# Logical Reasoning Questions with Answers

12 logical reasoning questions of the kind Indian placement tests set, each with the correct option and a step-by-step solution.

_Source: Astra (https://useastra.in). Updated 2026-09-05._

### 1. Pointing to a photograph of a boy, Suresh said, 'He is the son of the only son of my mother.' How is Suresh related to that boy in the photograph?

A. Father
B. Brother
C. Uncle
D. Grandfather

**Answer:** A

**Solution:** Let's break down the statement from Suresh's perspective: 1. 'my mother': This refers to Suresh's mother. 2. 'the only son of my mother': Assuming Suresh is male (which is implied by the name and context), the 'only son' of his mother must be Suresh himself. 3. 'He is the son of...': This 'He' is the boy in the photograph. 4. Combining them: 'He is the son of [Suresh].' Therefore, the boy in the photograph is Suresh's son. The question asks how Suresh is related to the boy. If the boy is his son, Suresh is the boy's **Father**. This is a classic test of processing nested identity statements.

### 2. Statements: 1. All cats are animals. 2. Some animals are dogs. Conclusions: 1. Some cats are dogs. 2. Some dogs are cats. Which conclusion, if any, follows?

A. Only conclusion 1 follows
B. Only conclusion 2 follows
C. Both follow
D. Neither follows

**Answer:** D

**Solution:** **Neither conclusion follows.** Let's analyze this using a Venn Diagram. We draw a large circle for 'Animals'. Inside this circle, we must draw a complete circle for 'Cats' (satisfying 'All cats are animals'). Now, for 'Some animals are dogs', we must draw a circle for 'Dogs' that *overlaps* with the 'Animals' circle. However, the statements do *not* require the 'Dogs' circle to overlap with the 'Cats' circle. It is possible that they overlap, but it is also possible that they are completely separate (e.g., cats are animals, dogs are animals, but cats and dogs are distinct). Since the conclusion 'Some cats are dogs' is not *necessarily* true, it is an invalid conclusion. The same logic applies to 'Some dogs are cats'. Therefore, neither conclusion is logically guaranteed.

### 3. In a certain code, 'MONDAY' is written as 'NPOEBZ'. How is 'FRIDAY' written in the same code?

A. GSJDBZ
B. GSJECZ
C. GSJEBZ
D. HSJEBZ

**Answer:** C

**Solution:** Compare MONDAY with its code letter by letter: M->N, O->P, N->O, D->E, A->B, Y->Z. Every letter moves forward by one position in the alphabet (a +1 shift). Apply the same +1 shift to FRIDAY: F->G, R->S, I->J, D->E, A->B, Y->Z. Therefore FRIDAY is coded as GSJEBZ.

### 4. A man starts walking North. After walking 15 meters, he turns right and walks 20 meters. He then turns left and walks 10 meters. Finally, he turns left again and walks 20 meters. How far and in which direction is he from his starting point?

A. 25 m North
B. 25 m South
C. 20 m East
D. 45 m North

**Answer:** A

**Solution:** Let's trace the path. The starting point is (0,0). 1. Walks 15 meters North. New position: (0, 15). 2. Turns right (to East) and walks 20 meters. New position: (20, 15). 3. Turns left (to North) and walks 10 meters. New position: (20, 15 + 10) = (20, 25). 4. Turns left (to West) and walks 20 meters. New position: (20 - 20, 25) = (0, 25). The final position is (0, 25). The starting position was (0, 0). The final East-West displacement is 0. The final North-South displacement is +25. This means the man is 25 meters away from his starting point. Since the displacement is positive on the North-South axis, he is 25 meters to the **North** of his starting point.

### 5. Five friends, P, Q, R, S, and T, are sitting in a straight line facing North. S is sitting between T and Q. Q is sitting to the immediate left of R. P is sitting at the extreme left end. Who is sitting in the middle?

