Number and Letter Series: How to Spot the Pattern — MCQs with Answers (Set 2)

Check Row 1: 8 x 3 = 24, and 8 – 3 = 5. Subtract: 24 – 5 = 19. This matches. Check Row 2: 10 x 4 = 40, and 10 – 4 = 6. Subtract: 40 – 6 = 34. This also matches. The rule is: third number = (first x second) – (first minus second). Apply it to Row 3: 12 x 5 = 60, and 12 – 5 = 7. So the answer is 60 – 7 = 53.

First check the rows. In Row 1, 4 + 5 = 9. In Row 2, 7 + 9 = 16. So each row’s third number is just the first number plus the second. Now check the columns as a cross-check. Column 1 rises by 3 each time: 4, 7, 10. Column 2 rises by 4 each time: 5, 9, 13. Column 3 rises by 7 each time: 9, 16, and then 23. Both checks agree. Row 3’s missing number is 10 + 13, which is 23.

Check Row 1: square each number. 3 squared is 9, and 4 squared is 16. Add them: 9 + 16 = 25. This matches the third number. Check Row 2 the same way: 5 squared is 25, and 12 squared is 144. So 25 + 144 = 169. This also matches. The rule is: third number = (first squared) plus (second squared). For Row 3: 6 squared is 36, and 8 squared is 64. So the answer is 36 + 64 = 100.

Check Row 1: square each number. 7 squared is 49, and 4 squared is 16. Subtract: 49 – 16 = 33. This matches the third number given. Check Row 2 the same way: 9 squared is 81, and 5 squared is 25. So 81 – 25 = 56. This also matches. The rule is: third number = (first squared) minus (second squared). For Row 3: 11 squared is 121, and 6 squared is 36. So the answer is 121 – 36 = 85.

Check Row 1: 8 x 3 = 24. Add the first number: 24 + 5 = 29. This matches. Check Row 2: 6 x 3 = 18. Add the first number: 18 + 7 = 25. This also matches. The rule is: third number = first number + (3 x second number). Apply it to Row 3: 4 x 3 = 12. Add 9: 12 + 9 = 21.

Check Row 1: 12 – 7 = 5, and 5 x 4 = 20. This matches the third number. Check Row 2: 15 – 9 = 6, and 6 x 4 = 24. This also matches. The rule is: third number = (first minus second), multiplied by 4. Apply it to Row 3: 18 – 11 = 7, and 7 x 4 = 28.

Look at Row 1. Multiply the first number by 3: 10 x 3 = 30. Multiply the second number by 2: 4 x 2 = 8. Subtract: 30 – 8 = 22. This matches. The rule is: third number = (3 x first) – (2 x second). Apply it to Row 2: 9 x 3 = 27, and 5 x 2 = 10. So the answer is 27 – 10 = 17.

Look at Row 1. Multiply the first two numbers: 9 x 6 = 54. Divide that by 3: 54 / 3 = 18. This matches the third number shown. The rule is: third number = (first x second) divided by 3. Apply it to Row 2: 12 x 9 = 108. Divide by 3: 108 / 3 = 36.

Check Row 1: 6 x 5 = 30, and 6 + 5 = 11. Subtract: 30 – 11 = 19. This matches. Check Row 2: 8 x 4 = 32, and 8 + 4 = 12. Subtract: 32 – 12 = 20. This also matches. The rule is: third number = (first x second) – (first + second). Apply it to Row 3: 7 x 6 = 42, and 7 + 6 = 13. So the answer is 42 – 13 = 29.

Add up Row 1: 18 + 15 + 17 = 50. Now add up Row 2: 22 + 11 + 17 = 50. Both rows total exactly 50, so every row must add up to 50. Row 3 already has 24 and 14. Together these add up to 38. The missing number is 50 – 38, which is 12.

The rule is: double the term, then add 3. Check: 5×2+3=13, and 13×2+3=29. Following that rule, 29 should give 29×2+3, which is 61, not 63. So 63 is the term that breaks the pattern. The rest, 125, 253, 509, all fit.

Each term equals the sum of the two terms before it, minus 1. Check: 5+7-1=11, 7+11-1=17, 11+17-1=27, 17+27-1=43. The same rule gives the next term. So it is 27+43-1, which is 69.

Each group is 3 letters in a row. The starting letter moves ahead by 5 places each time. B is 2nd, G is 7th, L is 12th, so the next start is 12+5=17, which is Q. The next group is Q, R, S in a row: QRS.

The gap between letter positions alternates: +2, then +3, then +2, then +3. D is 4th, F is 6th, I is 9th, K is 11th, N is 14th. The next gap in turn is +2. So the position is 14+2=16, which is P.

The operations alternate between multiplying by 2 and adding 3. Check: 4×2=8, 8+3=11, 11×2=22, 22+3=25, 25×2=50, 50+3=53. The next operation in turn is multiply by 2. So 53×2 gives 106.

The gap between terms is itself a perfect square: +1, then +4, then +9, then +16. Those gaps are 1 squared, 2 squared, 3 squared, 4 squared. So the missing term is 15+16, which is 31. The next gap, 25, then gives 31+25=56.

The gap between terms should grow by 2 each time: +2, +4, +6, +8, +10, +12. From 9, the next term should be 9+6, which is 15, not 16. So 16 is the term that breaks the pattern.

Each term is the sum of the two terms before it. Check: 2+3=5, 3+5=8, 5+8=13, 8+13=21. The same rule gives the next term. So it is 13+21, which is 34.

This series interleaves two patterns. Terms 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th are 2, 6, 10, 14, each up by 4. Terms 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th are 5, 10, 15, 20, each up by 5. The 9th term follows the first pattern: 14+4, which is 18.

This series interleaves two patterns. Terms 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th are 3, 7, 11, 15, each up by 4. Terms 2nd, 4th, 6th are 50, 46, 42, each down by 4. The next term continues the second pattern: 42-4, which is 38.

Each term is a perfect cube: 2 cubed is 8, 3 cubed is 27, 4 cubed is 64. The terms are cubes of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 in order. The next number, 7, cubed gives 343.

Each term is a perfect square: 3 squared is 9, 4 squared is 16. The next square, of 5, is 25. That is the missing term. Check the rest: 6 squared is 36, 7 squared is 49, 8 squared is 64.

The gap between terms grows by 3 each time: +3, then +6, then +9. So 13 needs +9 next, giving 13+9=22 for the missing term. Check forward: 22+12=34, and 34+15=49, so the pattern still holds.

The gap between terms itself grows: +4, then +6, then +8, then +10. Each gap is 2 more than the last one. The next gap should be +12. So the next term is 33+12, which is 45.

Every other term in this series doubles the one before it. Check: 5×2=10, 10×2=20, and 80×2=160. Following that rule, 20 should double to 40, not 41. So 41 is the term that breaks the pattern.