Mental Ability

CHAPTER
5 Classification
'Classification' means 'to assort the items of a given group on the basis of a certain common quality they
possess and then spot the stranger or odd one out'.
In this test, you are given a group of certain items, out of which all except one are similar to one another in some
manner. The candidate is required to choose this one item which does not fit into the given group.

5.1 Choosing the odd word

Solved examples
Directions : Choose the word which is least like the other words in the group.
Ex.1 (1) Zebra (2) Lion (3) Tiger (4) Horse
Sol. Here, all except Horse, are wild animals, while Horse can be domesticated. Hence, the answer is (4).
Ex.2 (1) Copper (2) Zinc (3) Brass (4) Aluminium
Sol. Here, all except Brass are metals, while Brass is an alloy. Hence, the answer is (3).
Ex.3 (1) January (2) May (3) July (4) November
Sol. Here, all except November are months having 31 days, while November has 30 days. Hence, the answer is (4).
Ex.4 (1) Bake (2) Peel (3) Fry (4) Boil
Sol. Here, all except Peel are different forms of cooking. Hence, the answer is (2).
Ex.5 (1) Pistol (2) Sword (3) Gun (4) Rifle
Sol. Here, all except Sword are fire arms, and can be used from a distance. Hence, the answer is (2).

EXERCISE
Directions: In each of the following questions, four words have been given out of which three are
alike in some manner, while the fourth one is different. Choose out the odd one.
1. (1) Curd (2) Butter (3) Oil (4) Cheese
2. (1) Shehnai (2) Bagpipe (3) Flute (4) Sitar
3. (1) Lima (2) Algiers (3) New York (4) Tokyo
4. (1) Actor (2) Artist (3) Musician (4) Poet
5. (1) Kanpur (2) Allahabad (3) Varanasi (4) Mathura
6. (1) Metre (2) Acre (3) Yard (4) Mile
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7. (1) Sparrow (2) Swan (3) Parrot (4) Koel

8. (1) Sun (2) Moon (3) Universe (4) Planets
9. (1) Run (2) Walk (3) Think (4) Jump
10. (1) Calendar (2) Year (3) Date (4) Month
11. (1) Spectacles (2) Goggles (3) Binoculars (4) Microphone
12. (1) King (2) Queen (3) Bishop (4) Minister
13. (1) Virgo (2) Pisces (3) Sagittarius (4) Orion
14. (1) Chicken (2) Snake (3) Swan (4) Crocodile
15. (1) Up (2) Down (3) Below (4) Small
16. (1) Moth (2) Bee (3) Lizard (4) Aphid
17. (1) Tailor (2) Carpenter (3) Blacksmith (4) Barber
18. (1) Table (2) Cupboard (3) Chair (4) Paper weight
19. (1) Hydrogen (2) Oxygen (3) Iodine (4) Nitrogen
20. (1) x-ray (2) Television (3) Computer (4) Telephone

