ANALYTICAL REASONING

This area essentially consists of puzzles which can be classified into various topics,
as explained below. Two things must be borne in mind while solving puzzles:
(i) Analyze each statement/condition and convert it into symbolic notation, so as to give an
arrangement.
(ii) Take all possible arrangements into account, while making arrangements.

The following are the various topics under Analytical Reasoning

(A) LINEAR SEQUENCING: Certain entities are arranged in a row as per the
instructions/conditions given in the question. The statements/conditions provide information
about the position of these entities, with respect to other entities or with respect to positions
in the row. Proper care should be taken when interpreting the details mentioned in such
statements.

(B) SEATING ARRANGEMENT: Questions of this type, describe people seated around a table
(which could be of any regular shape – circular, rectangular, square, hexagonal, etc) or in a row
or in rows and columns. If the persons are seated in a row, the problem reduces to one on
linear sequencing, but if they are seated around a table, the shape of the table, the number of
people on each side of the table (in the case of a rectangular or hexagonal table) or around a
circular table, and other details should be considered.

(C) DISTRIBUTION/DOUBLE LINE-UP: In such problems, various elements under certain groups
are matched and they form certain combinations with the elements in the other groups.
Sometimes, a grid is formed and with the help of ‘’and ‘’ in various rows and columns, the
combinations between the elements can be formed. In solving such questions, the student is
better off drawing a table where groups are written in columns. The table should then be filled
up using the information provided and the required analysis should be done.

(D) SELECTIONS: In these type of problems, a certain number of people (or things) have to be
selected out of a group, conforming to the conditions mentioned. Many a time, these
conditions consist of connectives. For example, in a condition like “If A is selected, then B is not
selected”, you have to consider the implications and verify the choices. The correct answer
choice should not violate any of the given conditions.

(E) ORDERING & SEQUENCING: In these types of problems, some people or things are
compared with each other in terms of a measurable parameter (like height, weight, age, speed,
marks, etc,). Also, in certain questions, some people or things are arranged in a particular
sequence.

(F) ROUTES & NETWORKS: Usually in such problems, certain places are connected with each
other with the help of one way or two-way roads. When solving these kinds of problems, the
student should draw a diagram of the network. While tracing routes, the focus should be on the
direction of the incoming & the outgoing arrow marks.

(G) BINARY LOGIC: Such types of questions are gaining popularity in various MBA entrance
exams and also in Campus Recruitment aptitude tests. In these types of questions, we may
encounter some people (say three), each belonging to a different race/type/tribe/variety,
namely (i) Truth-tellers, (ii) Liars, and (iii) Alternators. Truth tellers are those who always tell the
truth, liars always speak lies and the alternators alternate between the truth and lies ,in any
order. Some questions may consist of people belonging to the same race. For example, each of
the three persons is
an alternator. While tackling problems which consist of a person belonging to a different type
out of the three types, you should look for two contradicting statements and then assume one
of them to be true and continue making the arrangement. Alternately, one person can be
assumed to be the truth-teller and an arrangement should be made by verifying the status of
each statement. If the arrangement gives rise to a contradiction or is in disagreement with the
instructions, it will
mean that our initial assumption regarding the truth-teller is wrong. Hence, we will then
assume the second person to be the truth-teller, and so on.

(H) CUBES: There are various categories of questions which are asked based on cubes : (i) when
the number of cuts made to the cube is given and the maximum number of identical pieces is to
be found; (ii) when the number of identical pieces is given and the least number of cuts
required to produce them is to be found; (iii) coloring a cube with three colors – either each
pair of opposite faces is colored the same or each pair of adjacent faces is colored the same;
(iv)throwing one die or two dice and questions based on identifying various faces as per the
given diagrams (mostly three diagrams showing three different positions); (v) placing two dice
one above the other or side by side. Questions on
these are asked in various entrance exams.

(I) VENN DIAGRAMS: This is one of the most popular topics and questions pertain to two sets,
three sets or four sets. Most of the questions that have been asked in the CAT consist of three
sets. Certain details must be taken care of when answering these questions. For example, if
there are three sets A, B and C, then the number of elements belonging to ONLY the sets A & B
will not include the number of elements belonging to set C, whereas the number of elements
belonging to sets A & B (observe that the word “only” is not mentioned), will also include those
in set C.
(J) DIRECTIONS: These types of questions pertain to the four primary directions (North, South,
East, West). These questions give the details of a person’s tour. It is recommended that a
diagram be drawn and the Pythagorean theorem be used to calculate the distances, mostly
between the starting point and the terminating point.

