Classification Questions and Answers

Answer: C

The odd one out is Brass.

Copper, tin and platinum are metallic elements. Brass is an alloy, a mixture of copper and zinc.

Grouping by other features does not single out one word: copper and brass are both reddish-yellow, and tin and platinum are both white metals, so the element-versus-alloy distinction is the one that separates exactly one item.

Answer: B

The odd one out is HJKN.

The other three groups follow the gaps +2, +1, +2 between letters: C(+2)E(+1)F(+2)H, P(+2)R(+1)S(+2)U and U(+2)W(+1)X(+2)Z.

In HJKN the gaps are H(+2)J(+1)K(+3)N: the last step is 3 instead of 2, so it breaks the pattern.

Answer: C

The group that does not belong is PRSU.

In each of the other groups the letters advance by two places every time:

• A C E G: A +2 C +2 E +2 G
• G I K M: G +2 I +2 K +2 M
• M O Q S: M +2 O +2 Q +2 S

In P R S U the steps are +2, +1, +2: R to S is only one place. Following the pattern it should have been P R T V. So PRSU breaks the rule shared by the other three.

Answer: C

The odd group is MQU.

Write each letter's position in the alphabet:

• DGJ: 4, 7, 10 (steps of +3)
• HKN: 8, 11, 14 (steps of +3)
• TWZ: 20, 23, 26 (steps of +3)
• MQU: 13, 17, 21 (steps of +4)

Three groups move forward by three letters each time; only MQU moves by four, so it is different.

Answer: B

The odd pair is 5 : 115.

In each pair the second number is \(n^3 - n\), where \(n\) is the first number:

\[ \begin{aligned} 4^3 - 4 &= 64 - 4 = 60 \\ 6^3 - 6 &= 216 - 6 = 210 \\ 7^3 - 7 &= 343 - 7 = 336 \\ 5^3 - 5 &= 125 - 5 = 120 \end{aligned} \]

The pattern needs 5 : 120, so 5 : 115 is the pair that breaks it.

Answer: A

The odd word is Addiction.

Subtraction, division and equation are all terms of arithmetic and mathematics. Addiction stands apart: it is the dependence that tobacco causes, through nicotine, which makes it the word in the group that relates to tobacco.

The word also plays on 'addition', which would have fitted with the other three. Recognising the near-pun is the point of the question.

Answer: A

The odd one out (the paper prints 'Sopt') is Zomato.

Ola, Uber and Meru are all ride-hailing or cab services: Ola and Uber are app-based aggregators that connect passengers with drivers, and Meru is a radio-taxi company that later moved to app booking. Zomato is a restaurant discovery and food delivery platform, so it is the only one not in the transport business.

All four are digital platforms, so the grouping cannot be by technology; it has to be by the service they offer, and on that basis Ola, Uber and Meru belong together while Zomato stands apart.

Answer: B

Correct answer: ADHERE and STICK TO

Charitable and selfish are opposites, and so are illuminate and darken, chaste and immoral, and sadistic and kind-hearted. Adhere and stick to mean the same thing, so that pair is synonymous rather than antonymous and does not match the relationship.