Select the set in which the numbers are related in the same way as are the numbers of the following set. (121, 93, 214) (115, 87, 202) (NOTE: Operations should be performed on the whole numbers, without breaking down the numbers into its constituent digits. E.g. 13 – Operations on 13 such as adding/deleting/multiplying etc. to 13 can be performed. Breaking down 13 into 1 and 3 and then performing mathematical operations on 1 and 3 is not allowed.)

Correct — B. Check what the third number does in both given sets.

Rule: third = first + second.

(121, 93, 214): 121 + 93 = 214.
(115, 87, 202): 115 + 87 = 202.

Now add the first two numbers of each option. 97 + 112 = 209, which is exactly the third number offered.

So (97, 112, 209) follows the same relation — option (b).

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  (135, 117, 259) — 135 + 117 = 252, not 259. The set overshoots by seven, and a sum rule leaves no room for that.
• (c)
  (110, 94, 224) — 110 + 94 = 204, not 224. Twenty adrift, which is easy to miss if you compare only the leading digits.
• (d)
  (84, 99, 189) — 84 + 99 = 183, not 189. Six short — again close enough to pass an eyeball check and not close enough to be right.

Three-number sets are usually built on one arithmetic step that links all three, and sum is the first thing to test: does the third number equal the first plus the second?

If it holds in both given sets you have the rule, and the rest of the question is four additions.

Do all four. SSC sets the wrong options within a few units of the target precisely so that an approximate check lets one through.

Key facts

• 121 + 93 = 214, which matches the first given set.
• 115 + 87 = 202, which matches the second.
• 97 + 112 = 209, which is why option (b) fits.

Common traps

• Testing only one of the two given sets before settling on a rule.
• Accepting an option that lands within ten of the target without adding it out.
• Hunting for a digit-level pattern that the NOTE has already ruled out.

No directly related past PYQ was found.