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What is Reasoning?
Verbal Reasoning

Verbal Reasoning

Non-Verbal Reasoning
ALPHABET SERIES
LETTER SERIES

Types of coding-decoding
LETTER CODING
NUMBER CODING
DECODING
General
Some Common Terms
Basic Relationships
Aunt, Uncle, Niece and Nephew
Relationships Involving the Term ‘-in-law’
Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, Son-in-law and Daughter-in-law
Brother-in-law and Sister-in-law
Half Sibling and Step Relations
Summary of Some Common Relationships

Types of Questions on Blood Relations

Fraction

Ratio

Proportion and Percentage

Percentage

Averages

Time & Distance

Profit & Loss

Interest & Discounting

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What is Reasoning?
The reasoning is a way of assessment of the thinking ability and solving the problem in a
logical pattern. The reasoning supports to identify the potential problem-solving ability
in all aspiring candidates (who will be a research scholar or an assistant professor) by
assessing verbal and non-verbal thinking.

Types of Reasoning
There are two types of reasoning:

A. Verbal Reasoning
B. Non-Verbal Reasoning (No questions from this type of reasoning in UGC
NET Exam)

A. Verbal Reasoning
Verbal reasoning does aware of how a person takes new information by measuring their
ability to engage with language, i.e., verbal information. The Verbal Reasoning measures
a candidate’s ability to engage with the language medium to identify their wider
reasoning ability and potential. Verbal reasoning highlights pupils’ skills in verbal
thinking above and beyond their formal literacy abilities and can be used alone or as part
of a wider assessment programme.
Verbal reasoning further divided into two parts:

1. General Mental Ability: It includes different type of reasoning questions like,

series completion, analogy, classification, coding-decoding, blood relations,
direction sense test, logical venn diagrams, alphabet test, alphanumeric sequence
puzzle, number, ranking & time sequence test, mathematical operations, logical
sequence of words, arithmetical reasoning, etc.
2. Logical Deduction: It concludes logic, statement-arguments, statement –
assumptions, statement-courses of action, statement-conclusions, deriving
conclusions from passages, theme detection, cause and effect reasoning.

B. Non-Verbal Reasoning
Non-Verbal reasoning involves no reading, and it provides insight into the abilities of
candidates who think more easily in images than words.
The non-verbal reasoning covers various types of questions, testing vocabulary, verbal
analogies, logical reasoning, symbol manipulation using letters, numbers, and words in
sentences.

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 Non-Verbal reasoning identifies the potential in the individuals as the assessment is
word-free and non-culturally specific, and therefore not biased towards any social,
cultural, or linguistic group.

Types of Reasoning based on Arguments

The three types of reasoning based on arguments that are followings:

a. Deductive Reasoning
b. Inductive Reasoning
c. Abductive Reasoning

For more details about the types of reasoning based on arguments, you can visit the
Deductive and Inductive Reasoning of Unit- Logical Reasoning.

Number series, Letter series, Codes and Relationships

Series Completion
It is an important topic in reasoning, especially for UGC NET Paper 1. In series
completion, the term follows a certain pattern throughout. The candidate is required to
identify the pattern either to complete the given series with the most suitable option or
to find the wrong or missing term in the series.
There are three types of series completion

1. NUMBER SERIES
In this of series completion, you have to find out the next or the wrong or the missing
number in the series, which follows a particular pattern.
E.g., Which number would replace the question mark (?) in series 2, 7, 14, 23, ?, 47 (a) 28
(b) 34 (c) 31 (d) 38

Ans.: The given sequence is +5, +7, +9, and so on. i.e. 2+5 =7, 7 +7 =14, 14 +9 = 23
The missing number would be, 23+11 = 34.

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 Q. Which is the number that should come next in the following series? 4, 6, 12, 14, 28, 30,
——

(a) 32 (b) 64 (c) 62 (d) 60

Ans.: The given sequence is a combination of two series 4, 12, 28, .... and 6, 14, 30, ....

Clearly the number to be found belongs to the first series. Now the pattern followed is
+8, +16, +32.

So, the missing number = (28 + 32) = 60, Hence, the answer is (d)

Q. Find the wrong number in the series. 7, 28, 63, 124, 215, 342

(a) 7 (b) 28 (c) 124 (d) 215

Ans.: The right sequence is 23 - 1, 33 - 1, 43 - 1, ...etc. Here 28 is wrong; so, the answer is
(b)

2. ALPHABET SERIES
Alphabet series consists of alphabets placed in a specific pattern. If you keep in your
mind the order of the alphabet with their respective position (number), it will help you
answer the questions quickly. We all know that the total alphabets are 26.
We can arrange in ascending and descending order, like

E.g.: What will be the next term in BKS, DJT, FIU, HHV,?