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21. (1) Sharpener (2) Paper (3) Pen (4) Pencil
22. (1) Venus (2) Saturn (3) Earth (4) Mercury
23. (1) Mahavir (2) Buddha (3) Marx (4) Jesus
24. (1) Sunflower (2) Rose (3) Mustard (4) Wheat
25. (1) Wheat (2) Barley (3) Rice (4) Pea
26. (1) Baboon (2) Jaguar (3) Chimpanzee (4) Gorilla
27. (1) Sahara (2) Thar (3) Gobi (4) Sunderban
28. (1) Corn (2) Wheat (3) Cotton (4) Jowar
29. (1) Tarapur (2) Kota (3) Kalpakkam (4) Paradeep
30. (1) December (2) February (3) March (4) July
31. (1) Uncle (2) Nephew (3) Brother (4) Cousin
32. (1) Daman (2) Pondicherry (3) Chandigarh (4) Lucknow
33. (1) Volume (2) Size (3) Large (4) Shape
34. (1) Think (2) Hear (3) Smell (4) Taste
35. (1) Vagal (2) Niagara (3) Amazon (4) Congo
36. (1) Baghdad (2) Beijing (3) Delhi (4) Pakistan
37. (1) Dispur (2) Panaji (3) Shimla (4) Leh
38. (1) Amoeba (2) Cockroach (3) Roundworm (4) Frog
39. (1) Walk (2) Pull (3) Hear (4) Jump
40. (1) Indigo (2) Orange (3) Yellow (4) Pink
41. (1) Goat (2) Dog (3) Sheep (4) Cow
42. (1) Birbal (2) Abul Fazal (3) Tansen (4) Faiz Ahmed
43. (1) Gallon (2) Ton (3) Quintal (4) Kilogram
44. (1) Mushroom (2) Yeast (3) Mould (4) Smut
45. (1) Bangalore (2) Nagpur (3) Bhopal (4) Ranchi
46. (1) Larva (2) Pupa (3) Caterpillar (4) Nymph
47. (1) Rectangle (2) Square (3) Cube (4) Triangle
48. (1) Sailor (2) Tailor (3) Goldsmith (4) Blacksmith
49. (1) Copper (2) Silver (3) Gold (4) Platinum
50. (1) Sketch (2) Paper (3) Poster (4) Diagram
51. (1) Broker (2) Salesman (3) Customer (4) Hawker
52. (1) Basket (2) Purse (3) Bag (4) Hat
53. (1) Triangle (2) Rectangle (3) Circle (4) Square
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54. (1) Honest (2) Intelligent (3) Traitor (4) Wise

55. (1) Wheat (2) Paddy (3) Jowar (4) Mustard

ANSWERS
Qu e. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
An s . 3 4 3 4 4 2 2 3 3 1 4 4 4 1 4 3 4 4 3 1
Qu e. 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
An s . 1 3 3 2 4 2 4 3 4 2 3 4 3 1 2 4 4 1 3 4
Qu e. 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55
An s . 2 4 1 4 2 4 3 1 1 2 3 4 3 3 4

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5.2 Choosing the odd pair of words

In this type of questions, certain pairs of words are given out of which the words in all the pairs except one, bear
a certain common relationship. The candidate is required to decipher this relationship and choose the pair in
which the words are differently related, as the answer.

Solved examples
Directions : Choose the odd pair of words.
E x . 1 (1) Blacksmith : Anvil (2) Carpenter : Saw (3) Barber : Scissor (4) Goldsmith : Ornaments
S o l . Clearly, the answer is (4). In all other pairs, second is the tool used by the first.
E x . 2 (1) Painter : Gallery (2) Actor : Stage (3) Mason : Wall (4) Farmer : Field
S o l . Clearly, the answer is (3). In all other pairs, second is the working place of the first.
E x . 3 (1) Volume : Litre (2) Pressure : Barometer (3) Length : Metre (4) Resistance : Ohm
S o l . Clearly, the answer is (2). In all other pairs, second is the unit to measure the first. On the other hand, barometer
is an instrument.

