Ashoka Aptitude Assessment · Paper 10

Logical, Quantitative & Critical Reasoning

1. Q1Critical Reasoning › Statements & InferencesEasy

   Across India, many villages protect small patches of forest known as sacred groves, each dedicated to a local deity. By custom, villagers may not cut trees in a grove, and in many groves even collecting fallen branches is forbidden. Ecologists studying these groves have found in them plant species that have disappeared from the land around them.

   Which of the following is BEST supported by the passage?

   ASacred groves are older than the villages that protect them.BFarmland is more valuable to villagers than their sacred groves are.CEcologists were the first to suggest protecting sacred groves.DA religious custom can help to conserve plant species.

   Correct answerExplanation (with Test Prep)
2. Q2Critical Reasoning › Statement & ConclusionEasy

   In Hindi and Urdu, the word 'kal' can mean either 'yesterday' or 'tomorrow', and 'parson' can mean either 'the day before yesterday' or 'the day after tomorrow'. Speakers are rarely confused, because the tense of the verb in the sentence shows whether the speaker is talking about the past or the future.

   Which of the following conclusions can DEFINITELY be drawn from the passage?

   AIn these languages, a time word on its own does not always fix its meaning; the rest of the sentence can be needed.BHindi and Urdu speakers think about time differently from English speakers.CHindi has fewer words for time than any other language.D'Kal' is used more often to mean 'tomorrow' than to mean 'yesterday'.

   Correct answerExplanation (with Test Prep)
3. Q3Data Interpretation › Bar GraphsEasy

   Given below is the data regarding the sale of badminton racquets of a sporting goods store across its different branches in Delhi.

   In the chart, each branch is drawn as a rectangle: its width is the Average Cost of a Badminton Racquet (2023) and its height is the Number of Badminton Racquets Sold (2023), both measured in equal, unlabelled units.

   Lajpat Nagar: 2 wide, 5 tall

   Dwarka: 2 wide, 2 tall

   Hauz Khas: 5 wide, 2 tall

   Kamala Nagar: 5 wide, 1.5 tall

   Rohini: about 1.5 wide, about 3.4 tall

   Saket and Shahdara: both 3.5 wide; Saket (about 1.9 tall) is taller than Shahdara (about 1.45 tall)

   Which of the following statements CANNOT be inferred from the given data?

   (Note: Revenue = Number of units sold $\times$ Average cost)

   ARevenue from sales of Badminton racquets at Saket is greater than that at Shahdara.BRevenue from sales of Badminton racquets at Lajpat Nagar is equal to that at Hauz Khas.CRevenue from sales of Badminton racquets at Hauz Khas is equal to that at Kamala Nagar.DRevenue from sales of Badminton racquets at Hauz Khas and Lajpat Nagar together is five times that of Dwarka.

   Correct answerExplanation (with Test Prep)
4. Q4Critical Reasoning › Argument StructureEasy

   An ad hominem attack is when someone attacks the person making the argument, instead of the argument itself.

   Given below are four invalid arguments. Identify the ad hominem argument.

   AThe content is fine, but the person chosen to give this speech would cause a public relations nightmare for our company.BHer habit of skipping breakfast will impact not just her health, but also her ability to complete tasks in the long run.CThis book on financial planning is not credible, given the author herself is not very rich.DVeganism must be the healthiest diet, since so many famous athletes follow it.

   Correct answerExplanation (with Test Prep)
5. Q5Critical Reasoning › Statements & InferencesMedium

   During a recent check on State X's schools, volunteers found the buildings in poor condition, unpaid teacher salaries and a lack of adequate water and meals. Students also stated that they had forgotten to read and write; they were provided no textbooks. Although there are exceptions, the government's lack of enthusiasm for improving the condition of schools in the state has led to decades of neglect, the report notes.

   There are a number of immediate steps that the state government needs to take to resolve the current situation. Which of the following is NOT one of them?

