SSC CGL Reasoning · Embedded Figures and Pattern Completion
Embedded Figures
Find the option that contains a given figure hidden among its lines, or the option that is hidden in a given figure, with the figure kept the same size and the same way up.
Why this matters
Fifty-four questions in the bank, 39 from the 2023 shifts and 15 from the 2024 shifts, with 8 EASY, 37 MODERATE and 9 HARD. Every one is a tracing check, and most options fail on one feature you can spot quickly: a slant the wrong way, a missing curve, a line of the wrong length.
Concept 1 of 2: Finding the figure inside an option
Definition
1. Pick the most unusual feature of the given figure: a curve, a slant, a small loop, a sharp corner. 2. Look for that feature in each option, the same way up. Strike the options that do not have it. 3. In the options left, trace the whole figure from that feature, line by line.
- No rotation: the figure must appear exactly as it is, not turned or flipped. A line slanting up to the right must slant up to the right.
- Same proportion: a long line must stay long relative to the short ones.
- Fast route: the most unusual feature usually rules out three options at once.
Worked example
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
Example 1 · Embedded Figures and Pattern Completion · Embedded Figures
Accepting a turned or flipped copy
Ignoring the proportions
Concept 2 of 2: Finding the option hidden in the figure
Definition
1. For each option, find its most unusual line or corner. 2. Look for that line or corner in the given figure, the same way up and in the same proportion. 3. Trace the rest of the option from there. If any line of the option has no matching line in the figure, the option is not hidden in it.
- Every line must be there: an option that needs a line the figure does not have (a curve, a vertical, a second diagonal) is wrong.
- Fast route: check the options for a feature the figure has nowhere at all; that strikes most of them at once.
Worked example
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
Example 2 · Embedded Figures and Pattern Completion · Embedded Figures
Matching the outline but not the inside
Finding the shape only after turning it
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Watch out for (4)
- Accepting a turned or flipped copy→ Finding the figure inside an option
- Ignoring the proportions→ Finding the figure inside an option
- Matching the outline but not the inside→ Finding the option hidden in the figure
- Finding the shape only after turning it→ Finding the option hidden in the figure
Test yourself on Embedded Figures and Pattern Completion
15 past SSC CGL questions from this chapter, timed at 9 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.