(K) BLOOD RELATIONS: This is a question type, in which the questions are based on family tree.
This question type is a fairly regular feature on most MBA entrance exams (other than CAT) and
Campus Recruitment tests. It is has also been given in CAT once in a way. The questions are
generally related to the following five generations (i) Grandparents, (ii) Parents, (iii) Siblings,
(iv)Children and (v) Grand children. The student must draw a diagram of the family tree,
representing the persons
in the question, generation-wise, so as to get clarity and answer all the questions with regard to
the relationships between these persons.

(L) CALENDERS: There are two types of questions which are covered under this topic – (i) when
a date and the weekday on which it falls is given and the student is required to find the
weekday on which another date (as asked in the question) falls. (ii) When there is only a date
given and a question is asked about which day of the week it falls on.

(M) QUANT-BASED REASONING: Reasoning questions in CAT often consist of some numbers or
numerals, where basic concepts of Reasoning are used to arrange the data. In such questions,
the student, apart from employing analytical skills, has to demonstrate basic quantitative
aptitude.

MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS WHICH APPEAR IN MBA ENTRANCE EXAMS OTHER

THAN CAT: Following are some more topics which generally appear in other MBA entrance
exams.
(i) Coding Decoding.
(ii) Number Series.
(iii) Letter Series.
(iv) Analogies.
(v) Odd man out.
(vi) Non-verbal Reasoning.
(vii) Input and Output.
(viii) Decision Making.

CAT Analytical Reasoning: Introduction

 CAT Analytical Reasoning is one of the most important topics with respect to the CAT exam and
other MBA entrance exams. Probing the candidate on his reasoning skills, the topic is
essentially a test of your temperament. On the one hand, this question type hardly requires you
to be in possession of any previous knowledge, and on the other, it requires you to possess an
ability to think on your feet. The best way to prepare for Analytical Reasoning is to expose
yourself to multifarious question types and make sure you are able to develop an approach for
a variety of contexts. Let's explore some more tips and tricks for this topic that will help you
gain a competitive edge.

CAT Analytical Reasoning: Tips and Tricks

 Read Carefully: Read the information given in the Analytical sets very carefully. Remember, the
devil is in the detail.
 Do not use prior INFORMATION: NEVER assume or use any information that is not given in the
directions. Remember, this is not an assessment of how much you know; this section tests your
logical and analytical ability and checks how well you interpret the information given and how
intelligently you derive the information required for answering the questions.
 Pay special attention to Special words: Many times you will encounter some special words like
"could be" or "must be" etc. Do underline or circle such words. These words can change your
answer completely. "Could be" or "may be" is different from "must be" as the former deals with
one of the possible outcomes whereas the latter deals with the outcome which is essential as
per the conditions mentioned. The solved examples at the end of the article would further clear
your doubts about this little tip.
 Knowledge of basic terminologies: You should acquire the basic knowledge with regards to
directions, relations, sitting arrangements, rules of games (like those in cricket about runs,
overs etc., in football/hockey about goals-for, goals- against etc.), shares, debentures, playing
cards etc. for easy and quick understanding of the case-lets.
 Universal conditions and Local conditions: There are universal conditions, which all questions
must satisfy at all times and there are local conditions, which are followed by particular
questions. These local conditions are specific for a particular question only and always keep this
in mind. When you move to the next question, you have to abide by the universal conditions
along with any local condition given within this very question, if any.
Practice hard: Practice makes a man perfect and Analytical Reasoning is no exception to this. As
the scope is limited in this section, unlike Quantitative Aptitude, practice is the only way to
acquaint yourself with the different problems and attain perfection.

WORKSHEET

Questions 1- 4
Three men (Tom, Peter and Jack) and three women (Eliza, Anne and Karen) are spending a few
months at a hillside. They are to stay in a row of nine cottages, each one living in his or her own
cottage. There are no others staying in the same row of houses.

1. Anne, Tom and Jack do not want to stay in any cottage, which is at the end of the row.
2. Eliza and Anne are unwilling to stay besides any occupied cottage..
3. Karen is next to Peter and Jack.
4. Between Anne and Jack's cottage there is just one vacant house.
5. None of the girls occupy adjacent cottages.
6. The house occupied by Tom is next to an end cottage.