EXERCISE
Directions : In each of the following questions, four pairs of words are given, out of which the words in three
pairs bear a certain common relationship. Choose the pair in which the words are differently related.
1. (1) Shoe : Leather (2) Iron : Axe (3) Table : Wood (4) Jewellery : Gold
2. (1) Daring : Timid (2) Beautiful : Pretty (3) Clear : Vague (4) Youth : Adult
3. (1) Bottle : Wine (2) Cup : Tea (3) Pitcher : Water (4) Ball : Bat
4. (1) Ornithology : Birds (2) Mycology : Fungi (3) Biology : Botany (4) Phycology : Algae
5. (1) Cat : Mouse (2) Lion : Deer (3) Cow : Hen (4) Hawk : Pigeon
6. (1) Ammeter: Current (2) Hygrometer : Pressure (3) Odometer: Speed (4) Seismograph : Earthquakes
7. (1) Bronze: Zinc (2) Duralumin : Aluminium (3) Steel: Iron (4) Brass : Copper
8. (1) Valley: Depth (2) Good : Bad (3) High: Low (4) Black : White
9. (1) Diamond: Glass cutter (2) Graphite : Pencil lead
(3) Lampblack : Automobile tyre (4) Coke : Shoe polish
10. (1) Iran: Asia (2) Canberra : Australia (3) Norway: Europe (4) Algeria : Africa
11. (1) Beautician: Parlour (2) Chemist : Medicine (3) Lawyer: Court (4) Engineer : Site
12. (1) Sky: Cloud (2) Purse: Wallet (3) Cupboard: Almirah (4) Chair : Stool
13. (1) Mercury: Sun (2) Moon: Earth (3) Star: Galaxy (4) Wheel : Axle
14. (1) Venus : Shukra (2) Uranus : Indra (3) Mars : Mangal (4) Saturn : Budha
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15. (1) Sun : Star (2) Rocket : Space (3) Moon : Satellite (4) Jupiter : Planet
16. (1) Army : General (2) Team : Captain (3) Crache : Infant (4) Meeting : Chairman
17. (1) Newspaper : Editor (2) Film : Director (3) Stamps : Philatelist (4) Book : Author
18. (1) Solder : Tin (2) Haematite : Iron (3) Bauxite : Aluminium (4) Malachite : Copper
19. (1) Avesta: Parsi (2) Torah : Jew (3) Tripitaka : Buddhist (4) Temple : Hindu
20. (1) Sahara: Africa (2) Thar : India (3) Kalahari: America (4) Gobi : Mongolia

ANSWERS
Qu e . 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
An s . 2 2 4 3 3 2 1 1 4 2
Qu e. 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
An s . 2 1 3 4 2 3 3 1 4 3

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Class X

5.3 Choosing the odd numeral

In this type of questions, certain numbers are given, out of which all except one share some common property
and hence are alike, while one is different and this number is to be chosen as the answer.

SOLVED EXA MPLES

Directions: Choose the number which is different from others in the group.
E x . 1 (1) 13 (2) 17 (3) 23 (4) 63
S o l . Each of the numbers except 63, is a prime number. Hence, the answer is (4).
E x . 2 (1) 25 (2) 36 (3) 78 (4) 144
S o l . Each of the numbers except 78, is a perfect square. Hence, the answer is (3).
E x . 3 (1) 21 (2) 36 (3) 49 (4) 56
S o l . Each of the numbers except 36, is divisible by 7. Hence, the answer is (2).
E x . 4 (1) 295 (2) 381 (3) 552 (4) 729
S o l . Each of the numbers except 295, is divisible by 3. Hence, the answer is (1).
E x . 5 (1) 48 (2) 50 (3) 82 (4) 170
S o l . Each of the numbers except 48, is one more than the square of a certain number. Hence, the answer is (1).

EXERCISE
Directions : In each of the following questions, four numbers are given. Out of these, three are alike in a
certain way but the rest one is different. Choose the one which is different from the rest three.
1. (1) 17 (2) 27 (3) 29 (4) 37
2. (1) 15 (2) 21 (3) 24 (4) 28
3. (1) 29 (2) 53 (3) 85 (4) 125
4. (1) 51 (2) 144 (3) 64 (4) 121
5. (1) 45 (2) 99 (3) 109 (4) 126
6. (1) 145 (2) 197 (3) 257 (4) 399
7. (1) 2384 (2) 1592 (3) 3756 (4) 3629
8. (1) 1532 (2) 8749 (3) 4268 (4) 5846
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9. (1) 7851 (2) 6432 (3) 5789 (4) 1325

10. (1) 2 (2) 16 (3) 56 (4) 128

ANSWERS
Qu e. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
An s . 2 4 4 1 3 4 4 3 2 3

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5.4 Choosing the odd numeral pair/group

