What Puzzles Questions Test
- Linear and circular seating arrangements
- Order and ranking puzzles
- Scheduling puzzles (days, months, time slots)
- Box and floor arrangements
Question bank coverage by sub-pattern
How Puzzles Appears in RRB Group D
Puzzles is part of the General Intelligence & Reasoning section (30% of the RRB Group D syllabus).
Puzzles Solved Examples for RRB Group D
12 exam-pattern puzzles questions from the practice bank, each with a full solution.
Study the following number sequence and answer the question: 5 3 8 9 1 6 2 7 4 6 8 2 9 1 3 5 7 4 8 6 2 1 9 3 5 7 4 8 6. How many even numbers are immediately followed by an odd number?
- A.5
- B.6
- C.7Correct
- D.8
Solution
The pairs of even numbers followed by odd numbers are: 8 9, 6 1, 2 7, 6 1, 8 2, 6 2, 8 6. Thus, there are 7 such pairs.
Six people P, Q, R, S, T, and U are sitting around a circular table. Some are facing the center, and some are facing away from the center. P sits second to the right of Q. R sits third to the left of P. S sits opposite to T, who faces away from the center. U sits next to Q. If P faces the center, then who sits immediately to the left of R?
- A.Q
- B.S
- C.TCorrect
- D.U
Solution
1. P sits second to the right of Q. 2. R sits third to the left of P. 3. S sits opposite to T, who faces away from the center. 4. U sits next to Q. 5. P faces the center. Therefore, T sits immediately to the left of R.
There are eight boxes kept one above the other. Box A is kept three places above Box B. Box C is kept immediately above Box D. Two boxes are kept between Box D and Box B. Box E is kept immediately above Box F. Box G is kept three places below Box F. Which box is kept at the top?
- A.A
- B.CCorrect
- C.E
- D.G
Solution
1. A is three places above B: A _ _ B. 2. C is immediately above D: C/D. 3. Two boxes between D and B: C/D _ _ B. Combining with step 1, we can deduce A at the top: A _ _ B and C/D _ _ B. Thus, A must be somewhere above C/D. It's either C/D A _ _ B or A C/D _ _ B. 4. E is immediately above F: E/F. 5. G is three places below F: E/F _ _ G. Since we have 8 boxes, we can fit them all. The only valid order is C/D A E/F _ _ B _ _ G. Hence, C is at the top.
Six people A, B, C, D, E, and F live on six different floors of a building, but not necessarily in the same order. The lowest floor is numbered 1, and the floor above it is numbered 2, and so on, until the topmost floor is numbered 6. A lives on floor number 3. B lives immediately above A. Only one person lives between B and C. D lives on an even-numbered floor. E lives below F. Who lives on the topmost floor?
- A.B
- B.C
- C.D
- D.FCorrect
Solution
1. A lives on floor number 3. 2. B lives immediately above A (floor 4). 3. Only one person lives between B and C. 4. D lives on an even-numbered floor. 5. E lives below F. Therefore, the order is: Floor 1: E, Floor 2: D, Floor 3: A, Floor 4: B, Floor 5: C, Floor 6: F.
Eight friends, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H, are sitting around a circular table facing the center. Each of them likes a different fruit – Apple, Banana, Cherry, Dates, Elderberry, Fig, Grape, and Hazelnut, but not necessarily in the same order. A sits third to the right of B. The person who likes Cherry sits second to the right of A. C sits second to the right of the person who likes Cherry. Only one person sits between C and D. The person who likes Grape sits second to the left of D. E likes Apple and sits adjacent to the person who likes Grape. The person who likes Banana sits second to the right of E. F is not an immediate neighbor of B. The person who likes Dates sits opposite to B. G likes Fig. H likes Hazelnut. Who likes Dates?
- A.ACorrect
- B.C
- C.E
- D.G
Solution
1. A sits third to the right of B. 2. Cherry sits second to the right of A. 3. C sits second to the right of Cherry. 4. One person between C and D. 5. Grape sits second to the left of D. 6. E (Apple) sits adjacent to Grape. 7. Banana sits second to the right of E. 8. F is not an immediate neighbor of B. 9. Dates sits opposite B. 10. G likes Fig, and H likes Hazelnut. By drawing a circular arrangement and following the clues, we find that A likes Dates.