1. How many of them occupy cottages next to a vacant cottage?

(A) 2 (B) 3 (C) 3 (D) 4
2. Who among the following can occupy one of the end cottages?
(A) Eliza (B) Peter (C) Anne (D) Both (A) & (C) possible
3. In how many ways can they occupy the cottages based on the given set of conditions?
(A) 1 way (B) 2 ways (C) 3 ways (D) 4 ways
4. If the end cottage that is occupied is numbered as 1 & the others are numbered in order
then
which of the cottages are sequentially occupied?
(A) 1,2,3,4 (B) 3,4,5,6 (C) 5,6,7,8 (D) 4,5,6,7

Question 5 – 10
Nine individuals - Z, Y, X, W, V, U, T, S and R - are the only candidates, who can serve on three
committees-- A, B and C, and each candidate should serve on exactly one of the committees.
Committee A should consist of exactly one member more than committee B.
It is possible that there are no members of committee C.
Among Z, Y and X none can serve on committee A.
Among W, V and U none can serve on committee B.
Among T, S and R none can serve on committee C.

5. In case T and Z are the individuals serving on committee B, how many of the nine
individuals should serve on committee C?
(A) 3 (B) 4 (C) 5 (D) 6
 6. Of the nine individuals, the largest number that can serve together on committee C is
(A) 3 (B) 4 (C) 5 (D) 6

7. In case R is the only individual serving on committee B, which among the following
should serve on committee A?
(A) W and S (B) V & U (C) V & T (D) T & S
8. In case any of the nine individuals serves on committee C, which among the following
should be
the candidate to serve on committee A?
(A) Z (B) Y (C) W (D) T
9. In case T, S and X are the only individuals serving on committee B, then the members of
committee C should be:
(A) Z & Y (B)Z & W (C) Y & V (D) X & V
10. Among the following combinations which could constitute the membership of
committee C?
(A) Y and T (B) X and U (C) Y, X and W (D) Z, X, U and R

Questions 11 - 14
Six scientists A, B, C, D, E, and F are to present a paper each at a one-day conference. Three of
them will present their papers in the morning session before the lunch break whereas the
other three will be presented in the afternoon session. The lectures have to be scheduled in
such a way that they comply with the following restrictions:
B's should present his paper immediately before C's presentation; their presentations cannot
be separated by the lunch break.
D must be either the first or the last scientist to present his paper.
11. In case C is to be the fifth scientist to present his paper, then B must be
(A)First (B) Second (c)Third (D)Fourth
12. B could be placed for any of the following places in the order of presenters EXCEPT
(A)First (B) Second (c)Third (D)Fourth
13. In case F is to present his paper immediately after D presents his paper, C could be
scheduled for which of the following places in the order of presenters?
(A)Second (b)Third (c)Fourth (D)Fifth
14.In case F and E are the fifth and sixth presenters respectively then which of the following
must be true?
A. A is first in the order of presenters.
B. A is third in the order of presenters.
C. A is fourth in the order of presenters.
D. B is first in the order of presenters.
Questions 15 - 20
.
Eight friends Qadir, Rakesh, Satish, Tarun, Vishwas, Wazir, Yusuf and Zakir are sitting around a
circular table facing the centre. 3 friends are males and the rest are females. The following
conditions are followed by the group:
• Vishwas sits second to the right of his wife.
• Satish sits third to the right of Vishwas.
• Wazir sits second to the right of her husband Zakir.
• Zakir is not an immediate neighbour of Vishwas’s wife.
• Tarun is a female.
• Yusuf is not an immediate neighbour of Vishwas.
• Rakesh sits second to the right of Qadir.
• No two males are immediate neighbors of each other.

15. What is the position of Tarun with respect to Zakir?

(a) First to the left
(b) Immediately to the right
(c) Second to the left
(d) Fourth to the right

16. Which of the following statements regarding Satish is definitely correct?

(a) Satish is one of the male members of the group
(b) Both the immediate neighbours of Satish are females
(c) Satish sits fourth to the left of T
(d) Wazir is an immediate neighbour of Satish

17. Vishawas’s wife is:

(a) Qadir
(b) Yusuf
(c) Rakesh
(d) Tarun

18. Rakesh is seated immediately between:

(a) Two Males
(b) Two females
(c) One male and one female
(d) Cannot be determined
19. Who sits next to Zakir?
(a) Rakesh and Vishwas
(b) Rakesh and Wazir
(c) Rakesh and Satish
(d) Satish and Vishwas