In this type of questions, certain pairs/groups of numbers are given out of which all except one are similar in some
manner while one is different. The numbers in these similar pairs/groups may have the same property or may be
related to each other according to the same rule. The candidate is required to choose the odd pair/group.
Solved Examples
Directions: Choose the number pair/group which is different from others.
E x . 1 (1) 50 - 66 (2) 32 - 48 (3) 64 - 80 (4) 63 - 77
S o l . Clearly, in each of the pairs except (4), the second number is 16 more than the first.
Hence, the answer is (4).
E x . 2 (1) 70 - 80 (2) 54 - 62 (3) 28 - 32 (4) 21 - 24
S o l . In each of the pairs except (2), the ratio of the two numbers is 7 : 8. Hence, the answer is (2).
E x . 3 (1) 14, 12 (2) 24, 7 (3) 37, 4 (4) 42, 4
S o l . In each of the pairs except (3), the product of the numbers is 168. Hence, the answer is (3).
E x . 4 (1) 71,7, 3, 17 (2) 67, 71, 3, 5 (3) 41,5,3,47 (4) 37, 14, 19, 7
S o l . All other groups except (4) consist of prime numbers only, while (4) consists of one composite number i.e. 14.
Hence, the answer is (4).
E x . 5 (1) 1 (5) 2 (2) 7 (113) 8 (3) 2 (20) 4 (4) 3 (17) 4
S o l . In each of the alternatives except (4), the number inside the bracket is the sum of the squares of the numbers
outside it. Hence, the answer is (4).

EXERCISE
Directions: Choose the odd numeral pair/group in each of the following questions:

1. (1) 34 - 43 (2) 55 - 62 (3) 62 - 71 (4) 83 - 92

2. (1) 2 - 8 (2) 3 - 27 (3) 4 - 32 (4) 5 - 125

3. (1) 80 - 9 (2) 64 - 8 (3) 36 - 6 (4) 49 - 7

4. (1) 23 - 29 (2) 19 - 25 (3) 13 - 17 (4) 3 - 5

5. (1) 13 - 31 (2) 45 - 54 (3) 16 - 61 (4) 71 - 88

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6. (1) 4: 16 (2) 6: 42 (3) 8: 24 (4) 17 : 54

7. (1) 45, 27 (2) 30, 18 (3) 20, 10 (4) 15, 12

8. (1) (18, 45) (2) (23, 14) (3) (29, 82) (4) (36, 27)

9. (1) (52, 142) (2) (54, 126) (3) (56, 168) (4) (58, 184)
10. (1) 2, 3, 6 (2) 6, 1, 6 (3) 3, 3, 9 (4) 6, 2, 5

ANSWERS
Qu e. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
An s . 2 3 1 2 4 4 3 3 3 4

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Class X

5.5 Choosing the odd letter group

In this type of questions, usually four groups of letters are given. Three of them are similar to each other in some
manner while one is different and this is to be chosen by the candidate as the answer.

Solved examples

Directions: Choose the group of letters which is different from others.

E x . 1 (1) BD (2) IK (3) PN (4) SU

S o l . Clearly, the answer is (3). All other groups consist of two alternate letters in order, while in this group they are
in reverse order.

E x . 2 (1) BCD (2) KMN (3) QRS (4) GHI

S o l . Clearly, the answer is (2). All other groups consist of three consecutive letters while this one doesn't.

E x . 3 (1) POCG (2) KLIZ (3) BUDX (4) FQMV

S o l . Clearly, the answer is (4). All other groups consist of one vowel each but this group doesn't contain any vowel.

E x . 4 (1) CZHK (2) MLAG (3) XUBU (4) SENO

S o l . Clearly, the answer is (3). This is the only group in which one letter has been repeated.

E x . 5 (1) BDGK (2) JLOS (3) NPSW (4) MORU

S o l . Clearly, the answer is (4). In all other groups, there is a gap of 1 letter between first and second letters, 2 letters
between second and third letters, and 3 letters between third and fourth letters.

E x . 6 (1) CFIL (2) PSVX (3) JMPS (4) ORUX

S o l . Clearly, the answer is (2). In all other groups, each letter moves 3 steps forward to obtain the next letter.

E x . 7 (1) DkUZ (2) LPuB (3) FoMY (4) UXeN

S o l . Clearly, the answer is (1). In all other groups, the smaller letter is a vowel.

