IAF Group C key terms

A question type that states a relationship between two words or numbers and asks you to pick the pair whose relationship matches it, for example worker and factory matching farmer and field.

Finding the rule that generates a sequence of letters, numbers, or figures and using it to supply the next or missing item. Rules may involve differences, squares, or alternating patterns.

A puzzle in which words or letters are replaced by a rule such as shifting letters or reversing order; you must apply the same rule to a new word to find its coded form.

Reasoning problems that describe family links in sentences or symbols, requiring you to work out how two named people are related, such as uncle, sister, or grandfather.

Problems tracking a person's movement through turns and distances on the four compass directions, ending with a question about final facing direction or shortest distance to the start.

Puzzles where people or objects are placed in rows or around a circle under given conditions, and you must deduce the complete order or answer a positional question.

A logic question giving two or more statements about categories, such as all A are B, and asking which conclusions necessarily follow from them, regardless of real-world facts.

A drawing technique using overlapping circles to represent sets and their overlaps, used to test whether a syllogistic conclusion is always true or only possible.

A classification question listing several items that share a hidden property and one that does not; you must identify the item that breaks the common rule.

A fraction expressed out of one hundred. To find a percentage of a number, multiply by the rate and divide by 100; percentage change compares the difference to the original value.

A ratio compares two quantities of the same kind; a proportion states that two ratios are equal. These are used to divide amounts in given shares or scale values up and down.

The sum of a set of values divided by how many values there are. If the average of n items is known, the total equals average multiplied by n.

Commercial arithmetic where profit equals selling price minus cost price, and profit percent is calculated on the cost price unless stated otherwise. Loss works the same way in reverse.

A reduction on the marked price of an item, usually quoted as a percentage of the marked price. Successive discounts are applied one after another, not added together.

Interest calculated only on the original principal, using principal times rate times time divided by 100. The base amount never grows during the loan period.

Interest calculated on the principal plus previously earned interest, so the amount grows each period. The formula is principal multiplied by one plus the rate raised to the number of periods.

Problems using distance equals speed multiplied by time. Converting units matters: multiply kilometres per hour by five-eighteenths to get metres per second.

Problems where a person or machine completes a fraction of a job per day; rates add when workers combine, and total time equals one divided by the combined daily rate.

A variation of work problems in which inlet pipes fill a tank and outlet pipes empty it. Filling rates are positive and emptying rates negative when combined.

A business arithmetic topic where profit is shared in proportion to each partner's capital multiplied by the time it was invested, not simply by capital alone.

Voice shows whether the subject performs the action or receives it. In passive voice the object becomes the subject and the verb takes a form of be plus past participle.

Reported speech conversion changes quoted words into a subordinate clause, shifting pronouns, tenses, and time words, for example now becoming then and today becoming that day.

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person. Phrases between subject and verb do not change agreement, and some collective nouns take singular verbs.

The words a, an, and the. Use a before consonant sounds and an before vowel sounds; the definite article points to something already specified or unique.

Short words such as in, on, at, by, and since that link nouns to other parts of the sentence and express place, time, or manner. Fixed combinations must be memorised.

Fixed expressions whose meaning cannot be worked out from the individual words, such as to let the cat out of the bag meaning to reveal a secret.

A vocabulary item asking for a single word that replaces a descriptive phrase, for example a person who speaks many languages being called a polyglot.

Synonyms are words with closely similar meaning; antonyms are words with opposite meaning. Questions test the closest match in context rather than a loose association.

Keeping verb tenses logically aligned within a sentence or passage, so a past-tense main clause is normally followed by past-tense reporting verbs and matching time references.

Guaranteed individual freedoms in Part III of the Indian Constitution, including equality, speech, life, and constitutional remedies. They are enforceable through writ petitions in courts.

Guidelines in Part IV of the Indian Constitution directing the state toward social and economic welfare. They are not enforceable in courts but are fundamental in governance.

The opening statement of the Indian Constitution declaring the source of authority as the people and listing objectives such as justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity.

The annual statement of estimated receipts and expenditure of the Government of India, presented to Parliament before the financial year begins, usually on 1 February.

The rate at which the Reserve Bank of India lends short-term funds to commercial banks against government securities. Raising it generally tightens money supply.

The gap between total government expenditure and total receipts excluding borrowings. It shows how much the government must borrow to fund its spending in a year.

An independent examination of financial records and transactions to check whether they are accurate, complete, and compliant with rules, ending in a report of findings.

A written document supporting a financial transaction, such as a cash receipt, payment slip, or journal entry, which provides evidence for recording it in the books.

A statement listing all ledger account balances at a date, with debits and credits in separate columns, used to check that total debits equal total credits.

An instruction beginning with an equals sign that calculates a value from cell references and operators, for example summing a range or averaging selected cells.

The address of a spreadsheet cell formed by its column letter and row number, such as B7. A dollar sign fixes the column or row when the formula is copied.

A word-processing feature that combines one main document with a data source of names and addresses to produce many personalised letters, labels, or envelopes in one operation.

The suffix after the dot in a file name that tells the system which program opens the file, such as .docx for documents or .xlsx for spreadsheets.