(a) IJX (b) IGX (c) JGW (d) IGU

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 Ans: (c). In each term, the first letter is moved two steps forward, the second letter one
step backward, and the third letter one step forward to obtain the corresponding letter
of the next term. So, the missing term is JGW.

3. LETTER SERIES
This type of question usually consists of a series of small letters that follow a certain
pattern. However, some letters are missing from the series. The candidate is required to
choose this alternative as the answer.
Eg: aab - aaa - bba -

(a) baa (b) abb (c) bab (d) aab

1. The first blank space should be filled in by ‘b’ so that we have two a’s followed by two bs.
1. The second blank space should be fiiled in either by ‘a’. So that we have four as
followed by two b or by ‘b’.
So that we have three as followed by three b

2. The last space must be filled in by ‘a’.

3. Thus we have two possible answers - ‘baa’ and ‘bba’. But only ‘baa’ appears in the
alternatives. So the answer is (a).
4. In case we had both the possible answers in the alternatives, we should choose the
one that forms a more prominent pattern, which is aabb/aaabbb/aa. and our answer
would have been ‘bba’.

CODING-DECODING

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A code is a system of signals. Therefore, coding is a method of transmitting messages
between the sender and receiver without any knowledge of a third party. The
Coding-Decoding test is set up to judge the candidate’s ability to decipher the law that
codes a particular message and break the code to reveal the message.

Types of coding-decoding
LETTER CODING
In this type of reasoning, the letters are coded in another letters and we have to find out
the pattern. After finding the pattern, we have to ask to identify the code for the given
letters.
E.g: If COURSE is coded as FRXUVH, how is RACE coded in that code?

(a) HFDU

(b) UCFH

(c) UDFH

(d) UDHF

In the given code, each letter is moved three steps forward than the corresponding letter
in the word. So R is coded as U, A as D, C as F, E as H. Hence (c) is the answer.

NUMBER CODING
In this type of questions, either numerical code values are assigned to a word or
alphabetical code values are assigned to numbers. The candidate is required to analyse
the code as per directions.
E.g.: If in a certain code ROPE is coded as 6821, CHAIR is coded as 73456. What will be
the code for CRAPE?
(a) 73456 (b) 76421 (c) 77246 (5) 77123
Clearly, in the given code, the alphabets are
coded as follows. ROPECHAI
68 217345

So, CRAPE is coded as 76421. Then, the answer is (b)

DECODING
In these questions, artificial or code values are assigned to a word or a group of words
and the candidate is required to find out the original words.

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E.g: If in a certain language FLOWER is written as EKNVDQ, what will be written as
GNTRD?

(a)HEOUS (b) HOUES (c) HUOSE (d) HOUSE

Each letter of the word is one step ahead of the corresponding letter of the code.

Thus, HOUSE is written as GNTRD, So the answer is (d)

Blood Relation

● Family or Blood Relationship means persons connected by relations like –

father-mother, son- daughter, brother-sister, grandfather-grandmother, uncle-aunty,
nephew-niece, brother-in-law- sister-in-law etc. The list can go on and on adding
members from father’s side and mother’s side etc.
● Questions in Test of Reasoning on Family /Blood Relationship are about the
relationship of a particular person with another person of the family, based on the
chain of relationships between other members of that family.

● The questions depict relationships among the various members of a family in a

roundabout chain. The candidate is expected to find the relation of two particular
persons mentioned in the question. An example of a question on Blood Relationship
is given below to understand the concept in a better way:

Example 1:
Introducing Neeta, Anil said, ‘She is wife of my mother’s only son.’ How is Neeta related
to Anil?
1) Mother
(2) Wife
(3) Sister
(4) Daughter-in-law

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(5) None of these

Solution: Neeta is the wife of Anil’s mother’s only son, who is Anil himself. Hence,
answer is Neeta is Anil’s wife. i.e. (2) Wife.

