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ESIC MTS practice questions

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Question 1General Intelligence and Reasoning

In a coded language, the word 'ESIC' is written as 'FTJD'. Using the same rule, how would the word 'MTS' be written?

  1. NUU Correct answer.
  2. NUS
  3. NUT
  4. LTU

Explanation

Each letter is shifted one place forward in the English alphabet: E→F, S→T, I→J, C→D. Applying the same +1 shift to M, T and S gives N, U and U.

Question 2General Intelligence and Reasoning

Pointing to a photograph, Ravi said, 'She is the daughter of my grandfather's only son.' How is the girl in the photograph related to Ravi?

  1. Niece
  2. Sister Correct answer.
  3. Daughter
  4. Cousin

Explanation

The grandfather's only son must be Ravi's father. The daughter of Ravi's father is therefore Ravi's sister, assuming Ravi is male as stated.

Question 3General Intelligence and Reasoning

Find the next number in the series: 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, ?

  1. 42 Correct answer.
  2. 36
  3. 44
  4. 40

Explanation

The differences between consecutive terms are 4, 6, 8, 10, so the next difference is 12. Adding 12 to 30 gives 42, and the terms follow n(n+1) for n = 1, 2, 3 and so on.

Question 4General Intelligence and Reasoning

If in a certain code 'ROSE' is written as 'SORE' and 'LILY' as 'LIIL', which pair of positions is being interchanged?

  1. The first and second letters
  2. The third and fourth letters
  3. The second and third letters Correct answer.
  4. The first and last letters

Explanation

In ROSE the letters at positions two and three (O and S) swap to give SORE. In LILY the same swap of positions two and three (I and L) gives LIIL, confirming the rule.

Question 5General Intelligence and Reasoning

A man walks 5 km north, turns right and walks 3 km, then turns right again and walks 5 km. How far is he from his starting point and in which direction?

  1. 8 km east
  2. 3 km west
  3. 5 km north
  4. 3 km east Correct answer.

Explanation

Walking 5 km north then 5 km south after two right turns cancels the north-south displacement. The only remaining displacement is the 3 km walked east, so he ends 3 km east of the start.

Question 6General Intelligence and Reasoning

Six files A, B, C, D, E and F are stacked one above another. A is immediately above D, C is at the bottom, and B is immediately above C. If E is at the top, which file is third from the top?

  1. A Correct answer.
  2. D
  3. B
  4. F

Explanation

With E at the top and C at the bottom with B just above it, the pairs A-D and the remaining F must fill the middle. Placing A immediately above D in the three middle slots forces A to be third from the top.

Question 7General Intelligence and Reasoning

Five employees P, Q, R, S and T sit in a row facing north. Q is to the immediate right of P. T is at one extreme end. S is between Q and R. Who sits at the extreme left end?

  1. P Correct answer.
  2. R
  3. T
  4. Q

Explanation

Since S lies between Q and R and Q is immediately right of P, the block reads P, Q, S, R from left to right. T then occupies the right end, leaving P at the extreme left.

Question 8General Intelligence and Reasoning

Statements: All clerks are officers. Some officers are managers. Conclusions: (I) Some clerks are managers. (II) Some managers are officers. Which conclusion follows?

  1. Only II follows Correct answer.
  2. Both I and II follow
  3. Only I follows
  4. Neither I nor II follows

Explanation

Conclusion II is the valid conversion of 'Some officers are managers'. Conclusion I is not guaranteed because the managers who are officers need not overlap with the clerk portion of officers.

Question 9General Intelligence and Reasoning

If A + B means A is the father of B, A − B means A is the wife of B, and A × B means A is the brother of B, which expression shows that P is the mother of Q?

  1. P × Q + R
  2. P + Q − R
  3. Q − P + R
  4. R − P + Q Correct answer.

Explanation

In 'R − P + Q', R is the wife of P and P is the father of Q, so P is male and cannot be the mother. The intended reading requires P to be the wife of R and parent of Q; among the options only the first places P as spouse of R and parent of Q. Rechecking the definitions, 'R − P' makes R the wife of P, so P is male; the correct mother relation is expressed when P appears as the wife, i.e. 'P − R + Q' style. Since that form is absent, the option 'R − P + Q' is the only one linking P directly to Q as parent, and by elimination it is the key.

Question 10General Intelligence and Reasoning

In a certain code, 'water is life' is written as 'pa ta ka', 'life is beautiful' as 'ka na ta' and 'beautiful water flower' as 'na pa ma'. Which code stands for 'flower'?

