SSC CGL 2025 Tier-II · Paper-I, 19 January 2026 · Reasoning and General Intelligence · Question 7 of 150

We transcribed this text from the pictures of a candidate's response sheet for this paper; the answer is the key SSC marked with a green tick on that sheet. Solution last reviewed 11 September 2026.

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SSC does not publish CGL question papers or a public answer key. This paper reaches us as a candidate's response sheet saved as pictures, so we transcribed the text from those pictures, and a second reader checked every question against them; where the layout carries meaning, we show the picture too. Each answer is the key SSC marked with a green tick 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. UnlockIAS wrote the solutions.

Select the option that is related to the fifth number in the same way as the second number is related to the first number and the fourth number is related to the third number: 4 : 49 :: 6 : 81 :: 8 : ?

(a)187
(b)176
(c)145
(d)121

Answer

Why

Correct — D.
Rule: second number = (first number + 3)².

4 + 3 = 7, and 7² = 49
6 + 3 = 9, and 9² = 81
8 + 3 = 11, and 11² = 121 → option (d).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
187 — 187 = 11 × 17. It keeps the right base, 11, but multiplies it by 17 instead of by itself. The pairs square: 11 × 11 = 121.
(b)
176 — 176 = 11 × 16, the same near miss. It is not a perfect square at all — it sits between 13² = 169 and 14² = 196.
(c)
145 — 145 is 12² + 1. Even 12² would be (8 + 4)², and the given pairs add 3 before squaring, not 4.

Concept

In a number analogy, find one operation that turns the first number into the second, and test it on the other pair before using it.

Here 49 and 81 are perfect squares, 7² and 9². Their roots, 7 and 9, are each 3 more than 4 and 6. The same step on 8 gives 11, and 11² = 121.

Of the four options, 121 alone is a perfect square, so noticing that 49 and 81 are squares settles the item even before the +3 is found.

Key facts

49 = 7² and 81 = 9².
7 = 4 + 3, 9 = 6 + 3 and 11 = 8 + 3.
11² = 121, 12² = 144, 13² = 169 and 14² = 196.

Study next

Number analogies built on cubes, such as n³ + nAnalogies of the form n × (n + 1)Squares up to 30² and cubes up to 15³ for quick recognition

Common traps

Stopping at a factor of 11, when 187 and 176 are multiples of 11 but neither is 11²
Reaching for 12² because 145 sits next to 144

19 Jan 2026, 11:00 AM, Reasoning Q.28 uses the same three-pair frame with cubes: 3 : 30 :: 4 : 68 :: 5 : ?, where 3³ + 3 = 30, 4³ + 4 = 68 and 5³ + 5 = 130.

At 18 Sep 2024, 16:00, Reasoning Q.7 (10 : 110 :: 7 : 56 :: 9 : ?) the rule is n × (n + 1), keyed 90, with 81 = 9² among the wrong options.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Symbolic/Number Analogy — all 172 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.