Example 2:
‘Ram’ is the father of ‘Kusha’ but ‘Kusha’ is not his son. ‘Mala’ is the daughter of
‘Kusha’.’Shalaka’ is the spouse of ‘Ram’. ‘Gopal’ is the brother of ‘Kusha’. ‘Hari’ is the son
of ‘Gopal’. ‘Meena’ is the spouse of ‘Gopal’. ‘Ganpat’ is the father of ‘Meena’. Who is the
grand daughter of ‘Ram’?

(1) Hari
(2) Mala
(3) Meena
(4) Shalaka
(5) None of these

Solution:

‘Mala’ is the daughter of ‘Kusha’ and ‘Ram’ is the father of ‘Kusha’. So, ‘Mala’ is the
granddaughter of ‘Ram’. Hence, answer is (2) Mala.

● Family/Blood Relation Tests are an exercise to test the candidate’s ability to

comprehend and come to the crux of an issue from complex, lengthy and
unclear data.
● On a lighter note, this topic of Family/Blood Relations should be of interest to
the candidates who are fans of Hindi Cinema, as the nature of the questions on
Family/Blood Relations are of the type ‘Hum Aapke Hai Kaun’

Family/Blood Relations Described

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General
Family/Blood Relations tests largely depend on the candidate’s knowledge of family
relations. Various family relationships are described below to help the candidates to
understand the relationships better and to attempt the questions based on them with
confidence.

Some Common Terms

Meaning of some terms often used in questions on family relationship are given below:
a) Parent – Mother or father
b) Child – Son or daughter (even if an adult)
c) Sibling – Brother or sister (Including half-brother and half-sister
- one parent in common)
d) Spouse – Husband or wife

Basic Relationships
Aunt, Uncle, Niece and Nephew
● Most English speakers use “uncle” for any of four relationships: father’s brother,
mother’s brother, father’s sister’s husband, or mother’s sister’s husband.
● Again, “aunt” in English could mean father’s sister, mother’s sister, father’s
brother’s wife, or mother’s brother’s wife.
● Brother’s or sister’s son is called nephew. Brother’s or sister’s daughter is called
niece.
● Children of aunt or uncle are called cousins.

Relationships Involving the Term ‘-in-law’

General
● Any relationship term ending with -in-law indicates that the relationship is by
marriage and not by blood. In other words, -in-law will be a blood relative of the
spouse.
● In-law relationship terms are always written with hyphens. And the plural is
formed on the part before the “-in-law”; for example, “brothers-in-law” and not
“brother-in-laws”. The only exception is the general term “in-laws”, which is
always plural.

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Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, Son-in-law and Daughter-in-law
● Father-in-law is the father of spouse; mother-in-law is the mother of spouse. If
parents get divorced and remarry, their new spouses are called stepparents, not
mother-in-law and father-in-law.
● The husband of daughter is son-in-law; the wife of son is daughter-in-law. If
spouse has children from a previous marriage, those are called stepchildren, not
sons-in-law or daughters-in-law. The person is their stepfather or stepmother, not
their father-in- law or mother-in-law.

Brother-in-law and Sister-in-law

Brother-in-law” and “Sister-in-law” each have two or three meanings as follows:
a) Sister-in-law could be
i) The sister of spouse, or
ii) The wife of brother, or
iii) The wife of spouse’s brother.
b) Similarly, Brother-in-law could be
i) The brother of spouse, or
ii) The husband of sister, or
iii) The husband of spouse’s sister.

Relationships Involving the Terms ‘Grand’ and ‘Great’

● The relationships of the second generation are prefixed with the word Grand. For
example, for a person, the first generation below him/her would be that of his/her
child/children. The next/second generation would be the children of the children
who would be called Grand Children of that person. The next/ third generation
children would be called Great Grand Children of that person. This also applies to
Niece and Nephew. For example, Son of nephew of a person is called Grand
Nephew and so on.
● Similarly, for a person, the first generation above him would be that of his/her
parents (Father/ Mother). The next/second generation above him/her would be
the parents of the parents who would be called Grand Parents/ Grand Father/
Grand Mother of that person. The next/ third generation parents would be called
Great Grand Parents/ Great Grand Father/ Great Grand Mother of that person.
● This also applies to the collateral relationships. For example, Son of nephew of a
person is called Grand Nephew; Brother of Grand Father is called Grand Uncle
and so on.

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 ● The fourth-generation relationships are called Great Great Grand. For example,
Son of Great Grand Son is Great Great Grand Son.