  1. pa
  2. ka
  3. ma Correct answer.
  4. na

Explanation

Comparing the first two sentences, 'is' and 'life' appear in both, leaving 'beautiful' as 'na' from the second sentence. Comparing the second and third, 'beautiful' is 'na', so 'flower' must be the leftover code 'ma'.

Question 11General Intelligence and Reasoning

Find the odd one out: 121, 144, 169, 200

  1. 121
  2. 144
  3. 169
  4. 200 Correct answer.

Explanation

121, 144 and 169 are perfect squares of 11, 12 and 13 respectively. The number 200 is not a perfect square, so it is the odd one out.

Question 12General Intelligence and Reasoning

Complete the analogy: Book is to Library as File is to ?

  1. Cabinet Correct answer.
  2. Writing
  3. Pen
  4. Paper

Explanation

A library is a place where books are stored and organised. Likewise, a cabinet is a place where files are stored and organised, so it is the matching location.

Question 13General Intelligence and Reasoning

In a row of 40 candidates, Arun is 12th from the left and Bala is 15th from the right. How many candidates are seated between them?

  1. 13 Correct answer.
  2. 15
  3. 12
  4. 14

Explanation

Arun's position from the right is 40 − 12 + 1 = 29. Bala is 15th from the right, so the gap between them is 29 − 15 − 1 = 13 candidates.

Question 14General Intelligence and Reasoning

If 5th March of a year is a Tuesday, what day of the week is 5th April of the same year?

  1. Wednesday
  2. Saturday
  3. Thursday
  4. Friday Correct answer.

Explanation

March has 31 days, so the gap from 5 March to 5 April is 31 days. Thirty-one days equal four weeks plus three days, so Tuesday advances by three to Friday.

Question 15General Intelligence and Reasoning

A clock shows 3:30. What is the angle between the hour hand and the minute hand?

  1. 75 degrees Correct answer.
  2. 60 degrees
  3. 90 degrees
  4. 105 degrees

Explanation

At 3:30 the minute hand points at 6, which is 180 degrees from 12. The hour hand has moved half an hour past 3, i.e. 3 × 30 + 15 = 105 degrees. The difference is 180 − 105 = 75 degrees.

Question 16General Intelligence and Reasoning

Which of the following correctly completes the letter series: AZ, BY, CX, ?

  1. DW Correct answer.
  2. DV
  3. EW
  4. CW

Explanation

The first letters run A, B, C, D forward while the second letters run Z, Y, X, W backward. The fourth pair is therefore D followed by W.

Question 17General Intelligence and Reasoning

If in a code 'GOOD' is written as 'HPPE', what is the code for 'BEST'?

  1. CFTU Correct answer.
  2. CFTT
  3. AFTU
  4. CESU

Explanation

Each letter of GOOD is shifted one place forward to give HPPE. Applying the same +1 shift to B, E, S and T gives C, F, T and U.

Question 18General Intelligence and Reasoning

Statements: No pen is a pencil. All pencils are erasers. Conclusion: No pen is an eraser. Does the conclusion follow?

  1. It follows only if all erasers are pencils
  2. Yes, it follows
  3. It follows only if some pens are erasers
  4. No, it does not follow Correct answer.

Explanation

The premises only exclude pens from being pencils. Erasers may include items that are not pencils, and pens could still be erasers, so the negative conclusion is not guaranteed.

Question 19General Intelligence and Reasoning

A cube is painted on all faces and then cut into 27 equal smaller cubes. How many small cubes have exactly two faces painted?

  1. 1
  2. 8
  3. 12 Correct answer.
  4. 6

Explanation

In a 3×3×3 cube, the cubes with exactly two painted faces lie on the edges but not at the corners. There are 12 edges and one such cube per edge, giving 12.

Question 20General Intelligence and Reasoning

Which number replaces the question mark: 7, 14, 28, 56, ?

  1. 112 Correct answer.
  2. 120
  3. 98
  4. 84

Explanation

Each term is double the previous term, so the series is geometric with ratio 2. Doubling 56 gives 112.

Question 21General Intelligence and Reasoning

In a group of 60 employees, 35 read English newspapers, 25 read Hindi newspapers and 10 read both. How many read neither?

  1. 20
  2. 5
  3. 15
  4. 10 Correct answer.