A. T
B. S
C. Q
D. R

**Answer:** B

**Solution:** Let's build the arrangement based on the clues. There are 5 positions: _ _ _ _ _ (facing North). 1. 'P is sitting at the extreme left end.' P _ _ _ _. 2. 'Q is sitting to the immediate left of R.' This means Q and R are a pair (QR). 3. 'S is sitting between T and Q.' This means the sequence is either (T S Q) or (Q S T). Let's combine these clues. We know we have the (QR) pair. If the sequence is (T S Q), the combined block is (T S Q R). We can place this block in the 4 empty spots: P (T S Q R). This fits perfectly. Let's check the other possibility, (Q S T). This would mean a block (Q S T) and a separate R. We also have the (QR) pair. This means (Q S T) is not possible, as Q must be next to R. So, the arrangement must be T, S, Q, R. Let's re-evaluate. Clue 2: (QR) is a block. Clue 3: (T S Q) or (Q S T). Since (QR) must be true, the (T S Q) block must be the one, and it must be placed *before* R. This gives us (T S Q R). Now, combine with Clue 1: 'P is at the extreme left.' The full arrangement is: P T S Q R. The 5 friends are P, T, S, Q, R. The person sitting in the middle (the 3rd position) is **S**.

### 6. Look at this series: 7, 10, 8, 11, 9, 12, ... What number should come next in the sequence?

A. 9
B. 10
C. 13
D. 11

**Answer:** B

**Solution:** This is an alternating series. There are two separate sequences here. The first sequence is: 7, 8, 9, ... (the 1st, 3rd, 5th numbers). The rule for this sequence is +1. The second sequence is: 10, 11, 12, ... (the 2nd, 4th, 6th numbers). The rule for this sequence is also +1. We need to find the 7th number in the total series, which means we need to find the 4th number in the *first* sequence. The first sequence is (7, 8, 9, ...). The next number in this sequence is 9 + 1 = 10. Therefore, the next number in the full series is 10. The series would continue: 7, 10, 8, 11, 9, 12, **10**, 13, 11, 14, ...

### 7. Find the odd one out from the following group: 1. Circle 2. Square 3. Triangle 4. Rectangle 5. Cube.

A. Circle
B. Triangle
C. Rectangle
D. Cube

**Answer:** D

**Solution:** The items in the group are: Circle, Square, Triangle, Rectangle, and Cube. We must find the shared property. Circle, Square, Triangle, and Rectangle are all **2-dimensional (2D) shapes**. They can be drawn flat on a piece of paper and have properties like area and perimeter. A **Cube** is a **3-dimensional (3D) solid**. It has properties like volume and surface area, in addition to having 2D faces. Because 'Cube' is a 3D object while all the others are 2D shapes, 'Cube' is the odd one out. The classification is based on the dimension of the geometric figure.

### 8. Statements: 1. Some pearls are gems. 2. All gems are diamonds. Conclusions: 1. All pearls are diamonds. 2. Some pearls are diamonds. Which conclusion follows?

A. Only conclusion 1 follows
B. Only conclusion 2 follows
C. Both follow
D. Neither follows

**Answer:** B

**Solution:** **Conclusion 2 (Some pearls are diamonds) follows.** Let's use a Venn Diagram. 1. 'All gems are diamonds': Draw a large circle for 'Diamonds' and draw a smaller circle for 'Gems' *completely inside* the 'Diamonds' circle. 2. 'Some pearls are gems': Draw a circle for 'Pearls' that *must overlap* with the 'Gems' circle. Because the 'Gems' circle is *entirely inside* the 'Diamonds' circle, the part of the 'Pearls' circle that overlaps with 'Gems' *must also* be inside the 'Diamonds' circle. Therefore, we can be 100% certain that *at least some* pearls are diamonds (specifically, the ones that are gems). Conclusion 1 ('All pearls are diamonds') does not follow, because the 'Pearls' circle only has to *partially* overlap with 'Gems'; it could extend outside the 'Diamonds' circle.