Half Sibling and Step Relations

● Questions on Half Sibling and Step Relations are not very common in Bank
exams. The information given below is only for very discerning candidates.
● A half sibling (half-brother or half-sister) is a sibling with one shared biological
parent.
● When a parent remarries, the new spouse is the stepfather or stepmother of any
children from the previous marriage. The children from a previous marriage are
stepsons and stepdaughters. One is called stepbrother or stepsister if they have
no parents in common, but their parents have married each other.

There are two ways Martha could have a stepsister:

1. If Martha’s mother marries second time, and her new husband (Martha’s new
stepfather) already has a daughter from a previous marriage, that daughter is
Martha’s stepsister because one of her parents is married to one of Martha’s parents.
2. If Martha’s father marries second time, and his new wife already has a daughter, that
daughter is again Martha’s stepsister.
A similar rule gives the two ways for stepbrother.

Summary of Some Common Relationships

Summary of some common Relationships is given below in tabular forms:

Relation Commonly Used Terms

Grandfather’s or Grandmother’s only son Father

Grandfather’s or Grandmother’s only

Mother
daughter-in-law

Father’s father or Mother’s Grandfather

Father’s Mother or Mother’s Grandmother

Father’s brother or Mother’s Uncle

Father’s sister or Mother’s Aunt

Son’s wife Daughter-in-law

Daughter’s husband Son-in-law

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 Husband’s or wife’s sister Sister-in-law

Husband’s or wife’s brother Brother-in-law

Brother’s wife Sister-in-law

Brother’s or sister’s son Nephew

Brother’s or sister’s daughter Niece

Uncle’s or aunt’s son or daughter Cousin

Sister’s husband Brother-in-law

Brother’s wife Sister-in-law

Grand son’s or grand daughter’s daughter Grand Grand Daughter

and son’s or grand daughter’s son Great Grand Son

Types of Questions on Blood Relations

Questions on Blood Relations are of the following types:
I. Mixed-Up Relationship Descriptions.
II. Relationships Riddle.
III. Coded Relations.

Type I - Mixed-Up Relationship

Description

● In questions of Mixed-Up Relationship Descriptions, a cluttered and round about

description of relationships is given. The candidate is required to decipher the
whole chain of relations and identify the direct/ actual relationship between the
concerned persons.
● A solved example of the Mixed-Up Relationship Descriptions is given below to
understand the concept and questions based on it.
Example: Pointing to a gentleman, Dinesh said “His only brother is the father of my
daughter’s father.” How is the gentleman related to Dinesh?
(1) Uncle
(2) Grandfather
(3) Father
(4) Brother- in-law

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 (5) None of these
Solution: The gentleman’s only brother is the father of Dinesh (Dinesh daughter’s father
is Dinesh himself.). Gentleman is brother of Dinesh’s father. Gentleman is Dinesh’s
uncle. Hence, answer is (1) Uncle.

Basic Skills and Tips for Solving Questions on Mixed-Up Relationship

Descriptions
● To make the chain of relationships clear, where necessary a rough sketch of
family tree may be prepared in pencil on question paper on the basis of
descriptions given in the question. The persons of same generation may be placed
on same horizontal level and that of different generation one below the other. It
may sometimes be necessary to draw two different diagrams and then put them
together based on the link provided.
● The relationship may be shown by drawing lines / arrows. Short forms as follows
may be used to indicate the nature of relationships:
g – Gentleman/ Male s – Sister u – Uncle snl – Son-in-law
l – Lady/ Female b – Brother a – Aunt dl – Daughter-in-law
sp -Spouse sn – Son cb – Cousin Brother pu – Paternal Uncle
ch – Child d – Daughter cs – Cousin Sister mu – Maternal Uncle
h – Husband gf – Grandfather nf – Nephew
w - Wife gm – Grandmother nc – Niece
m – Mother gs – Grandson bl – Brother-in-law
f – Father gd – Granddaughter sl – Sister-in-law

● Use of Small letters is suggested to indicate the nature of relationships to avoid

confusion of Capital alphabets used in the questions like ‘A is mother of C’, ‘D is
sister of B’s husband’.
● Sometimes even re-writing the given information using the short forms helps in
reducing the confusion. The candidates may also, where possible try to correlate
the given relationships with their own kith and kin. This works wonderfully in
understanding the relationship.
● It is observed that the names given in the questions are sometimes deceptive as to
the gender. Candidates are advised to follow the instructions given in the question
ignoring the name of the gender as at times it is deceptive. e.g. Kamal, Milan,
Preetam, Kiran, Jasbir, Jasprit and etc.