E x . 8 (1) AUgPZ (2) MXiDV (3) KFeCO (4) YGLhT

S o l . Clearly, the answer is (4). In all other groups, the smaller letter is the middle one.
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EXERCISE
Directions : In each of the following questions, some groups of letters are given, all of which, except one, share
a common similarity while one is different. Choose the odd one out.

1. (1) DE (2) PQ (3) TU (4) MO

2. (1) XW (2) FG (3) ML (4) PO

3. (1) AE (2) AI (3) IO (4) EI

4. (1) ABD (2) FGI (3) LMO (4) STU

5. (1) ACE (2) PRT (3) UWY (4) MNO

6. (1) BEH (2) CFI (3) DGJ (4) EHL

7. (1) HJN (2) JLP (3) PRU (4) QSW

8. (1) RAT (2) OUT (3) BED (4) LOT

9. (1) PQs (2) AtB (3) slM (4) mnZ

10. (1) BdE (2) XpD (3) HQu (4) MkV

11. (1) BCDE (2) PQRS (3) WXYZ (4) STUW

12. (1) UTSR (2) IHGE (3) NMLK (4) ZYXW

13. (1) ABBC (2) PQQR (3) HIIJ (4) WYYZ

14. (1) APBQ (2) CRDT (3) EUFV (4) GWHX

15. (1) DECB (2) GDFE (3) HKIJ (4) JFHG

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ANSWERS
Qu e. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
An s. 4 2 2 4 4 4 3 2 4 3 4 2 4 2 4

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Class X

EXERCISE
QUESTIONS RELATED TO VARIOUS OLYMPIADS
Directions (Q. 1 & Q.2) : In each of the following questions, there are four groups of letters three of them
are alike in some manner, while one is different. Find the different one.
1. (1) NOPR (2) SURT (3) PROQ (4) FHEG
2. (1) ACEG (2) BDFH (3) IKMO (4) YACE
3. Three of the following four are alike in a certain way and so form a group. Which is the one that does not
belong to that group?
(1) March (2) January (3) July (4) June
4. Three of the following four are alike in a certain way and so form a group. Which is the one that does not
belong to that group?
(1) 35 (2) 28 (3) 56 (4) 49
5. Three of the following four are alike in a certain way and so form a group. Which is the one that does not
belong to that group?
(1) Cabbage (2) Brinjal (3) Sweet Gourd (4) Pumpkin
Directions (Q.6 & Q.20) : In the below questions three alternatives are alike in a certain way but the
rest one is different. Find out the odd one and write the correct answer.
6. (1) Aries (2) Virus (3) Aquarius (4) Pisces
7. (1) ACEGF (2) FHJLK (3) KMOQP (4) UWYZA
8. (1)125 (2) 150 (3)300 (4) 250
9. (1) 28,4 (2) 35,5 (3) 63,7 (4) 56,8
10. (1) CEMENT (2) BRICK (3) SAND (4) COLOUR
11. (1)336 (2) 508 (3) 504 (4) 720
12. (1) 431 (2) 631 (3) 981 (4) 241
13. (1) EMI (2) BJF (3) DLH (4) GOJ
14. (1) ABXY (2) FGTU (3) IJQR (4) CDWX
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15. (1) Pendrive (2) Data Card (3) Hard Disk (4) Head Phone
16. (1) ECA (2) JHF (3) QOM (4) YWT
17. (1) AEIF (2) CGKH (3) EILJ (4) GKOL
18. (1) XCJP (2) YEKQ (3) ZGLT (4) AHMV
19. (1) 150 (2) 165 (3) 200 (4) 250
20. (1) Coal (2) Graphite (3) Diamond (4) Gold

ANSWERS
Q u e. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0
A n s . 1 2 4 4 1 2 4 1 3 4
Q u e. 1 1 1 2 1 3 1 4 1 5 1 6 1 7 1 8 1 9 2 0
A n s . 2 3 4 1 4 4 3 2 2 4

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