Seven friends, P, Q, R, S, T, U, and V, participate in a competition on a different day of the week from Monday to Sunday. R participates on Wednesday. P participates on the day immediately before V. T participates on the day immediately after S. Q doesn't participate on Monday. Who participates on Friday?
- A.P
- B.VCorrect
- C.T
- D.Cannot be determined
Solution
1. R participates on Wednesday. 2. Q does not participate on Monday, implying it's another day. 3. P participates immediately before V, meaning P and V are together, with P before V. They cannot be on Sunday and Monday, respectively. 4. T participates immediately after S, meaning S and T are together, with S before T. They also cannot be on Sunday and Monday, respectively. 5. Possible days for P and V are (Mon-Tue, Tue-Wed, Thu-Fri, Fri-Sat, Sat-Sun). Given R is on Wednesday, the possibilities are (Mon-Tue, Thu-Fri, Fri-Sat, Sat-Sun) 6. Possible days for S and T are (Mon-Tue, Tue-Wed, Thu-Fri, Fri-Sat, Sat-Sun). Given R is on Wednesday, the possibilities are (Mon-Tue, Thu-Fri, Fri-Sat, Sat-Sun) 7. Combining constraints: If P and V are Mon-Tue, S and T must be Thu-Fri or Fri-Sat or Sat-Sun. If P and V are Thu-Fri, S and T must be Mon-Tue or Fri-Sat or Sat-Sun. If P and V are Fri-Sat, S and T must be Mon-Tue or Thu-Fri or Sat-Sun. If P and V are Sat-Sun, S and T must be Mon-Tue or Thu-Fri or Fri-Sat. 8. Q is not on Monday. U has to be placed. 9. If P and V are on Thu-Fri. S and T are on Mon-Tue. R is on Wed. Q, U are on Sat-Sun. This arrangement works. Q and U can be swapped. 10. If P and V are on Sat-Sun. S and T are on Mon-Tue. R is on Wed. Q, U are on Thu-Fri. This also works. Q and U can be swapped. 11. Consider the case where P and V are on Thursday and Friday. S and T are on Monday and Tuesday. R is on Wednesday. Q and U are on Saturday and Sunday. In this arrangement, V participates on Friday.
Seven people – A, B, C, D, E, F and G – were born in different months of the same year, namely January, February, March, May, June, August and October, but not necessarily in the same order. Each of them likes a different color, namely Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Pink, White and Black, but not necessarily in the same order. A was born in a month which has 31 days. Only two people were born between A and the one who likes Red. C was born immediately before the one who likes Blue. E was born before G. The one who likes Yellow was born after the one who likes Green. B likes Pink. If A likes white and was born in January, which color does the person born in August like?
- A.Black
- B.Red
- C.Green
- D.BlueCorrect
Solution
Given A likes White and was born in January (31 days). Two people were born between A and the one who likes Red, so the person who likes Red was born in May. C was born immediately before the one who likes Blue. E was born before G. The one who likes Yellow was born after the one who likes Green. B likes Pink. With these constraints, the arrangement is: January - A, White; February - E; March - C; May - Red; June - G, Green; August - Yellow, Blue; October - B, Black. Therefore, the person born in August likes Blue and Yellow.
Eight people – A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H – live on eight different floors of a building, but not necessarily in the same order. Each of them likes a different color: Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, White, Black, Pink, and Orange. A lives on an even-numbered floor. There are two floors between the floors on which A and the person who likes Red color live. The person who likes Blue color lives immediately above A. H lives on the topmost floor and likes White color. There are three floors between the floors on which H and the person who likes Green color live. The person who likes Black color lives on an odd-numbered floor. B lives immediately above C. B does not like Blue color. The person who likes Yellow color lives immediately above E. D lives above F. G likes Pink color. F does not like Orange color. Who lives on the bottom-most floor?
