SSC CGL 2024 Tier-I · 11 September 2024, Shift 2 · General Intelligence and Reasoning · Question 5 of 100

Text as printed on a candidate's response sheet for this shift; answer per SSC's tentative key as marked on that sheet. Solution last reviewed 6 September 2026.

Where this paper and its answers come from

SSC does not publish CGL question papers or a public answer key. The questions and options here are reproduced as printed on a candidate's own response sheet for this shift — the Commission's text, unchanged. Each answer is SSC's tentative key as marked on that sheet; SSC allowed challenges to it and never publishes a final key. The solutions are written by UnlockIAS.

In a certain code language, 'VAIN' is written as 'OKBY’ and 'VAST' is written as 'UUBY'. How will 'VERB’ be written in that language?

(a)CTFY
(b)CTYF
(c)CFYT
(d)CFTY

Answer

Why

Correct — A. Rule: reverse the word, then shift its four letters by +1, +2, +1, +3.

VAIN reversed is N, I, A, V.
N+1 = O, I+2 = K, A+1 = B, V+3 = Y → OKBY

VAST reversed is T, S, A, V.
T+1 = U, S+2 = U, A+1 = B, V+3 = Y → UUBY

VERB reversed is B, R, E, V.
B+1 = C, R+2 = T, E+1 = F, V+3 = Y → CTFY, option (a).

Why the others are wrong

(b)
CTYF — CTYF has the first two letters right and then swaps the last pair. The shifts are fixed by position: the third slot of the reversed word is E (+1 gives F) and the fourth is V (+3 gives Y), so F must come before Y.
(c)
CFYT — CFYT carries the four correct letters in the wrong order. Putting F second means the second slot was filled from E, but after reversing, the second letter of VERB is R, which takes +2 to give T.
(d)
CFTY — CFTY also puts F second. F is E+1, and E is the third letter of the reversed word BREV, not the second. Slot two belongs to R.

Concept

All four options here are the same four letters — C, F, T and Y — in different orders. The shifting is not what is being tested; the order is.

Decode by comparing what is fixed. VAIN and VAST share V and A in their first two slots, and both codes end in BY. A shared prefix surfacing as a shared suffix is the signature of a reversal.

With the reversal spotted, line the reversed word against the code letter by letter and read off the gaps: +1, +2, +1, +3.

Because every option is an anagram of the right answer, a candidate who computes the four letters and stops has done most of the work and is still left with a one-in-four guess.

Key facts

VAIN codes to OKBY and VAST to UUBY, and both codes end in BY because both words begin with V and A.
The rule is reverse the word, then shift the letters by +1, +2, +1, +3.
VERB reversed is BREV, which shifts to CTFY.

Study next

Coding where the shift size depends on the letter's position in the wordOpposite-letter codes, A to Z and B to YWord-substitution codes, where whole words rather than letters are replaced

Common traps

Computing the four shifted letters correctly and then writing them in the word's original order
Missing the reversal because both sample codes end in BY, which reads like an added suffix
Assuming one uniform shift when the gaps differ by position

SSC gives two solved words and asks for a third. Where the options are anagrams of one another, the rule usually contains a rearrangement step, so settle the order before you settle the letters.

The 9 Sep 2024, 12:30 paper tests a different coding family at Reasoning Q.6, where whole words rather than letters are coded.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.