NTS - National Testing Service Analytical Reasoning Puzzles Questions and Answers

Question 1

In a family of six (A, B, C, D, E, F), there are two married couples. B, a doctor, is the father of E. F is the grandfather of C and works as a contractor. D is the grandmother of E and is a housewife. The family has one doctor, one contractor, one nurse, one housewife, and two students. Based on this information, who is the mother of C?

Accepted Answer

A

Answer

F (grandfather) and D (grandmother) are one married couple. B (father of E) must be their son. Since there are two married couples, B is married to A, the only other adult female. C and E are grandchildren of F & D, making them siblings and the children of B and A. Therefore, A is the mother of C.

Question 2

A man starts from point P, walks 10 meters towards the East to reach point Q. He then turns to his right, walks 5 meters to reach point R. Next, he turns to his right, walks 15 meters to reach point S. Finally, he turns to his right again and walks 5 meters to reach point T. What is the direct distance between the starting point P and the final point T?

Accepted Answer

5 meters

Answer

The man's path creates a partial rectangle. He walks 10m East and then 15m West, which results in a net displacement of 5m West from his starting longitude. He walks 5m South and then 5m North, resulting in zero net displacement on the North-South axis. Therefore, the final point T is exactly 5 meters West of the starting point P.

Question 3

In a specific code language, the word 'MASTER' is coded as 'OCUVGT'. Following the same coding rule, how would the word 'LABOUR' be coded?

Accepted Answer

NCDQWT

Answer

The pattern is a simple alphabetical shift. Each letter in the original word is replaced by the letter that is two positions ahead of it in the English alphabet (M -> O, A -> C, S -> U, etc.). Applying this rule to 'LABOUR': L+2=N, A+2=C, B+2=D, O+2=Q, U+2=W, R+2=T.

Question 4

Five boxes, P, Q, R, S, and T, are of different weights. R is heavier than only T. P is heavier than S but lighter than Q. Which of the following boxes is the heaviest?

Accepted Answer

Q

Answer

The statement 'R is heavier than only T' establishes that T is the lightest and R is the second lightest (T < R). The statement 'P is heavier than S but lighter than Q' gives the order S < P < Q. Since R is only heavier than T, the other three boxes (Q, P, S) must all be heavier than R. This combines to give the complete order: T < R < S < P < Q. Therefore, Q is the heaviest.

Question 5

A manager is forming a three-person committee from employees J, K, L, M, N, and P. The committee must follow these rules:
- Either J or K must be on the committee, but not both.
- If L is on the committee, M must also be on it.
- N cannot be on the committee if L is on it.
Which of the following is an acceptable committee?

Accepted Answer

{J, L, M}

Answer

Let's test option {J, L, M}. Rule 1: J is present, K is not (Ok). Rule 2: L is present, and M is also present (Ok). Rule 3: L is present, and N is not present (Ok). All rules are satisfied. The other options violate at least one rule: {K, L, N} violates Rule 2 and 3; {J, K, P} violates Rule 1; {L, M, N} violates Rule 3.

NTS - National Testing Service Practice Test

NTS - National Testing Service Practice Test

NTS - National Testing Service Analytical Reasoning Puzzles Questions and Answers