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 ● Quite often descriptions of superfluous (unnecessary/ redundant) are given. It is
thus better to first identify relationship between which two persons is exactly
required to be found out in the question. And then proceed to track the
relationship based on the descriptions connected to them.
● Again, properly understanding the relationship between which two persons is
exactly required to be found out in the question is important as the relationship
between A and B would be different than between B and A. For example, if Ravi
and Mala are brother and sister, Ravi is related to Mala as brother, whereas Mala is
related to Ravi as sister.
● Also remember that terms like ‘only son’ only means that the person do not have
another son, but it does not mean that the person doesn’t have daughter/s.
However, when it is said a person does not have any brothers and sisters, it can be
safely concluded that he is the only child of his father/ mother.
● Quite often a candidate depending upon whether he is male, or female presumes
that a person whose sex is not explicitly referred to in the relationships is of the
same sex as that of his/her. Such bias about the sex of the persons referred to the
relationships should be avoided, and the candidate should go strictly by the
description given in the question.
Often the relationships are described in a roundabout way. Some examples of such
descriptions and their actual/direct meaning is given below:

a) Only son of my grandfather – My Father

b) Only son of my grandmother – My Father
c) Only daughter of my grandfather – My Mother
d) Only daughter of my grandmother – My Mother
e) Sister of my mother – My Aunt
f) Son/Daughter of my husband – My son / daughter
g) Son/Daughter of my wife – My son / daughter
h) Only daughter of my grandfather’s only son – My Sister
i) Grandmother of my father’s only son – My Grandmother
j) Father of my daughter’s father – My Father
k) Father of my son’s father – My Father
l) My son’s sister – My daughter
m) Daughter-in-law of grandmother of my father’s only son – My Mother
n) A is the father of B but B is not the son of A – B is daughter of A
● After the answer is found, it is good practice to quickly check back the answers with

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 the relevant information given in the question.

Solved Examples of Mixed-Up Relationship Descriptions

1. Pointing to Ajay, Radha said, “His father is the only son of my grandfather”. How is
Radha Related to Ajay?
(1) Brother
(2) Sister
(3) Mother
(4) Daughter
(5) None of these
Solution:
Traditional Method

When Radha’s Grandfather’s only son is Ajay’s father, then Ajay’s father is also the
father of Radha. So Radha is Ajay’s sister. Hence, answer is (2) Sister.
Traditional Method
We know, ‘Only son of my grandfather’ means ‘my father’. “His father is the only son
of my grandfather” thus becomes “His father is my father”. So Radha is Ajay’s sister.
Hence, answer is (2) Sister.

2. Lalita said to Tina, “You are the daughter-in-law of the grandmother of my father’s
only son.” How is Lalita related to Tina?
(1) Aunt
(2) Sister
(3) Mother
(4) Indeterminable
(5) None of these
Solution: ‘My father’s only son’ is my (Lalita’s) brother. Tina is daughter-in-law of
grandmother of (Lalita’s) brother. Tina thus can be their mother (wife of grandmother’s
only son). However, as it is not mentioned that the grandmother has only one son, Tina
can be wife of grandmother’s other son i.e. Tina could also be their aunt. Hence, answer
is (4) Indeterminable.

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3. Pointing to a photograph, Amar said, “I have no brother or sister, but that man’s
father is my father’s son.” Whose photograph was it?
(1) His son’s
(2) His father’s
(3) His nephew’s
(4) His own
(5) None of these
Solution: Since Amar has no brother or sister so his father’s son is the man himself
and so the man who is talking is the father of the man in the photograph i.e. the man
in the photograph is his son. Hence, answer is (1) His son’s.

4. Looking at the portrait of a man, Ashok said, ‘His mother is the wife of my father’s
son. Brothers and sisters, I have none’. At whose portrait was Ashok looking.
(1) His cousin
(2) His nephew
(3) His uncle
(4) His son
(5) None of these
Solution: My (Ashok’s) father’s son will be Ashok himself as he has no brother or sister.
Ashok’s wife is mother of the person in the portrait. The portrait is thus of Ashok’s
own son. Hence, answer is (4) His Son.

5. Ahmad said to Saira, ‘Your only brother’s son is my wife’s brother’. How is Saira
related to the Ahmad’s wife?

(1) Mother in law

(2) Sister in law
(3) Sister
(4) Aunt
(5) None of these
Solution:

Hence, Saira is Ahmad’s wife’s father’s sister. i.e. “Aunt”. Answer is (4) Aunt.

