SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 16 September 2025, Shift 2 · General Intelligence and Reasoning · Question 8 of 100

We transcribed this text from the pictures on a candidate's response sheet for this shift; the answer is the key SSC colour-marked on that sheet. Solution last reviewed 13 September 2026.

Where this paper and its answers come from

SSC does not publish CGL question papers or a public answer key. From 2025 the candidate response sheet prints every question and option as a picture, so the text here is transcribed from those pictures for this shift and checked against them independently; where the layout carries meaning, the picture is shown as well. Each answer is the key SSC colour-marked on that sheet. SSC released a tentative key for challenge and later its final one, both only to candidates behind a login, and the sheet does not say which of the two it carries. The solutions are written by UnlockIAS.

What will come at the place of question mark? 4, 10, 22, 46, 94, ?

(a)190
(b)191
(c)192
(d)196

Answer

Why

Correct — A.
Rule: multiply by 2, then add 2.

4 × 2 + 2 = 10
10 × 2 + 2 = 22
22 × 2 + 2 = 46
46 × 2 + 2 = 94

Next: 94 × 2 + 2 = 190 → option (a).

Why the others are wrong

(b)
191 — 191 is 94 × 2 + 3. The number added is +2 at every step from 4 to 94, so it stays +2.
(c)
192 — 192 is 94 × 2 + 4, or 96 × 2. Neither keeps the rule, which is double the last term plus 2.
(d)
196 — 196 needs a jump of 102 from 94. The jumps double each time, 6, 12, 24, 48, so the next is 96, giving 190.

Concept

When each term is roughly double the one before, test × 2 + c and find the constant c. Here c = 2 at every step.

The differences give a second check. They run 6, 12, 24, 48 and double each time, so the next difference is 96 and 94 + 96 = 190. Two methods landing on the same number is the signal to stop.

4 → 10 also fits × 3 − 2, but that rule turns 10 into 28, not 22. Check a rule against every step before using it.

Key facts

Rule here: next term = 2 × previous term + 2.
The differences 6, 12, 24, 48, 96 double each time.
In any × 2 + c series the differences double, whatever the constant c.

Study next

Series built on × 3 + c and × 2 − cSeries where the multiplier grows: × 1, × 2, × 3 …Finding a missing middle term in a × 2 + c series

Common traps

Fitting × 3 − 2 to the first pair (4 → 10) without testing it on 10 → 22
Keeping the doubling but misreading the constant as +3 or +4, which gives 191 or 192

The same × 2 + 2 rule is keyed at 15 Sep 2025, 12:30, Reasoning Q.8 (2, 6, 14, 30, 62, ?, keyed 126).

17 Sep 2025, 16:00, Reasoning Q.24 uses × 2 + 1 (3, 7, 15, 31, 63, ?, keyed 127).

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Number Series — all 178 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.