   AImplement mid-day meal program for students and organising health check-ups.BConstruct parks, activity rooms and other resources for students' holistic development.CRevamp the administrative policies for schools and revise benefits for educators in the state.DSet up a commission that would oversee the proper implementation of the Right to Education Act.

   Correct answerExplanation (with Test Prep)
6. Q6Modern Math › Permutation & CombinationEasy

   Neejil wants to buy some shirts for himself. His table of preferences is:

   Brand Name: ?

   Colour: 1. Black, 2. Blue, 3. Green, 4. Yellow

   Type: 1. Formal shirt, 2. Casual shirt, 3. T-shirt

   If he has 36 unique combinations of brand names, colour and type, how many brand names are there in his table of preferences?

   A36B29C9D3

   Correct answerExplanation (with Test Prep)
7. Q7Logical Reasoning › SeriesEasy

   Find the next number in the series: 1, 2, 6, 15, 31, ?

   A47B48C52D56

   Correct answerExplanation (with Test Prep)
8. Q8Critical Reasoning › Assessing EvidenceMedium

   A city must decide whether a footbridge over a busy road outside a school is worth what it would cost to build. Which of the following pieces of information does the city NEED to make that decision?

   P: The number of children who cross the road there each day

   Q: The number of accidents at that spot in the last five years

   R: The colour scheme of the school building

   S: The cost of building the footbridge

   AP and Q onlyBQ and S onlyCP, Q and S onlyDP, Q, R and S

   Correct answerExplanation (with Test Prep)
9. Q9Logical Reasoning › Coding-DecodingMedium

   The keyboard on Avinash's phone has a problem. When he taps on a certain letter, sometimes a different letter altogether comes up on screen.

   Three of the keyboard errors on Avinash's phone are given below. Each faulty key shows either its own letter or one fixed wrong letter. Only these three wrong letters are known; other keys may be faulty too.

   On tapping “L”, the screen displays “S”

   On tapping “S”, the screen displays “P”

   On tapping “P”, the screen displays “A”

   If Avinash clicks on S, E, P, A and L in order, then which of the following could his screen display?

   ALAPSEBPALESCLEAPSDPEALS

   Correct answerExplanation (with Test Prep)
10. Q10Logical Reasoning › Odd One OutMedium

    Tara made a list of six words: ACCENT, DEFT, GHOST, BELLOW, FEED, SPOON.

    She says that FEED and SPOON share a special property that sets them apart from the other four words. What is this property MOST LIKELY to be?

    ATheir letters are in reverse alphabetical order from first to last.BEach of them contains a double letter.CEach of them has exactly two vowels.DEach of them has fewer than six letters.

    Correct answerExplanation (with Test Prep)
11. Q11Arithmetic › Ratio, Proportion & VariationEasy

    A watermelon is cut into three pieces in the ratio of 2:5:7 by weight. The biggest of the three pieces is further cut in two pieces in the ratio of 5:7 by weight.

    What is the ratio of the four pieces by weight?

    A2:5:5:7B2:5:35:49C24:60:35:49D24:25:35:84

    Correct answerExplanation (with Test Prep)
12. Q12Arithmetic › Time, Speed & DistanceMedium

    Two friends start cycling towards each other at the same moment from two villages 60 km apart, one at 14 km/h and the other at 16 km/h. At that same moment a drone sets off from the first cyclist and flies at 40 km/h to the second cyclist, turns straight back to the first, and keeps flying back and forth between them until the two cyclists meet.

    What total distance does the drone fly?

    A80 kmB90 kmC100 kmD120 km

    Correct answerExplanation (with Test Prep)
13. Q13Critical Reasoning › Statement & AssumptionHard

    According to the dependency theory in economics, wealthy states benefit from a flow of resources that comes to them from poor states, keeping these poor states in a state of perpetual underdevelopment.

    Which of the following is a core assumption made by proponents of this theory?

