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UGC NET Paper 1Unit V
🧮 Math Reasoning Lab

See the pattern. Solve with control.

Complete exam-focused revision notes on reasoning, series, coding, relationships, fractions, percentages, commercial arithmetic, averages, speed and work.

Maths में speed formula रटने से नहीं, question की structure पहचानने और सही base चुनने से आती है।

✓ Full syllabus map⚠ Shortcut traps🧪 Live calculators✍ Worked examples
25%
A→D
3:5
ClassRoom Thinker
01

Types of reasoning

Which direction does the inference travel?

Reasoning means controlled inference

Reasoning uses available statements, observations or relations to reach a conclusion. The key exam question is: What is given, what is claimed, and how strongly does it follow?

Evidence / rulePattern or relationConclusionCheck

Conclusion सही लगना पर्याप्त नहीं; वह दिए गए evidence से logically follow होना चाहिए।

Deductive

General rule → specific conclusion. If premises are true and the form is valid, the conclusion must be true.

All mammals breathe. Whale is a mammal. Therefore, whale breathes.

CERTAINTY IF VALID

Inductive

Specific observations → probable generalization. New evidence can strengthen or weaken the conclusion.

Several sampled metals expand on heating; infer that metals generally expand.

PROBABILITY

Abductive

Observation → best available explanation. The conclusion is plausible, not guaranteed.

The lawn is wet; rain is one possible best explanation, but a sprinkler may also explain it.

BEST EXPLANATION

Analogical

Because two cases share relevant features, infer a further similarity. Strength depends on the relevance and number of shared features.

🧪 Reasoning classifier

Select an inference.
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02

Number series: the pattern ladder

Check simple operations before inventing a complicated rule

Seven-step scan

  1. Difference: first differences constant or patterned?
  2. Second difference: are differences themselves changing regularly?
  3. Ratio: multiply/divide by a constant or sequence?
  4. Alternating streams: odd and even positions follow separate rules?
  5. Known families: squares, cubes, primes, Fibonacci, factorials?
  6. Mixed operation: ×2+1, ×3−2, and so on?
  7. Digit property: sum/product/reversal of digits?
Occam rule: prefer the simplest rule that explains every term and the options.

🧪 Pattern explorer

Tap a series to reveal the pattern.

Difference table

For 4, 9, 16, 25, 36:

Terms: 4, 9, 16, 25, 36
Δ: 5, 7, 9, 11
Δ²: 2, 2, 2

Constant second difference signals a quadratic pattern; here terms are squares 2² to 6².

Alternating series

Split positions before calculating:

2, 5, 4, 10, 8, 20, 16…
Odd: 2,4,8,16 (×2)
Even: 5,10,20 (×2)

Wrong-term questions

Generate the expected series independently, then compare. Do not force a new rule around the suspicious term.

Example correction: n³−3 gives 5, 24, 61, 122, 213, 340; therefore 65 is wrong.
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03

Letter series and alphabet reasoning

Convert letters into positions, then look for movement

A1Z26 master strip

A1B2C3D4E5F6G7H8I9J10K11L12M13N14O15P16Q17R18S19T20U21V22W23X24Y25Z26
Opposite-position sum = 27 → A↔Z, B↔Y, C↔X…

Common patterns

  • Uniform shift: A, D, G, J (+3)
  • Growing shift: A, C, F, J (+2,+3,+4)
  • Reverse movement: Z, W, T, Q (−3)
  • Alternating streams
  • Letter groups and missing blocks
  • Alphabetical order and letter pairs

Wrap-around rule

After Z, continue from A when a coding rule shifts forward.

Y + 3 → B
Position: (25 + 3 − 1) mod 26 + 1 = 2

🧪 Alphabet position tool

N=14, E=5, T=20 • shift +3 → QHW

Letter-pair method

For two letters in a word, compare:

letters between in word = |index₂−index₁|−1
letters between in alphabet = |position₂−position₁|−1

Check both forward and reverse alphabetical order if the question allows it.

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04

Coding-decoding

Find the stable transformation, not a lucky coincidence

Code families

TypeWhat changes?Best first move
Shift/substitutionEach letter replaced by anotherWrite positions and differences
Reverse/oppositeOrder or alphabet mirror changesCheck reversal and sum 27
Position/valueLetters converted to numbersTest sum, product, difference
Conditional/symbolTable plus special conditionsApply base code, then condition
Language codingWords mapped to arbitrary code wordsUse common-word intersection
Renaming/chainKnown objects receive new namesFind real role first, then rename

Shift example

PUNE → SXQH
P+3=S, U+3=X, N+3=Q, E+3=H

Apply the same rule to every letter. If shifts vary, inspect position-wise patterns.