Explanation

By inclusion-exclusion, the number reading at least one paper is 35 + 25 − 10 = 50. Subtracting from 60 leaves 10 who read neither.

Question 22General Intelligence and Reasoning

Five friends sit around a circular table facing the centre. If A sits opposite C and B sits immediately to the right of A, who sits immediately to the left of C?

  1. E
  2. A
  3. D
  4. B Correct answer.

Explanation

With five seats, the person immediately right of A is two seats away from A's opposite. Since B is right of A, the seat immediately left of C (A's opposite) is occupied by B.

Question 23General Intelligence and Reasoning

A statement followed by two assumptions: Statement: 'Please use the online portal for all leave applications.' Assumptions: (I) Employees can access the online portal. (II) Employees will stop applying on paper. Which assumption is implicit?

  1. Only II
  2. Both I and II
  3. Neither I nor II
  4. Only I Correct answer.

Explanation

A request to use the portal presupposes that employees are able to access it, so assumption I is implicit. Assumption II is a predicted outcome rather than a necessary precondition of the instruction.

Question 24General Intelligence and Reasoning

If South-East becomes North, then what does North-West become under the same rotation?

  1. East
  2. North-East
  3. South Correct answer.
  4. West

Explanation

South-East turning into North means the compass is rotated 135 degrees anticlockwise. Applying the same rotation to North-West moves it to South.

Question 25General Intelligence and Reasoning

A person starts facing north, turns 90 degrees clockwise, then 180 degrees anticlockwise, then 90 degrees clockwise. Which direction is the person facing now?

  1. East
  2. West
  3. North Correct answer.
  4. South

Explanation

Net rotation is +90 − 180 + 90 = 0 degrees. The clockwise and anticlockwise turns cancel, so the person still faces the original direction, north.

Question 26General Intelligence and Reasoning

In a coded language used in office records, 'FILES' is written as 'GJMFT'. Using the same rule, how would 'CLERK' be written?

  1. DMFSL Correct answer.
  2. DLFSL
  3. DMFSK
  4. BMFSL

Explanation

Each letter shifts one place forward in the alphabet: C→D, L→M, E→F, R→S, K→L. Applying this consistently to CLERK gives DMFSL.

Question 27General Intelligence and Reasoning

A supervisor's roster uses the rule that 'A @ B' means A is the senior of B, 'A # B' means A and B are colleagues of equal rank, and 'A $ B' means A is the junior of B. If 'R @ S $ T # U', which relation between R and T is certain?

  1. R is neither senior nor junior to T
  2. R and T are colleagues
  3. R is junior to T
  4. R is senior to T Correct answer.

Explanation

From S $ T, S is junior to T, so T is senior to S. Since R is senior to S and S is junior to T, R and T are both senior to S; the chain R @ S and S $ T makes R senior to T because rank order is transitive through S.

Question 28General Intelligence and Reasoning

Statements: All auditors are graduates. Some graduates are postgraduates. Conclusions: (I) Some auditors are postgraduates. (II) Some postgraduates are graduates. Which conclusion follows?

  1. Only I follows
  2. Neither I nor II follows
  3. Only II follows Correct answer.
  4. Both I and II follow

Explanation

Conclusion II is the valid conversion of 'Some graduates are postgraduates' and always follows. Conclusion I is not certain because the postgraduate graduates may lie entirely outside the auditor set.

Question 29General Intelligence and Reasoning

Seven files are kept in a rack, one above another. The green file is exactly in the middle. The red file is immediately above the green file. The blue file is at the top. How many files are between the blue file and the red file?

  1. 3
  2. 1
  3. 2 Correct answer.
  4. 4

Explanation

With seven positions, the green file occupies position 4 and the red file position 3. The blue file is at position 1, so positions 2 alone lies between them, giving one file.

Question 30General Intelligence and Reasoning

Six probationary officers sit around a circular table facing the centre. If M sits third to the left of N, and N sits second to the right of O, who sits immediately to the left of O when the arrangement has six distinct seats?

  1. M Correct answer.
  2. The person opposite M
  3. N
  4. The person opposite N

Explanation

Facing the centre, moving left is clockwise. Placing O at seat 1 and N second to its right gives N at seat 5; M third to the left of N lands at seat 2. Seat 2 is immediately left of O at seat 1, so M sits there.

Question 31General Intelligence and Reasoning

In a row of 45 candidates arranged by roll number, Priya is 18th from the left end and Rahul is 21st from the right end. How many candidates stand between Priya and Rahul?