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6. Pointing to a gentleman, Abdul said, “His only brother is the father of my daughter’s
father”. How is the gentleman related to Abdul?”
(1) Uncle
(2) Brother-in-law
(3) Father
(4) Grandfather
(5) None of these
Solution: ‘Father of Abdul’s daughter’s father means- Abdul’s father. Thus, the man’s
brother is Abdul’s father, or the man is the brother of Abdul’s father i.e. Uncle
of Abdul. Hence, answer (1) Uncle.

7. Pointing to a photograph, Dilip said, “She is the daughter of my grandfather’s only

son.” How is Dilip related to the girl in the photograph?
(1) Father
(2) Cousin
(3) Brother
(4) Data inadequate
(5) None of these Solution:
Solution: Grandfather’s only son i.e. father. Father’s daughter i.e. sister. Dilip is, thus
brother to the girl in the photograph. Hence, answer is (3) Brother.

8. Pointing to a photograph Smita says, “This man’s son’s sister is my mother-in-law.”

How is the woman’s husband related to the man in the photograph?

(1) Son
(2) Nephew
(3) Grandson
(4) Son-in-law
(5) None of these
Solution: Man’s son’s sister i.e. man’s daughter. Man’s daughter is the mother of Smita’s
husband i.e. he is the grandson of man in the photograph. Hence, answer is (3)
Grandson.

9. A man goes to the house of Malati who is the neighbour of Vaiju, who has a daughter
Nita. Nita studies in First year. Ashu is the father of Aman and is married to Meena
whose sister is Vaiju. What is the relation of Vaiju and Aman?

(1) Cousin
(2) Niece
(3) Grandson
(4) Nephew

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 (5) None of these
Solution: Aman is son of Meena who is sister of Vaiju, so Aman is nephew of Vaiju.
Hence, answer is (4) Nephew. Please note that ‘the man going to the house of Malati’ is
superfluous and has no relevance to the question asked.

10. Pointing to a man in a photograph, Malati tells, “His brother’s father is the only son
of my grandfather.” How is Malati related to the man in the photograph?

(1) Sister
(2) Aunt
(3) Mother
(4) Daughter
(5) None of these
Solution: As the man’s father is the son of Malati’s grandfather, she is the man’s sister.
Hence, answer is (1) Sister.

11. Rekha introduces a man as the son of the brother of her mother. How is the man
related Rekha.
(1) Nephew
(2) Uncle
(3) Cousin
(4) Son
(5) None of these

Solution: Brother of mother i.e. uncle. Uncle’s son is cousin. Hence, answer is (3)
Cousin.
12. Pointing to Dharmendra, Hema said, “He is the son of my father’s only son.” How
is Dharmendra’s mother related to Hema?
(1) Sister- in- law
(2) Sister
(3) Aunt
(4) Daughter
(5) None of these
Solution: Hema’s father’s only son is Hema’s brother. So, Dharmendra is the son of
Hema’s brother. Thus, Dharmendra’s mother is the wife of Hema’s brother. Hence,
answer is (1) Sister- in- law.
13. Pointing towards a girl in the picture, Jaya said, “She is the mother of Amita
whose father is my son.” How is Jaya related to the girl in the picture?
(1) Aunt
(2) Cousin

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 (3) Mother
(4) Data inadequate
(5) None of these
Solution: Amita is the daughter of Jaya’s son and the girl is Amita’s mother. So, the girl
is Jaya’s son’s wife i.e. Jaya is the girl’s mother-in-law. Hence, answer is (5) None
of these.

14. If Nitesh says, “Priya’s mother is the only daughter of my mother”, how is Nitesh
related to Priya?
(1) Father (2) Grandfather (3) Brother (4) Uncle (5) None of these
Solutions ‘Only daughter of Nitesh’s’ mother means Nitesh’s sister. Priya’s mother is the
Nitesh’s sister. So, Nitesh is Priya’s maternal uncle. Hence, answer is (4) Uncle.

