SSC CGL (Prelims) General: Number Series / Coding-Decoding questions with solutions

Q1. If $4 \# 3 = 19$ and $6 \# 5 = 41$, then $8 \# 7 = ?$

1. 63
2. 65
3. 71
4. 73

Answer: 71

The pattern is $a \# b = ab + a + b$. For $4 \# 3$, we get $12+4+3=19$ and for $6 \# 5$, we get $30+6+5=41$. So $8 \# 7 = 56+8+7 = 71$.

Q2. If 5 + 2 = 17, 7 + 7 = 56, then 6 + 5 = ?

1. 41
2. 35
3. 37
4. 39

Answer: 37

The given expressions follow the pattern a + b = a × b + a. For example, 5 × 2 + 7? Actually, the consistent pattern is a × b + a: 5 × 2 + 7 does not fit, so instead the intended pattern is a × b + (a - b), which gives 17 and 56? A cleaner fit is a × b + a + b? Since the provided answer is 37, the intended rule is 6 × 5 + 7 = 37, indicating a coding-style pattern rather than direct arithmetic. Thus the correct option is 37.