Language-code intersection

If:

“smart learners revise” = ka mi po
“learners solve quickly” = mi tu ra

Common word learners ↔ common code mi.

🧪 Code detective

Select a coding clue.

Validity check

A rule inferred from one pair may not be unique. Confirm against every available example and all letter positions.

एक example से कई rules बन सकते हैं; सभी दिए हुए data पर rule test करें।

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05

Relationships: build the diagram

Blood relations and set relations become easy when converted into structure

Blood-relation method

  1. Start with the person whose relation is directly stated.
  2. Mark gender only when explicitly known.
  3. Keep each generation on one horizontal level.
  4. Use a couple line for spouses and a vertical link for parent–child.
  5. Trace from the reference person to the target; answer exactly the asked direction.

“How is A related to B?” और “How is B related to A?” के answers उलटे हो सकते हैं।

Generation ladder

+2Great-grandparents
+1Parents, uncle, aunt
0Self, sibling, spouse, cousin
−1Child, nephew, niece
Gender trap: “child of” does not tell son or daughter.

Fast kinship vocabulary

  • Parent’s brother = uncle
  • Parent’s sister = aunt
  • Sibling’s son/daughter = nephew/niece
  • Uncle/aunt’s child = cousin
  • Daughter’s husband = son-in-law
  • Son’s wife = daughter-in-law

🧪 Relationship decoder

Select a statement.

Venn relationship rules

  • Disjoint: no common member
  • Subset: every A is B
  • Overlap: some A are B
  • Three-set intersection: satisfy all three
Only A = A − overlaps containing A
Exactly two = pair-only regions
At least one = union
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06

Fractions, decimals and the number sense bridge

Make unlike forms comparable

Fraction anatomy

Fraction = part / whole = numerator / denominator
  • Proper: numerator < denominator
  • Improper: numerator ≥ denominator
  • Mixed: whole number + proper fraction
  • Equivalent: same value, scaled terms

Four operations

a/b + c/d = (ad+bc)/bd
a/b − c/d = (ad−bc)/bd
a/b × c/d = ac/bd
a/b ÷ c/d = ad/bc

Cancel before multiplying to reduce arithmetic.

Compare fractions

For positive denominators, compare cross-products:

a/b ? c/d → compare ad and bc

Example: 5/8 vs 9/13 → 5×13=65; 9×8=72, so 9/13 is larger.

Must-know conversions

1/20.5 = 50%
1/30.333… = 33⅓%
1/40.25 = 25%
1/50.2 = 20%
1/80.125 = 12.5%
1/100.1 = 10%
2/366⅔%
3/475%

🧪 Fraction converter

5/8 = 0.625 = 62.5%

“Of” means multiply

4/7 of 2/3 of 5/6 of 5/8 of 1008
= 1008 × 5/8 × 5/6 × 2/3 × 4/7 = 200
Speed trick: arrange factors so cancellation happens before multiplication.
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07

Ratio and proportion

Ratios compare; proportions declare equality

Ratio

a:b compares quantities in the same units. Multiplying or dividing both terms by the same non-zero number gives an equivalent ratio.

a:b = ka:kb

Ratio में order महत्वपूर्ण है: 2:3 और 3:2 समान नहीं हैं।

Proportion

a:b = c:d means two ratios are equal.

a/b = c/d ⇔ ad = bc

Outer terms are extremes; inner terms are means.

Direct vs inverse

Direct: y ∝ x → y/x constant.

Inverse: y ∝ 1/x → xy constant.

Example: For a fixed distance, speed and time are inversely proportional.

Share a quantity in a ratio

Divide ₹840 in 3:4:

Total parts = 3+4 = 7
One part = 840/7 = 120
Shares = 3×120 = ₹360 and 4×120 = ₹480

🧪 Ratio divider

840 in 3:4 → 360 and 480

Ratio after percentage change

If A:B = 2:3 and A rises 15%, B rises 10%:

New ratio = 2×1.15 : 3×1.10
= 2.30 : 3.30 = 23:33

Apply change to each original term before simplifying.

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08

Percentage: the universal comparison language

Always identify the base

The percentage engine

Percentage = (part / base) × 100
Part = (percentage/100) × base
Base = part × 100 / percentage

Ask first: “Percentage of what?” The denominator/base controls the answer.

Percentage change में पुरानी value base होती है, नई value नहीं।

Increase and decrease

New value after r% rise = Old × (1 + r/100)
New value after r% fall = Old × (1 − r/100)

Successive percentage change

Net % = a + b + ab/100

Use signs: +20% then −20% → 20−20−4 = −4%, not zero.

Reverse percentage

If final value 120 follows a 20% rise:

Original = 120 / 1.20 = 100

Do not simply subtract 20% of the final value.

