Clock-Based Reasoning Questions for Competitive Exams
Clock-based reasoning is a crucial topic in logical reasoning for exams like SSC CGL, Banking, Railway, and other competitive exams. These questions test a candidate’s ability to understand the movement of the clock’s hands and calculate angles, time loss or gain, mirror images, etc. Here, we present 20 unique multiple-choice questions (MCQs) along with their explanations.
Clock-Based Reasoning Questions for Competitive Exams
1. Angle Between Hands of the Clock
Q1. What is the angle between the hands of the clock at 4:20?
A) 100°
B) 110°
C) 120°
D) 140°
Answer: B) 110°
Explanation: Formula:
= 110°
2. Overlapping Hands
Q2. At what time between 2:00 and 3:00 do the hour and minute hands coincide?
A) 2:10
B) 2:20
C) 2:21.8
D) 2:30
Answer: C) 2:21.8
Explanation: The hands coincide at: minutes
= 21.8 minutes
3. Reflex Angle Calculation
Q3. Find the reflex angle between the hands of the clock at 5:40.
A) 100°
B) 200°
C) 220°
D) 240°
Answer: C) 220°
Explanation: Reflex angle = 360° - smaller angle
Smaller angle = 120° (using formula)
So, 220° is the reflex angle.
4. Mirror Image of Clock Time
Q4. What will be the mirror image of 5:15?
B) 7:45
C) 6:15
D) 6:50
Answer: A) 6:45
Explanation: Mirror image formula = 6:45
5. Time Between Two Same Positions
Q5. How many times do the hands of the clock coincide in 12 hours?
A) 10
B) 11
C) 12
D) 24
Answer: B) 11
Explanation: Hands coincide 11 times in 12 hours.
6. Hands in a Straight Line
Q6. At what time between 1:00 and 2:00 do the hands of the clock form a straight line?
A) 1:30
B) 1:32.73
C) 1:40
D) 1:50
Answer: B) 1:32.73
Explanation: Formula:
7. Hands at Right Angle
Q7. At what time between 3:00 and 4:00 do the hands form a right angle?
A) 3:15
B) 3:20
C) 3:27.3
D) 3:40
Answer: C) 3:27.3
Explanation: Formula:
8. Fast and Slow Clocks
Q8. A clock gains 5 minutes every hour. How much will it gain in a day?
A) 60 minutes
B) 100 minutes
C) 120 minutes
D) 150 minutes
Answer: C) 120 minutes
Explanation: 5 minutes/hour × 24 hours = 120 minutes
9. Time Loss Calculation
Q9. A clock loses 2 minutes every 6 hours. How much time will it lose in a week?
A) 24 minutes
B) 48 minutes
C) 56 minutes
D) 56 hours
Answer: C) 56 minutes
Explanation: 2 minutes × (24/6) × 7 days = 56 minutes
10. Identifying Wrong Clock Time
Q10. A clock shows 9:15 but the actual time is 9:30. How much does the clock lose in a day if it continues at the same rate?
A) 30 minutes
B) 60 minutes
C) 120 minutes
D) 150 minutes
Answer:* B) 60 minutes*
Explanation:* 15 minutes in 6 hours means 60 minutes in 24 hours.
11. Angle Between Hands of the Clock
Question: What is the angle between the hour and minute hand at 4:20?
Options:
A) 120°
B) 110°
C) 130°
D) 105°
Answer: B) 110°
Explanation: The angle formula is:
12. Right Angle Time Calculation
Question: At what time between 3:00 and 4:00 will the hands form a right angle (90°)?
Options:
A) 3:15
B) 3:30
C) 3:40
D) 3:22
Answer: D) 3:22
Explanation: The formula for when hands are at 90°:
So, the answer is 3:22.
13. Coincidence of Hands
Question: At what time between 2:00 and 3:00 do the hands coincide?
Options:
A) 2:05
B) 2:10
C) 2:11
D) 2:12
Answer: C) 2:11
Explanation: The formula for coincidence is:
So, the hands coincide at 2:11.
14. Reflex Angle Calculation
Question: Find the reflex angle between the hands at 7:45.
Options:
A) 150°
B) 170°
C) 200°
D) 220°
Answer: D) 220°
Explanation: The smaller angle:
The reflex angle = 360° - 37.5° = 220°.
15. When Are the Hands Opposite to Each Other?
Question: At what time between 6:00 and 7:00 are the hands opposite to each other?
Options:
A) 6:40
B) 6:50
C) 6:55
D) 6:45
Answer: A) 6:40
Explanation: Hands are opposite when the angle is 180°.
So, the time is 6:40.
16. Overlapping of Hands
Question: Between 8:00 and 9:00, when will the hands overlap?
Options:
A) 8:36
B) 8:40
C) 8:43
D) 8:45
Answer: C) 8:43
Explanation: Hands overlap when:
So, hands overlap at 8:43.
17. Hands Forming 120°
Question: At what time between 5:00 and 6:00 do the hands form an angle of 120°?
Options:
A) 5:10
B) 5:20
C) 5:30
D) 5:40
Answer: B) 5:20
Explanation:
So, the answer is 5:20.
18. Hands Being 45° Apart
Question: At what time between 10:00 and 11:00 do the hands form a 45° angle?
Options:
A) 10:05
B) 10:10
C) 10:15
D) 10:20
Answer: B) 10:10
Explanation: Using the formula:
So, the answer is 10:10.
19. Angle at 12:15
Question: Find the angle between the hands at 12:15.
Options:
A) 75°
B) 90°
C) 82.5°
D) 97.5°
Answer: C) 82.5°
Explanation:
20. Clock Reflection
Question: If a clock shows 9:10, what will be its mirror image?
Options:
A) 2:50
B) 3:50
C) 3:40
D) 2:40
Answer: A) 2:50
Explanation: Mirror image formula:
Conclusion
Clock-based reasoning is a crucial topic in SSC CGL and other competitive exams. Mastering these questions through formulas and practice will improve accuracy and speed in the exam. Keep practicing and applying these techniques to enhance your problem-solving skills!