Generic Puzzles Important Notes | Logical Reasoning (LR) and Data Interpretation (DI) - CAT PDF Download

Introduction

Reasoning puzzles stand out as a prominent question type in various aptitude examinations. This book organizes reasoning chapters into specific categories like arrangements, rankings, etc., preceding this comprehensive chapter.

This chapter encompasses puzzles that don't neatly fit into those specific categories. These puzzles challenge individuals to align multiple factors such as names, shirt colors, places of living, car models, etc. The key skills crucial for solving puzzle questions include:

• Proficiency in constructing a relevant tabular structure to seamlessly incorporate the provided clues. For example, consider five people (A, B, C, D, E) wearing shirts of five colors (red, yellow, green, blue, white) and drinking five kinds of soft drinks (Coke, Pepsi, Mirinda, Thums Up, Seven Up). The solution table structure aids in establishing a clear correlation between the three variables.
• The ability to sequence clues in the correct order of usage, aligning with the principles of logical reasoning. This involves identifying and utilizing direct clues first to lay the groundwork for problem-solving.
• The capacity to understand the implications of indirect clues and effectively use them in the solution process.
• The skill of transforming language-based clues into visual cues, reducing the need for repetitive reading. This conversion from language to visuals is crucial for grasping all the clues at once.

The following illustrations provide step-by-step solutions to typical puzzle questions. It is recommended to attempt solving the questions independently before consulting the detailed solutions provided.

Solved Examples

Illustration 1

Direction: At a fancy dress party, Mr. Abhimanyu, Mrs. Bablu, Mrs. Chanchal, Mr. Dyan, and Mr. Elite attended. They dressed as specific objects representing their professions: a leaf, a pen, a fork, a camera reel, and a stethoscope. The corresponding professions were photographer, gardener, compounder, teacher, and cook.
Given clues:
(i) Mr. Abhimanyu is a teacher.
(ii) Neither Mrs. Bablu nor Mrs. Chanchal was dressed as a fork.
(iii) None of the men is a compounder.
(iv) Mr. Dyan is dressed as a camera reel.
(v) Mrs. Chanchal is a gardener.
(vi) Each person wore a costume relevant to his profession only. For example, the pen was worn by the teacher, the camera reel by the photographer, etc.
Now, let's answer the questions:
Q1: Which person is dressed as a stethoscope?
(a) Mr. Abhimanyu
(b) Mrs. Bablu
(c) Mrs. Chanchal
(d) Mr. Dyan

Q2: What is Mr. Elite's profession?
(a) Cook
(b) Gardener
(c) Compounder
(d) Teacher
Solution: Putting the direct clues (i) and (iv) in the table, we get:

At this point, if we use clue (ii), it is evident that it must be Mr. Elite who is dressed as a fork. Also, using clue (v) Mrs. Chanchal is a gardener completes the solution.

Mrs. Bablu would be the compounder.
The solutions are:
1. Mrs. Bablu. Option (b) is correct.
2. Elite is the cook. Option (a) is correct.

Illustration 2

Direction: Read the information and answer the question.
Four engineers, designated as CE, SE, EE and AE, read a certain number of newspapers early in the morning.
One of them reads four newspapers, another reads three newspapers, the third reads two newspapers while the fourth one reads one newspaper. Below are some additional facts regarding the names of these officers:
(i) Naina is not the EE.
(ii) Hamleys is the AE.
(iii) Naina is not the CE and he reads more number of newspapers than Lalu.
(iv) The one who is the CE, reads more number of newspapers than Lalu .
(v) The person, who is the SE reads the maximum number of newspapers.
(vi) Bryan does not read two newspapers.
Q: Which of the following statements is necessarily true?
(a) Hamleys is the AE and reads two newspapers.
(b) Lalu is the EE and reads one newspaper.
(c) Bryan is the CE and reads three newspapers.
(d) Naina is the EE and reads four newspapers.
Solution: From statement (ii), Hamleys is AE. From Statements (i) and (iii), Naina is not the CE or the EE. Hence Naina is the SE and reads 4 newspapers as from Statement (v). From statement (iv), Lalu is not the CE; this obviously means that Lalu is the EE and Bryan is the CE. From statement (iv) and (vi), Bryan reads three newspapers. As he reads more than at least one person, we cannot allocate one newspaper to him. Hence, Bryan must read three newspapers. Hence, the final distribution is as follows:

Hence, option (c) is the correct answer.