Which one of the figures shown below occupies the blank space (?) in the matrix given above ?
aa
bb
cc
dd
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (d).
Look along each row: the two end circles are the same, and the middle one has its shaded quarter in the diagonally opposite corner. Row 1 has top-right at the ends and bottom-left in the middle; row 3 has bottom-right at the ends and top-left in the middle. Row 2 has top-left at the ends, so the middle must have the opposite corner, bottom-right. That is option (d).
Why each option is right or wrong
(a) Wrong. Top-right shading is the end pattern of row 1, not what row 2 needs.
(b) Wrong. Top-left shading repeats the ends of row 2 instead of taking the opposite corner.
(c) Wrong. Bottom-left is the opposite of row 1's ends, not of row 2's.
(d) Right. Bottom-right is diagonally opposite the top-left shading at the ends of row 2.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
