SSC CHSL General Intelligence Syllabus

General Intelligence syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for General Intelligence in SSC CHSL, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning by R.S. Aggarwal

   18 topics

   • Classification
   • Analogy
   • Series
   • Coding-Decoding
   • Blood Relations
   • Logical Venn Diagrams
   • Alphabet Test
   • Sitting Arrangements
   • Mathematical Operations
   • Syllogism
   • Statement and Assumptions
   • Statement and Conclusions
   • Arithmetical Reasoning
   • Mirror and Water Images
   • Embedded Figures
   • Pattern Completion
   • Figure Matrix
   • Paper Cutting and Folding

General Intelligence flashcards for SSC CHSL

25 of 50 cards from the General Intelligence deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In Classification (Odd One Out) problems, what is the basic task you must perform?

   Identify the one item out of the given group that does NOT share the common property (category, pattern, or relationship) that all the other items have in common.

2. What is an Analogy in reasoning, and what is the standard format 'A : B :: C : D' meant to express?

   An analogy expresses a similarity of relationship. 'A : B :: C : D' means the relationship between A and B is the same as the relationship between C and D, so you find D such that C relates to D exactly as A relates to B.

3. Name four common types of relationships tested in Analogy questions.

   Common analogy relationships include: synonym/antonym, cause and effect, worker and tool, part and whole, product and raw material, individual and group, and function/purpose relationships.

4. In number/letter Series problems, what is the core skill required to find the missing or wrong term?

   Detecting the underlying pattern or rule (e.g., addition, subtraction, multiplication, squares, cubes, alternating sequences) governing how each term is derived from the previous one.

5. List the common patterns used to build number series in reasoning.

   Arithmetic (constant difference), geometric (constant ratio), squares (1,4,9,16...), cubes (1,8,27,64...), prime numbers, alternating series, and combinations like add then multiply or differences forming a series.

6. What is Coding-Decoding in reasoning?

   A method where letters, numbers, or symbols are substituted by other letters/numbers/symbols following a certain rule (code), and you must decode or encode words based on that rule.

7. Name the main types of Coding-Decoding questions.

   Letter coding, number coding, symbol/substitution coding, mixed-letter coding, conditional coding, and decoding based on a given coded sentence (matrix/substitution coding).

8. In letter coding, what does it mean if 'CAT' is coded as 'DBU'?

   Each letter is shifted forward by +1 position in the alphabet (C+1=D, A+1=B, T+1=U), so the coding rule is 'next letter'.

9. In Blood Relations, how is the relation of 'my father's only son' expressed (when spoken by a male)?

   If the speaker is male, 'my father's only son' refers to the speaker himself (i.e., me).

10. What is the meaning of a 'paternal' versus 'maternal' relation in Blood Relation problems?

    Paternal relations are those on the father's side of the family (e.g., father's brother = paternal uncle); maternal relations are on the mother's side (e.g., mother's brother = maternal uncle).

11. List basic generation-based relations: who are first generation, same generation, and later generation relatives?

    Above (older) generation: parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents. Same generation: brothers, sisters, cousins, spouse, brother/sister-in-law. Younger generation: children, nephews, nieces, grandchildren.

12. What does a Logical Venn Diagram represent?

    It represents the relationship (inclusion, exclusion, or overlap) between different groups or classes using overlapping or separate circles.

13. In Venn diagrams, how do you represent items where one class is entirely contained within another (e.g., Dogs, Animals)?

    Draw the smaller class (Dogs) as a circle completely inside the larger class (Animals), since all dogs are animals but not all animals are dogs.

14. In Venn diagrams, how are two classes with no common members (e.g., Men, Women) represented?

    As two completely separate (non-overlapping) circles, because they share no common elements.

15. In Venn diagrams, how do you represent two partly overlapping classes (e.g., Doctors, Players)?

    As two intersecting circles, where the overlapping region represents members who are both doctors and players.

16. In Alphabet Test problems, what are the positional values of letters A, M, N, and Z from the left?

    A = 1, M = 13, N = 14, Z = 26 (positions counted from the beginning of the English alphabet).

17. What is the EJOTY rule used for in Alphabet Test questions?

    EJOTY helps quickly recall positions at intervals of 5: E=5, J=10, O=15, T=20, Y=25, making it faster to locate any letter's position.

18. How do you find the position of a letter from the right end of the alphabet given its position from the left?

    Position from right = 27 minus position from left (since 26 + 1 = 27). For example, the letter at position 4 from left is at 23 from the right.

19. In Sitting Arrangement problems, what are the two main types of seating arrangements?

    Linear arrangement (people sit in a row/line) and circular arrangement (people sit around a circle/table); circular can be facing center or facing outward.

20. In a circular arrangement where people face the CENTER, how are 'left' and 'right' oriented compared to your view?

    When people face the center, a person's right hand points to your left and their left hand points to your right (directions are reversed relative to the observer).

21. In a circular arrangement where people face OUTWARD, how do left/right directions work?

    When people face outward, each person's left/right matches the observer's view — i.e., it is the opposite of the facing-center case.

22. In Mathematical Operations problems, what does the BODMAS rule stand for and why is it used?

    BODMAS = Brackets, Orders (powers/roots), Division, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction. It gives the correct order of operations to simplify expressions, including those with substituted symbols.

23. In symbol-substitution Mathematical Operations, what must you do first before solving?

    Replace each given symbol with the actual arithmetic operation it represents, then solve the expression following the BODMAS rule.

24. What is a Syllogism in logical reasoning?

    A syllogism is a form of deductive reasoning consisting of given premises (statements) from which you must determine which conclusion(s) logically and necessarily follow.

25. What are the four standard categorical statements used in Syllogism?

    A: Universal Affirmative (All A are B); E: Universal Negative (No A is B); I: Particular Affirmative (Some A are B); O: Particular Negative (Some A are not B).

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