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Box / Scheduling Puzzle

Reasoning Ability · Puzzles & Arrangements

Useful for: IBPS Banking

Overview

Box puzzles stack items vertically; scheduling puzzles place events in days or months — both use a positional table.

Key points

Box stacks: note top and bottom clearly; "above" means higher in the stack.
Scheduling: list days or months in order.
"Two days after" means two positions later.
Attributes (colour, item) form extra columns.
Fixed clues first.

Explanation

Months with 31 days or day-of-week clues add constraints.
Use separate columns for each case.
Count gaps exclusive of the end positions.
Re-check all clues at the end.

Step by step

Set up the frame (table, rows, steps).
Apply definite clues, then branch.
Verify every clue before answering.

Examples

Monday–Friday: A on Wednesday, B two days after A → B on Friday.
Five boxes: red at the top, blue immediately below red → blue is second from top.
Events in January–June: X in a 31-day month before April → January or March.

Traps and advanced points

Trap: Reversing top and bottom.
Trap: Miscounting "after".
Trap: Ignoring month lengths.

Quick revision

Table of positions.
Fixed clues first.
Verify all.

Practice MCQs

In a box stack, "above" means —
1. lighter
2. older
3. higher in the stack
4. to the right
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Answer: (c) higher in the stack. Vertical position.
In a 7-box stack numbered 1 (bottom) to 7 (top), the box two above box 3 is —
1. box 5
2. box 6
3. box 1
4. box 4
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Answer: (a) box 5. 3 + 2.
"Two days after Tuesday" is —
1. Wednesday
2. Thursday
3. Friday
4. Sunday
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Answer: (b) Thursday. Two positions later.
In scheduling puzzles, list the days or months —
1. in order
2. randomly
3. alphabetically
4. backwards only
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Answer: (a) in order. Order.
Colours or items in a puzzle are best tracked as —
1. extra columns
2. ignored data
3. separate puzzles
4. guesses
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Answer: (a) extra columns. Table.
Which clues should be placed first?
1. negative clues
2. vague clues
3. last clues
4. fixed clues
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Answer: (d) fixed clues. Definite first.
"Only two boxes between A and B" means their positions differ by —
1. 3
2. 1
3. 4
4. 2
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Answer: (a) 3. Two between.
A meeting is on the day just before Friday. It is on —
1. Saturday
2. Wednesday
3. Monday
4. Thursday
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Answer: (d) Thursday. Thursday.
In a schedule from January to June, the month three after February is —
1. May
2. June
3. March
4. April
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Answer: (a) May. Feb + 3 = May.
If two arrangements fit, you should —
1. pick the first
2. stop
3. change clues
4. test both with remaining clues
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Answer: (d) test both with remaining clues. Keep cases.