    Aexploitation of poor states can be defined mainly in economic termsBthe world is essentially polarised into poor and wealthy statesCunderdevelopment is a state defined by lack of productionDevery country participates in the global flow of resources

    Correct answerExplanation (with Test Prep)
14. Q14Geometry › MensurationMedium

    An artificial lake is spread over an area of 1 sq km. When there is excess water in the lake, pumps are used to drain the water out. Each pump can drain water at the rate of 50,000 litres per hour.

    If the water level increased by 2 cm after heavy rainfall and the authorities wanted to drain this excess water added by the rainfall in the next 16 hours, what is the minimum number of pumps they will need to use? (given 1 m$^3$ = 1000 litre)

    A13B25C40D250

    Correct answerExplanation (with Test Prep)
15. Q15Logical Reasoning › PuzzlesMedium

    Anirudh's study table has a pile of 7 textbooks of Mathematics, English and Economics, with Position 1 at the top of the pile and Position 7 at the bottom.

    Here is how the books are kept.

    i) The Economics books are placed only at the prime number positions in the pile.

    ii) There are 4 Mathematics books which are placed together.

    iii) The book at the top is not a Mathematics book.

    iv) The fewest amount of books are that of English.

    Which of the following is DEFINITELY true?

    AAn English book is at position 1 in the pile.BAn Economics book is at position 3 in the pile.CA Mathematics book is at position 7 in the pile.DThe Mathematics and English books are next to each other in the pile.

    Correct answerExplanation (with Test Prep)
16. Q16Number System › HCF & LCMMedium

    Three campus shuttle buses leave the main gate every 12 minutes, every 18 minutes and every 30 minutes. All three leave together at 7:00 a.m.

    Counting both 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., how many times from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. do all three buses leave the gate together?

    A4B5C6D7

    Correct answerExplanation (with Test Prep)
17. Q17Critical Reasoning › Assessing EvidenceMedium

    K-pop (Korean popular music) as the global phenomenon we know it to be wouldn't exist without a combination of democracy and television.

    Which of the following historical statements, if true, strengthens the above argument the most?

    AThe Constitution of Republic of Korea, adopted in 1948, guaranteed rights and freedoms for its citizens, and strongly curbs official censorship.BThe history of K-pop has a definitive start date, thanks to a band called Seo Taiji and Boys who challenged the dominance of national TV networks.CAfter South Korea became democratic, broadcast networks in the country were expanded, giving citizens more choices in the media they consumed.DAs of 1992, TV was common in 99 percent of South Korean homes, and viewership was highest on the weekends, when the talent shows took place.

    Correct answerExplanation (with Test Prep)
18. Q18Logical Reasoning › Spatial ReasoningMedium

    Which of the given figures have MORE than one line of symmetry?

    (i) a slanted parallelogram (not a rectangle) with sides 7 cm, 5 cm, 7 cm, 5 cm

    (ii) a rhombus (not a square) with all four sides 4 cm

    (iii) an isosceles trapezium with parallel sides 6 cm and 11 cm and both slant sides 4 cm

    Aonly ii)Bonly i) and ii)Conly ii) and iii)DAll- i), ii), and iii)

    Correct answerExplanation (with Test Prep)
19. Q19Critical Reasoning › Argument StructureMedium

    Consider the argument: "All successful start-ups have a clear business plan. Our club's project has a clear business plan, so it will be a successful start-up."

    Which of the following arguments contains the same flaw?

    AAll good singers practise every day. Ravi does not practise every day, so Ravi is not a good singer.BSome good singers practise every day. Ravi is a good singer, so Ravi practises every day.CAll good singers practise every day. Ravi is a good singer, so Ravi practises every day.DAll good singers practise every day. Ravi practises every day, so Ravi is a good singer.

    Correct answerExplanation (with Test Prep)
20. Q20Arithmetic › PercentagesMedium

    In a college election, 20% of the students on the voters' list did not vote, and 5% of the votes cast were invalid. There were only two candidates. The winner got 60% of the valid votes and won by 1,520 votes.

    How many students were on the voters' list?

    A8,000B10,000C12,000D12,500

    Correct answerExplanation (with Test Prep)