- A.F
- B.CCorrect
- C.E
- D.D
Solution
1. A lives on an even-numbered floor. Two floors between A and Red. Blue lives above A. 2. H lives on the topmost floor and likes White. Three floors between H and Green. 3. Black lives on an odd-numbered floor. B lives above C. B does not like Blue. 4. Yellow lives above E. D lives above F. G likes Pink. F does not like Orange. By carefully placing each person and color according to the conditions, the final arrangement shows C lives on the bottom-most floor.
There are six boxes P, Q, R, S, T and U stacked one above the other. Box P is placed immediately above box Q. There are two boxes between box Q and box R. Box S is placed immediately above box T. There are three boxes between box T and box U. Which box is at the top?
- A.SCorrect
- B.P
- C.U
- D.R
Solution
1. P is immediately above Q. So, P/Q. 2. Two boxes between Q and R. So, P/Q _ _ R. 3. S is immediately above T. So, S/T. 4. Three boxes between T and U. So, S/T _ _ _ U. Combining, we get S/T P/Q _ _ R or similar. It is also possible to have S/T _ _ _ U but since we know P/Q and Q _ _ R must exist, and boxes are distinct, we can infer that U must be below S/T. Therefore S must be at the top.
Seven employees - P, Q, R, S, T, U, and V - work in an office from Monday to Sunday. Each employee works only one day a week. P works on Tuesday. Two employees work between P and R. S works immediately before T. Three employees work between T and U. V works before Q. On which day does Q work?
- A.Wednesday
- B.Thursday
- C.Friday
- D.SundayCorrect
Solution
1. P is on Tuesday. 2. Two employees between P and R. 3. S is immediately before T. 4. Three employees between T and U. 5. V is before Q. This means R can be on Friday. S and T are consecutive, and T is 3 places before U. This gives us P-Tuesday, R-Friday. If we place U on Monday, then T and S would be on Thursday and Wednesday respectively. V and Q fill the remaining days. Since V is before Q, V is on Saturday and Q on Sunday. The arrangement is: Monday-U, Tuesday-P, Wednesday-S, Thursday-T, Friday-R, Saturday-V, Sunday-Q.
Seven boxes are stacked one above the other. Box M is placed immediately above box N. There are two boxes between box N and box O. Box P is placed immediately above box Q. There are three boxes between box Q and box R. Box S is placed above box R. If box S is at the top, which box is at the bottom?
- A.OCorrect
- B.R
- C.Q
- D.Cannot be determined
Solution
1. M is immediately above N: M/N. 2. Two boxes between N and O: M/N _ _ O. 3. P is immediately above Q: P/Q. 4. Three boxes between Q and R: P/Q _ _ _ R. 5. S is above R: S/R. Since S is at the top, we can merge the two arrangements. S/R _ _ _ P/Q M/N _ _ O. Therefore, O is at the bottom.
Six people – P, Q, R, S, T, and U – were born in different months: January, March, May, June, August, and October, but not necessarily in the same order. P was born in a month with 31 days. Only two people were born between P and R. S was born immediately before T. Q was born before U. R was born after Q. If P was born in January, who was born in August?
- A.Q
- B.S
- C.TCorrect
- D.U
Solution
If P is born in January (31 days), and two people are born between P and R, then R must be born in May (Jan - P, Feb, Mar, Apr, May - R). Since S was born immediately before T, and Q was born before U, and R was born after Q, the order must be Q, S, T, U. Therefore, the only remaining months are March, June, August, and October. This means Q is in March, S is in June, T is in August, and U is in October. Thus, T was born in August.
Puzzles — Frequently Asked Questions
What is the right order to use puzzle clues?
Definite placements first, then relative clues, and negative clues ("X is not next to Y") last for elimination. Re-reading clues in the given order wastes time — group them by strength.
Should I draw the arrangement?
Always. A five-second diagram prevents the re-reading loop that makes puzzle sets slow. For circular seating, fix one person first and place everyone relative to them.
How many Puzzles practice questions does Parikshala have for RRB Group D?
201 exam-pattern Puzzles questions for RRB Group D Reasoning, each with a step-by-step solution. Practice is free — no sign-up needed to start.