15. Mr. ‘Ashok’ meets Mr.’Babu’. ‘Babu’ is the father of a son ‘Dharmendra’ and a
daughter ‘Chandrika’. ‘Shalini’ is the mother of ‘Ashok’ ‘Dharmendra’ is married
has one son. ‘Shalini’ is the daughter-in- law of ‘Babu’. How is ‘Ashok’ related to
‘Babu’.
(1) Grandson (2) Nephew (3) Uncle (4) Son (5) None of these

Solution: ‘Shalini’ is daughter in law of ‘Babu’ and ‘Ashok’ is son of ‘Shalini’, so relation
between ‘Ashok’ and ‘Babu’ is grandson. Hence, answer is (1) Grandson.

Please note that in case of question having very long description of relations it is better
to focus on the sentences that contain at least one of the persons whose relationship is
asked.
16. ‘Kishor’ goes to picnic trip and meets Sandhya who is the sister of ‘Kishor’s wife.
How is ‘Sandhya’ related to ‘Kishor’?
(1) Brother (2)Sister (3) Brother-in-law (4) Sister-in-law (5) None of these

Solutions ‘Sandhya’ is sister in law of ‘Kishor’. Hence, answer is (4) Sister-in-law.

17. Abbas said to Chand, “Your mother’s husband’s sister is my aunt.” How is the lady
related to Abbas?

(1) Brother (2) Daughter (3) Sister (4) Aunt (5) None of these

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Solution: Lady (Chand) mother’s husband means her father. Lady’s father’s sister is
Lady’s aunt. But this sister is also Abbas’s aunt. Therefore, Lady (Chand) is Abbas’s
sister. Hence, answer is (3) Sister.

18. Pointing towards a person, Salman said to Shehnaz, “His mother is the only
daughter of your father.” How is the woman related to that person?
(1) Mother (2) Aunt (3) Wife (4) Sister (5) None of these Solution:

Solutions: The only daughter of Shehnaz father is she herself. So, the person is
Shehnaz’s Son, i.e. Shehnaz is Salman’s mother. Hence, answer is (1) Mother

19. R is the brother of P’s father’s wife. What is the relation of P with R?
(1) Brother (2) Nephew (3) Uncle (4) Cousin (5) None of these
Solutions: R is brother of P’s mother. R is maternal uncle of P. P is thus nephew of R. So
answer is (2) Nephew.

20. Introducing Nitin, Rohit said, “He is the only son of my father’s only son. How is
Rohit related to Nitin?
(1) Son (2) Father (3) Uncle (4) Cousin (5) Data inadequate
Solution: Rohit father’s only son means Rohit himself. So, Nitin is Rohit’s son i.e. Rohit
is Nitin’s father. Hence, answer is (2) Father.

21. ‘Anil ’ and ‘Meena’ are married couple. ‘Arjun’ and ‘Laksh are brothers. ‘Arjun’ is the
brother of ‘Anil’. How is ‘Laksh’ related to ‘Meena’?
(1) Brother-in-law (2) Brother (3) Cousin (4) Data inadequate (5) None of these

Solution: ‘Anil’ and ‘Meena’ are husband and wife. Since Arjun’ and ‘Laksh are brothers
and ‘Arjun’ is the brother of ‘Anil’, ‘Laksh’ is also the brother of ‘Anil’. Thus, ‘Laksh’
is the brother-in-law of ‘Meena. Hence, answer is (1) Brother-in-law.

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Mathematical Aptitude
Mathematical Aptitude is a way to identify the basic mathematical skill of the candidates.
We all aware of the fact that after clearing the UGC NET exam, we will go for either
teaching at colleges/universities level or enrol for Ph.D. In both cases, we need basic
mathematical skills for calculation, analysis, grading, percentage, etc.
In UGC NET Syllabus of Paper 1, the following topics of mathematical Aptitude are
mentioned:

Fraction
A fraction is a part of a whole unit or quantity. For example, if a square, triangle, or circle
is divided into two equal parts, one of these parts is a fraction of the whole square,
triangle, or circle.

Points:

● A fraction represents one or more equal parts of a whole.

● The number above the line in a fraction is called the numerator and the number
below the line is called denominator of the fraction.
● When the numerator and denominator of a fraction are equal then, the fraction
equals 1.
● There are as many ways to write 1 as a fraction as there are numbers.
● Fractions that have the same denominator are said to have a Common
Denominator.
● Example: 5/10, 5 is the numerator, and 10 is the denominator.

Ratio
● A ratio is comparison of two quantities
● A ratio is simplified the same way that a fraction is simplified.

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 ● A ratio can be inverted and still be true.