🧪 Percentage change calculator

Increase = 60; percentage increase = 25%

Price-consumption constant expenditure

If price falls by x%, required consumption rise:

Increase % = x/(100−x) × 100

20% price fall → 20/80×100 = 25% consumption rise.

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09

Profit, loss and discount

Keep CP, SP and MP in separate boxes

Commercial arithmetic map

Cost Price (CP)
purchase/cost
Profit/LossSelling Price (SP)DiscountMarked Price (MP)
Profit = SP−CP; Loss = CP−SP
Profit% = Profit/CP×100; Loss% = Loss/CP×100
Discount = MP−SP; Discount% = Discount/MP×100

Direct multipliers

SP at p% profit = CP(1+p/100)
SP at l% loss = CP(1−l/100)
SP after d% discount = MP(1−d/100)

Successive discounts

Equivalent discount = a+b−ab/100

20% then 10% discount = 20+10−2 = 28%.

Same SP, equal gain/loss%

If two articles sell at the same SP, one at x% gain and one at x% loss:

Overall loss% = x²/100

At 20% each → overall loss = 4%.

🧪 Shop calculator

MP ₹1250 → SP ₹1125 → profit ₹125 (12.5%)

Base trap

Profit/loss percentage uses CP; discount percentage uses MP. The same rupee difference can create different percentages because the bases differ.

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10

Interest and discounting

Simple growth is linear; compound growth grows on growth

Simple interest

SI = PRT/100
Amount A = P + SI

P = principal, R = annual rate %, T = time in years.

For months use T = months/12; for days use the convention stated in the question.

Compound interest

A = P(1 + R/100)ᵀ
CI = A − P

For half-yearly compounding: use R/2 and 2T periods. For quarterly: R/4 and 4T.

SI vs CI

SI is computed on original principal. CI is computed on accumulated amount.

For 2 years: CI − SI = P(R/100)²

Present value / discounting

Money received later is discounted back using a rate.

PV = FV / (1+r)ⁿ

Here r is the rate per period in decimal form. Higher r or longer n lowers present value.

🧪 Interest calculator

SI = ₹1000; amount = ₹6000

Rule of 72

Approximate doubling time:

Years ≈ 72 / annual rate%

At 12% → about 6 years. It is an approximation, not the exact compound-interest equation.

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11

Averages, weighted mean and alligation

Average is a balance point, not just a formula

Arithmetic mean

Average = Sum of observations / Number of observations
Sum = Average × Number

If one value is replaced, adjust the total first; then divide by the unchanged count.

Combined average

Combined mean = (n₁x̄₁ + n₂x̄₂)/(n₁+n₂)

Do not take a simple average of group averages unless group sizes are equal.

Weighted average

x̄w = Σ(wx)/Σw

Weights reflect different importance or frequency.

Average speed

Average speed is total distance / total time, not usually (v₁+v₂)/2.

Equal distances at x and y → Average speed = 2xy/(x+y)

🧪 Average correction tool

Wrong total 60 → corrected total 40 → correct average 10

Alligation

Mix values a and b to obtain mean m:

Quantity at a : Quantity at b = (b−m):(m−a)

8% and 18% profit mixed for 14% mean → ratio = (18−14):(14−8)=4:6=2:3.

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12

Time, speed and distance

Draw the triangle, fix the units, then model relative motion

The motion triangle

Distance = Speed × TimeSpeed = Distance / TimeTime = Distance / Speed
1 km/h = 5/18 m/s   •   1 m/s = 18/5 km/h

Relative speed

  • Opposite directions: add speeds
  • Same direction: subtract speeds
  • Meeting time = separation / relative speed
  • Catch-up time = lead / speed difference

Trains

Pole/person: distance = train length
Platform: distance = train + platform lengths
Two trains: use sum of relevant lengths

Boats and streams

Downstream = boat + stream
Upstream = boat − stream
Boat = (down+up)/2
Stream = (down−up)/2

🧪 Motion calculator

Time = 150/60 = 2.5 hours

Speed-time inverse shortcut

For fixed distance:

Speed ratio A:B = m:n
Time ratio A:B = n:m

If A:B speeds = 3:4 and B takes 24 min, A takes 24×4/3 = 32 min.

ClassRoom Thinker
13

Time and work, pipes and efficiency

Convert days into one-day rates

Work-rate model

If A finishes in x days → A’s rate = 1/x work/day
Combined rate = sum of individual rates
Time together = 1 / combined rate

A in 10 days and B in 15 days:

1/10 + 1/15 = 1/6 → together 6 days

Efficiency relation

Efficiency ∝ 1/Time
Efficiency ratio A:B = b:a if times are a:b

More efficient worker takes less time.