### 9. Question: Is x greater than y? Statement 1: x + y = 10. Statement 2: x - y = 4.

A. Statement 1 alone is sufficient
B. Statement 2 alone is sufficient
C. Both together are sufficient
D. Neither is sufficient

**Answer:** B

**Solution:** Let's analyze the statements. The target question is: Is x > y? **Statement 1: x + y = 10.** This statement alone is not sufficient. If x=5 and y=5, then x is not greater than y. If x=6 and y=4, then x *is* greater than y. Since we can get both 'yes' and 'no' answers, Statement 1 is not sufficient. **Statement 2: x - y = 4.** This statement *is* sufficient. It explicitly says x = y + 4. This means x is *always* 4 more than y, so x will *always* be greater than y. We can answer the target question with a definite 'yes'. We don't need to know the values, just that the condition is met. **Conclusion:** Since Statement 2 alone is sufficient to answer the question, but Statement 1 alone is not, the correct answer is that **Statement 2 alone is sufficient**.

### 10. Statements: 1. All apples are bananas. 2. All bananas are grapes. Conclusions: 1. All apples are grapes. 2. Some grapes are apples. Which conclusion follows?

A. Only conclusion 1 follows
B. Only conclusion 2 follows
C. Both follow
D. Neither follows

**Answer:** C

**Solution:** **Both conclusions follow (1 and 2).** Let's use a Venn Diagram. 1. 'All apples are bananas': Draw a circle for 'Apples' completely inside a larger circle for 'Bananas'. 2. 'All bananas are grapes': Draw a larger circle for 'Grapes' completely enclosing the 'Bananas' circle. From this diagram, we can clearly see that the 'Apples' circle is *also* completely inside the 'Grapes' circle. **Conclusion 1: 'All apples are grapes.'** This is definitively true based on the diagram. This is a classic transitive property. **Conclusion 2: 'Some grapes are apples.'** Since all apples are inside the grape circle, it means that at least *some* part of the 'Grapes' circle (the part that is also 'Apples') is 'Apples'. This is also definitively true. If 'All A are G', then 'Some G are A' must also be true (assuming A exists).

### 11. Statements: 1. Some keys are locks. 2. Some locks are doors. Conclusions: 1. Some keys are doors. 2. No key is a door. Which conclusion follows?

A. Only conclusion 1 follows
B. Only conclusion 2 follows
C. Both follow
D. Neither follows

**Answer:** D

**Solution:** **Neither conclusion follows.** Let's use a Venn Diagram. 1. 'Some keys are locks': Draw two overlapping circles for 'Keys' and 'Locks'. 2. 'Some locks are doors': Draw a circle for 'Doors' that *must* overlap with the 'Locks' circle. However, there is no rule stating that the 'Doors' circle must also overlap with the 'Keys' circle. It *could* overlap, or it *could* be completely separate from the 'Keys' circle (while still overlapping with 'Locks'). Since we cannot be 100% certain that 'Some keys are doors' (Conclusion 1), we cannot accept it. For the same reason, we cannot be 100% certain that 'No key is a door' (Conclusion 2). Since both scenarios are possible, no definite conclusion can be drawn.

### 12. Statements: 1. No fan is a table. 2. All tables are chairs. Conclusions: 1. No fan is a chair. 2. Some chairs are not fans. Which conclusion follows?

A. Only conclusion 1 follows
B. Only conclusion 2 follows
C. Both follow
D. Neither follows

**Answer:** B

**Solution:** **Only Conclusion 2 follows.** Let's analyze using Venn Diagrams. 1. 'No fan is a table': Draw two completely separate, non-overlapping circles for 'Fan' and 'Table'. 2. 'All tables are chairs': Draw a larger circle for 'Chairs' that completely encloses the 'Table' circle. Now, let's check the relationship between 'Fan' and 'Chair'. We know the 'Fan' circle cannot touch the 'Table' circle. However, the 'Fan' circle *could* overlap with the 'Chair' circle in the area that is *not* 'Table'. Or it *could* be completely separate from the 'Chair' circle too. **Conclusion 1: 'No fan is a chair.'** This is not necessarily true. It's possible for a fan to be a chair. **Conclusion 2: 'Some chairs are not fans.'** This *is* necessarily true. We know that all 'Tables' are 'Chairs'. We also know that no 'Table' is a 'Fan'. Therefore, the part of the 'Chair' circle that is also 'Table' *cannot* be 'Fan'. This guarantees that there is at least *some* portion of 'Chairs' (i.e., the tables) that are not 'Fans'.

Full section: https://useastra.in/aptitude-questions/topic/logical-reasoning