is the person on your right
a Hero or a Villain?”, all four reply “Villain”, so any Hero that is at the table must have a Villain
on his right (or he would have answered “Hero”) and any Villain at the table must have a Hero
on his right (or he would have had a Villain on his right and answered “Hero”). In other words,
Heroes and Villains must alternate around the table, so there are 2 Heroes and 2 Villains.
19. In the grid shown, it is only possible to travel along an edge in the direction indicated by the arrow.
What is the number of different paths from A to F?

A B C

D E F
Sol. From A, we can travel to D, E or B.
It we travel A  D, we must then go D  E  F, following the arrows.
It we travel A  E, we must then go E  F.
If we travel A  B, we can then travel from B to E, C or F.
From E or C, we must travel directly to F.
Thus, there are 5 different paths from A to F.

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 PART-A (Sample Theory)

20. On each spin of the spinner shown, the arrow is equally likely to stop on any one of the four
numbers. Disha spins the arrow on the spinner twice. She multiplies together the two numbers
on which the arrow stops. Which product is most likely to occur?

4 1

3 2

Sol. We make a chart that lists the possible results for the first spin down the left side, the possible
results for the second spin across the top, and the product of the two results in the corresponding
cells:

1 2 3 4
1 1 2 3 4
2 2 4 6 8
3 3 6 9 12
4 4 8 12 16

Since each spin is equally likely to stop on 1, 2, 3, or 4, then each of the 16 products shown in
the chart is equally likely.
Since the product 4 appears three times in the table and this is more than any of the other
numbers, then it is the product that is most likely to occur.

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