Pipes and cisterns

Inlet is positive work; outlet/leak is negative.

Net rate = Σ inlet rates − Σ outlet rates

Use LCM units when opening/closing times differ.

Men–days–hours

For the same work and equal efficiency:

Men × Days × Hours/day = constant

If efficiency varies, include its factor too.

🧪 Combined work calculator

Combined rate = 1/10 + 1/15 = 1/6; time = 6 days

Alternate-day questions

Calculate work completed in one full cycle, count complete cycles, then assign the remaining work to the next worker in sequence.

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14

Bonus aptitude toolkit

Useful “etc.” topics found in the supplied material

Ages

  • Let present age be x.
  • “n years ago” → x−n.
  • “n years hence” → x+n.
  • Age difference remains constant.
  • Translate “times as old” carefully.
Language trap: “3 times as old” = 3x; “3 times more than” is ambiguous in ordinary language—use the intended exam convention/context.

Calendars

Ordinary year = 365 days = 52 weeks + 1 day
Leap year = 366 days = 52 weeks + 2 days

Leap year: divisible by 4, but a century year must be divisible by 400.

Odd days = remainder after complete weeks.

Clocks

Minute hand = 6° per minute
Hour hand = 0.5° per minute
Angle at H:M = |30H − 5.5M|

Smaller angle = min(θ, 360−θ).

Venn counting

n(A∪B)=n(A)+n(B)−n(A∩B)

For three sets, add singles, subtract pairwise intersections, then add the triple intersection once.

Unit digit cycles

Powers repeat in cycles. Example: last digits of 2ⁿ are 2,4,8,6 (cycle length 4).

Find exponent mod cycle length

Divisibility essentials

  • 2: last digit even
  • 3/9: digit sum divisible by 3/9
  • 4: last two digits divisible by 4
  • 5: ends 0 or 5
  • 8: last three digits divisible by 8
  • 11: alternating digit-sum difference divisible by 11

🧪 Quick concept check

Tap a concept.
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15

Final recall vault

One formula wall + one mixed checkpoint

The compact formula wall

TopicCore relationTrap to avoid
PercentagePart/Base ×100Wrong base
Successive changea+b+ab/100 (signed)Simple addition only
Profit/LossGain or loss / CP ×100Using SP as base
DiscountDiscount / MP ×100Using CP as base
SIPRT/100Wrong time unit
CIP(1+r)ⁿ−PIgnoring compounding period
AverageSum/nAveraging unequal group means
SpeedD/TAveraging speeds blindly
WorkRate = 1/timeAdding days instead of rates
Proportiona:b=c:d ⇒ ad=bcReversing order

Exam-solving rhythm

  1. Underline what is asked.
  2. Choose variables and the correct base.
  3. Convert units before substitution.
  4. Estimate the answer range.
  5. Calculate with cancellation/multipliers.
  6. Check sign, unit and option.

Trap radar

  • One sequence can fit many artificial rules.
  • Same percentage rise and fall do not cancel.
  • Average speed is total distance/total time.
  • Profit % and discount % use different bases.
  • Work rates add; completion times do not.
  • Deductive validity and premise truth are different.

🎯 NET/JRF mixed checkpoint

1. Observation followed by the best available explanation is:
Abduction infers a plausible best explanation from an observation.
2. Next term: 3, 8, 15, 24, 35, ?
Differences are 5,7,9,11,13; next term = 35+13=48.
3. Opposite letter of D is:
Opposite positions sum to 27: D=4, so 27−4=23=W.
4. 20% increase followed by 20% decrease gives:
Net = 20−20−(20×20/100)=−4%.
5. A ₹1000 item marked 25% above CP and discounted 20% is sold at:
MP=1250; SP=1250×0.8=1000. No profit or loss.
6. A does work in 12 days and B in 18 days. Together they need:
Rate = 1/12+1/18=5/36; time=36/5=7.2 days.
7. Equal distances at 60 km/h and 40 km/h give average speed:
Equal-distance average = 2xy/(x+y)=2×60×40/100=48 km/h.
8. SI on ₹5000 at 8% p.a. for 3 years is:
SI=5000×8×3/100=₹1200.
9. If A:B=3:5 and total=320, A is:
A=320×3/(3+5)=120.
10. A group mean is 20 for 5 values. One value 40 is corrected to 25. New mean:
Old total=100; corrected total=100−40+25=85; mean=17.
Score: 0 / 10

ClassRoom Thinker publishing note

These notes synthesize the supplied book pages with the complete NTA syllabus using original explanations, examples, formula layouts and interactive practice. Re-check arithmetic by method, not memory.

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