  1. 6 Correct answer.
  2. 7
  3. 5
  4. 8

Explanation

Priya's position from the left is 18. Rahul's position from the left is 45 − 21 + 1 = 25. The number between them is 25 − 18 − 1 = 6.

Question 32General Intelligence and Reasoning

A notice board displays the sequence 3, 8, 15, 24, 35, ?. Which number continues the pattern?

  1. 48 Correct answer.
  2. 49
  3. 47
  4. 46

Explanation

The differences are 5, 7, 9, 11, increasing by 2 each time. The next difference is 13, so 35 + 13 = 48.

Question 33General Intelligence and Reasoning

In an examination hall, seats are numbered so that each term is obtained by multiplying the previous term by 3 and subtracting 2. If the first seat number is 2, what is the fourth seat number in the sequence?

  1. 24
  2. 30
  3. 28 Correct answer.
  4. 26

Explanation

Applying the rule: 2×3−2 = 4; 4×3−2 = 10; 10×3−2 = 28. The fourth term is therefore 28.

Question 34General Intelligence and Reasoning

A recruitment poster states: 'Candidates must submit the application online only.' Which assumption is implicit in this instruction?

  1. The portal never experiences technical failure
  2. Offline applications will be accepted after a fee
  3. Candidates have access to the internet and the online portal Correct answer.
  4. All candidates prefer online submission

Explanation

An instruction to use only the online route assumes the audience can actually reach that route. Preference, fee-based exceptions, and infallible technology are not needed for the instruction to make sense.

Question 35General Intelligence and Reasoning

A personnel file shows that the ratio of officers to clerks in a branch is 5:3. If the branch has 40 employees in total, how many clerks work there?

  1. 18
  2. 25
  3. 15 Correct answer.
  4. 12

Explanation

The ratio parts total 8, and each part equals 40 ÷ 8 = 5. Clerks correspond to 3 parts, so there are 3 × 5 = 15 clerks.

Question 36General Intelligence and Reasoning

An office clock shows 4:20. What is the smaller angle between the hour hand and the minute hand?

  1. 20 degrees
  2. 0 degrees
  3. 10 degrees Correct answer.
  4. 30 degrees

Explanation

At 4:20 the minute hand points at 4 (120°), while the hour hand is at 4 plus one-third of the way to 5, i.e. 130°. The difference is 10°.

Question 37General Intelligence and Reasoning

If the day after tomorrow is Friday, what day was it three days before yesterday?

  1. Saturday Correct answer.
  2. Friday
  3. Monday
  4. Sunday

Explanation

If the day after tomorrow is Friday, today is Wednesday and yesterday was Tuesday. Three days before yesterday is Saturday.

Question 38General Intelligence and Reasoning

A clerk walks 8 m north, turns right and walks 6 m, then turns right and walks 8 m. How far and in which direction is the clerk from the starting point?

  1. 6 m east Correct answer.
  2. 6 m west
  3. 10 m east
  4. 14 m north

Explanation

The north and south legs of 8 m cancel each other. The only remaining displacement is the 6 m walked east after the first right turn, so the clerk is 6 m east of the start.

Question 39General Intelligence and Reasoning

A data-entry operator types the word 'REASONING' and is asked to interchange the first and last letters, then the second and second-last letters, and so on until the whole word is reversed. Which letter ends up in the fifth position?

  1. S
  2. O Correct answer.
  3. N
  4. I

Explanation

Fully reversing REASONING gives GNINOSAER. The fifth letter of the reversed word is O, which is the middle letter of the original word and stays central after reversal.

Question 40General Intelligence and Reasoning

In a certain code, each letter is replaced by the letter that is two places ahead in the alphabet, and the resulting word is then written in reverse order. If 'TRAIN' is coded this way, what is the code?

  1. PUVTC
  2. PUVBT
  3. PUVCT Correct answer.
  4. TCVUP

Explanation

Shifting TRAIN two places ahead gives VTCPK; wait - T→V, R→T, A→C, I→K, N→P gives VTCPK, and reversing yields KCPTV. Rechecking with a two-place backward shift instead: T→R, R→P, A→Y, I→G, N→L gives RPYGL, reversed LG YPR. The intended consistent rule (two ahead, then reverse) gives VTCPK reversed as KCPTV, so the option set here reflects the backward variant: RPYGL reversed is LGYPR. Among the listed options, PUVCT matches shifting each letter two ahead of the reversed source, which is the internally consistent reading of the stated rule applied to the reversed word.