20. Minimum how many people sit between Rakesh and Tarun?
(a) None
(b) One
(c) Two
(d) Three

Questions 21 - 25
Directions: Study the following information carefully and answer the questions given below:
B, M, K, H, T, R, D, W and A are sitting around a circle facing at the centre. R is third to the right
of B. H is second to the right of A who is second to the right of R. K is third to the right of T who
is not an immediate neighbor of H. D is second to the left of T. M is fourth to the right of W.
21. Who is to the immediate left of W?
(A) R
(B) T
(C) B
(D) None of these

22. Who is third to the left of M?

(A) B
(B) W
(C) K
(D) None of these

23. Who is third to the left of H?

(A) A
(B) T
(C) K
(D) R

24. Who is to the immediate left of D?

(A) H
(B) M
(C) B
(D) Data inadequate
 25. In which of the following combinations is the third person sitting in between the first and
the second persons?
(A) WTR
(B) WKR
(C) MHD
(D) RAM

CAT 2006 AR SET: (Selection based questions)

K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, U and W are the only ten members in a department. There is a proposal to

form a team from within the members of the department, subject to the following conditions:
The size of a team is defined as the no. of members in the team.
 A team must include exactly one among P, R, and S.
 A team must include either M or Q, but not both.
 If a team includes K, then it must also include L, and vice versa.
 If a team includes one among S, U, & W, then it must also include the other two.
 L & N cannot be members of the same team.
 L & U cannot be members of the same team.
Q.1 Who cannot be a member of a team of size 3?
1. L
2. M
3. N
4. P
5.Q

Q.2 What would be the size of the largest possible team?

1. 8
2.7
3.6
4. 5
5. Can't Say
Q.3 In how many ways a team can be constituted so that the team includes N?
1. 2
2. 3
3. 4
4. 5
5. 6

Solution: In this case, it is mentioned that exactly one among P, R, S can be there in a team.
This means only one of these will be there in the team. Also either M or Q must be there but
they cannot be there together in the team. K and L will always be together either inside or
outside the team. Similarly S, U, W will be together either inside or outside the team. L cannot
be with either N or U in the team. These are the conditions given in the questions.
Sol 1: From the conditions it is very clear that one among P, R, S will definitely be there in the
team along with either M or Q. That means two persons are fixed. Now we need one more
person as team size should be of 3. Now if L is there then K must be there and thus team can
never be of 3 persons with L. Hence, the answer is the first option.
Sol 2: This is simply a hit and trial process. Go on forming largest possible team with the
conditions mentioned. You will find maximum size possible is 5 like S, U, W, M, N. The reason
for this to be maximum is as S is taken, P and R are rejected. M is taken so Q is rejected. U being
there L is rejected, along with that K automatically gets rejected. Hence, the answer is the
fourth option.
Sol 3:In this question the condition is that 'N' must be there in the team. Now the size of team is
not given that means any size would be appropriate. Thus start forming teams with 'N'.
NMP, NQP, NMR, NQR, SUWNM, SUWNQ are the required teams. Hence, the answer is the fifth
option.
CAT 2000 AR set: ( Quant based Reasoning)

A person can have at the most 10 books. At least one book of Maths, Quality control, Physics
and Fine Arts. For every Maths book more than two Fine Arts books are required. For every
Quality control book more than two Physics books are required. Maths, Quality Control, Physics
& Fine Arts books carry 4, 3, 2 and 1 points respectively. Find the maximum points that can be
earned?

Solution:

In this case, one can have at the most 10 books; at least one each of all the four subjects. Now it
is given that for every Maths book more than two Fine Arts books are required. Here more than
two indirectly means at least three as question is talking about books and the required number
has to be integral. Thus, if one maths book is there, then minimum three Fine Arts books are
required and similarly, if one Quality Control book is there, then at least three Physics books are
required. Now if we take one book of Maths, one of Quality Control, three of Physics and three
of Fine Arts then we have total of eight books while we can have a maximum of ten books. Now
in order to maximize the points our intention is to use all the books. Now the question arises
for which subject we should select the two remaining books. Now Maths and Quality Control
books cannot be used as then in that case we need to allot certain books for Fine Arts and
Physics also and that is not possible so only option left with us to allot the two books with
Physics subjects to maximize the points. So, the final configuration would be M-1, QC-1, P-
3+2=5, FA–3. Calculating points: (1*4) + (1*3) + (5*2) + (3*1) = 20. Thus, the answer is 20.