Seven books P, Q, R, S, T, U and V are placed side by side. R, Q and T have blue covers and other books have red covers. Only S and U are new books and the rest are old. P, R and S are law reports; the rest are Gazetteers. Books of old Gazetteers with blue covers are
- (a) Q and R
- (b) Q and U
- (c) Q and T ✓ UPSC's answer
- (d) T and U
Why the answer is (c)
• Identify the cover color of each book: R, Q, and T have blue covers, while P, S, U, and V have red covers.
• Determine the age of each book: S and U are new, so P, Q, R, T, and V are old.
• Classify the book type: P, R, and S are law reports, so Q, T, U, and V are Gazetteers.
• Filter for 'old' books: The old books are P, Q, R, T, and V.
• Filter for 'Gazetteers' among the old books: Q, T, and V are old Gazetteers (P and R are law reports).
• Filter for 'blue covers' among the old Gazetteers: Q and T have blue covers, while V has a red cover. Thus, Q and T are the old Gazetteers with blue covers.
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) Q and R
- R is a law report, not a Gazetteer, so it does not meet the criteria.
- (b) Q and U
- U is a new book, not an old one, so it does not meet the criteria.
- (d) T and U
- U is a new book, not an old one, so it does not meet the criteria.
Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2021, held on 10 October 2021. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.