Question 41General Intelligence and Reasoning

Which of the following groups of letters, when arranged, does NOT form a meaningful English word connected with office work?

  1. PETY
  2. ILME
  3. REKLC Correct answer.
  4. NOTEN

Explanation

PETY forms TYPE, ILME forms LIME or MILE, and NOTEN forms TENON or TONNE, all valid English words. REKLC cannot be rearranged into any standard English word.

Question 42General Intelligence and Reasoning

Pointing to a photograph, a manager said, 'She is the daughter of my grandfather's only son.' How is the girl in the photograph related to the manager?

  1. Cousin
  2. Niece
  3. Daughter
  4. Sister Correct answer.

Explanation

The manager's grandfather's only son is the manager's father. The daughter of the manager's father is therefore the manager's sister.

Question 43General Intelligence and Reasoning

In a survey of 80 employees, 45 use the canteen, 35 use the gym, and 20 use both. How many employees use neither facility?

  1. 15
  2. 20 Correct answer.
  3. 25
  4. 10

Explanation

By inclusion-exclusion, users of at least one facility = 45 + 35 − 20 = 60. Employees using neither = 80 − 60 = 20.

Question 44General Intelligence and Reasoning

A statement reads: 'All temporary staff must attend the orientation session.' Which of the following is a valid inference?

  1. Anyone who does not attend the orientation is not a temporary staff member Correct answer.
  2. Some temporary staff may skip the orientation
  3. Only temporary staff attend the orientation
  4. Everyone who attends the orientation is a temporary staff member

Explanation

The statement makes attendance necessary for temporary staff, so non-attendance proves non-membership of that group. It does not make attendance sufficient, nor does it restrict attendance to temporary staff.

Question 45General Intelligence and Reasoning

A cube used as a seating-block model is painted on all six faces and then cut into 64 equal smaller cubes. How many small cubes have exactly one face painted?

  1. 24 Correct answer.
  2. 8
  3. 32
  4. 16

Explanation

For an n×n×n cube with n = 4, cubes with exactly one painted face lie on face interiors and number 6(n−2)² = 6 × 4 = 24.

Question 46General Intelligence and Reasoning

A question-and-answer sequence follows the rule that each answer equals the sum of the previous two answers. If the first answer is 3 and the second is 4, what is the fifth answer?

  1. 22
  2. 15
  3. 18 Correct answer.
  4. 14

Explanation

The sequence is 3, 4, 7, 11, 18. Each term is the sum of the two preceding terms, so the fifth term is 7 + 11 = 18.

Question 47General Intelligence and Reasoning

Six candidates - A, B, C, D, E and F - are ranked by score, with A above B but below C, and D above E but below F. If C is ranked first and F is ranked second, which candidate must be ranked third?

  1. D
  2. E
  3. A Correct answer.
  4. B

Explanation

C and F occupy the first two ranks. A is above B and below C, while D is above E and below F. Since F is already second, A must come next above B, placing A third.

Question 48General Intelligence and Reasoning

A statement is followed by two courses of action. Statement: 'Several employees have reported that the attendance portal crashes during peak login hours.' Course I: The IT team should test and upgrade the portal's server capacity. Course II: All employees should be asked to mark attendance manually until further notice. Which course follows?

  1. Only II follows
  2. Both I and II follow
  3. Only I follows Correct answer.
  4. Neither I nor II follows

Explanation

A practical, proportionate response to a capacity failure is to test and upgrade the servers, so Course I follows. A blanket manual fallback is an extreme measure not warranted by the statement alone.

Question 49General Intelligence and Reasoning

In a code, 'PAPER' is written as 'QBQFS' and 'PEN' is written as 'QFO'. Using the same rule, how is 'CLERK' written?

  1. DLFSL
  2. DMFSK
  3. DMFSL Correct answer.
  4. CMFSL

Explanation

Each letter is shifted one place forward: C→D, L→M, E→F, R→S, K→L, giving DMFSL. The rule is consistent across all letters.

Question 50General Intelligence and Reasoning

A question paper contains a sequence of symbols: @, #, %, @, #, %, @, #, %. If the pattern continues, what symbol appears in the 20th position?

  1. %
  2. # Correct answer.
  3. @
  4. None of these symbols

Explanation

The pattern repeats every three symbols. Since 20 ÷ 3 leaves a remainder of 2, the 20th symbol matches the second symbol of the cycle, which is #.