Proportion and Percentage

A proportion is simply a statement that two ratios are equal. It can be written in two
ways: as two equal fractions, a/b = c/d; or using a colon, a:b = c:d. The following
proportion is read as "twenty is to twenty-five as four is to five." 20/25 =4/5
In problems involving proportions, we can use cross products to test whether two ratios
are equal and form a proportion. To find the cross products of a proportion, we multiply
the outer terms, called the extremes, and the middle terms, called the means.

Percentage
The use of percentages is a commonplace in many aspects of commercial life. Interest
rates, discounts, pay rises, and so on are all expressed using percentages. Any fraction
which has a denominator of 100 can be written in a special way known as a percentage.
The symbol for percentage is %.

For example, the fraction 20/100 is written as 20%, and this is read as ‘twenty percent’.
Proportion and percentage are very important for calculation in Data Interpretation. The
question of Data Interpretation is generally related to percentages like finding growth,
increment, loss, etc.

Averages
The average is defined as the sum total of all volumes of items divided by the total
number of items.

● Arithmetic average is used for all averages like: average income, average profit,
average age, average marks etc
● In individual series. Average = sum of observation / Number of observation
● or x (x^1+x^2+x^3+⋯+x^n)/n
● To calculate the sum of observations, they should be in the same unit

Example: Ram, Shyam, David, and Abbas are students, and they have Rs. 200, Rs. 300,
Rs. 500, and Rs. 600 respectively. What is the average amount they have?

Solutions. Total amount = 200+300+500+600 = Rs. 1600 Total Number of Students = 4.

Then, Average money they have = 1600/4 = Rs. 400

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Example: A man purchased 5 toys at the rate of Rs 200 each, and 9 toys at the rate of Rs
300 each. Calculate the average cost of one toy.

Solutions: Price of 5 toys = 200 x 5 = 1000

Price of 6 toys = 250 x 6 = 1500

Price of 9 toys = 300 x 9 = 2700

Aveage cost of one toy = (1000+1500+2700)/20= 5200/20= Rs. 260/-

Time & Distance

Times and distance is a very important topic of Mathematical Aptitude for general
competitive exams, like Banking, Railways, SSC etc. But, this is not an important topic in
Mathematical Aptitude of UGC NET Exam.
This type of question ask to test the general mathematical ability.

Points to solve the question

● The speed (rate) at which an object move is the distance that the object covers in
a unit of time.
● The formula for the relationship between the speed, the distance the object
covers, and the amount of time it requires to cover that distance is:

All possible relationships between distance, speed and time can be derived from this
formula: t = s/v and s = v · t
All possible relationships between distance, speed and time can be derived from this
formula: t = v s and s = v · t

Example: A train traveled 240 kilometers (km) at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour
(kph). How long did the journey take?
a) 7 hours b) 5 hours c) 3 hours d) 2 hours

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Ans. : c) 3 hours
We are given v (80 kph) and s (240 km), and we have to calculate t. Since the speed is
given in kilometers per hour, the traveling time must be calculated in hours.
Substituting the given information into the formula t= s/v , we get t = 240/80 = 3
Thus, the journey took 3 hours

Profit & Loss

The calculation of profit and loss involves various terms like cost price, selling price,
marked price etc. Basically, it is a difference between cost price and selling price.

● Cost price is the price paid to purchase an article or a product or we can say it is a
cost incurred in manufacturing an article.

● Selling price is the price at which a product is sold. Various profit and loss
formulas used in profit and loss:

1. Profit or gain = Selling price(S.P) - Cost price (C.P)

2. Loss = Cost price – Selling price
3. Gain percentage (%) = (Gain/ C.P.) ×100
4. Loss percentage (%) = (Loss/ C.P.) ×100
5. There is a direct relationship between selling price and costprice:

6. If a person sells two commodities at same prices. On one he gains x% and loses
x% on another, then as a whole he will be in loss and the loss percentage will be
equal to:

Example: A man buys a cycle for Rs.1400 and sells it at a loss of 15%. What is the selling
price of the cycle?
a) Rs.1090 b) Rs.1160 c) Rs.1190 d) Rs1202

Ans. c)

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Selling Price = Rs. 1400 - 15 % loss

= Rs. (1400× 85 %) = Rs. 1400 × 85/100

= Rs. 1190

Interest & Discounting

This topic is also based on percentages and simple calculations like profit and loss.

The questions related to interest and discounting never asked in previous exams since
June 2012.

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