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Substitution, Symbol & Conditional Coding

General Intelligence & Reasoning · Coding-Decoding

Useful for: SSC CGL

Overview

Substitution questions swap the meanings of words or symbols; you must apply the new meanings before following BODMAS or the conditions.

Key points

If "+" means "×" and "×" means "+", rewrite before calculating.
Word substitution: if "sky" is called "sea" and "sea" is called "earth", where do fish live? → the word for sea, i.e. "earth".
Conditional coding gives rules such as "if the first letter is a vowel, swap it with the last".
Apply conditions in the order given and check each one.
Symbol–relation codes: P $ Q means P > Q, etc.

Explanation

Rewrite the whole expression first; do not substitute and calculate at the same time.
In word substitution, answer with the new name of the correct thing.
Check whether more than one condition applies; usually only the first matching one is used.
Inequality codes: combine relations only through a common term.

Step by step

Rewrite with new meanings.
Apply BODMAS or conditions.
Compute and verify.

Examples

If "+" means "×" and "×" means "+", then 4 + 3 × 2 = 4 × 3 + 2 = 14.
If "water" is called "air" and "air" is called "fire", what do we breathe? → air is called "fire".
If P # Q means P is greater than Q and P @ Q means P equals Q, then A # B and B @ C give A > C.

Traps and advanced points

Trap: Calculating with the original symbols.
Trap: Answering with the real word instead of its code name.
Trap: Combining relations without a common term.

Quick revision

Rewrite, then compute.
Answer in code names.
Conditions in order.

Practice MCQs

In a code, 'pit dic mac' means 'she is good' and 'dic tho pic' means 'good and bad'. What is the code for 'good'?
1. tho
2. mac
3. dic
4. pit
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Answer: (c) dic. Dono sentences me common word 'good' hai, common code 'dic' hai.
In a code, 'tim nas' = 'good boy', 'nas pluk' = 'boy plays'. What is the code for 'boy'?
1. pluk
2. good
3. nas
4. tim
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Answer: (c) nas. Dono sentences me common word 'boy', common code 'nas' hai.
If in a code language HELP is written as IFMQ, the coding rule is:
1. Each letter -1
2. Reverse order
3. Each letter +2
4. Each letter +1
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Answer: (d) Each letter +1. H→I, E→F, L→M, P→Q — har letter +1.
If EARTH is coded by reversing and shifting +1 each: first reverse HTRAE, then +1 → IUSBF. The code is:
1. HUSBF
2. IUTBF
3. IUSBF
4. IUSBE
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Answer: (c) IUSBF. Reverse EARTH = HTRAE.
In a certain code, 2=B, 4=D, 6=F. Then 8 = ?
1. I
2. J
3. H
4. G
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Answer: (c) H. Number = alphabet position.
If '+' means ×, '×' means -, '-' means ÷ and '÷' means +, then 6 + 2 - 4 ÷ 3 = ?
1. 9
2. 6
3. 12
4. 15
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Answer: (b) 6. Replace symbols: + means ×, - means ÷, ÷ means +.
If FISH is coded as GJTI (each letter +1), then decoding BJSE (by -1) gives:
1. AIRE
2. AIRD
3. BIRD
4. AISD
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Answer: (b) AIRD. FISH→GJTI confirms rule is +1, so decode is -1 each.
In a code, TABLE is written as GZYOV. This uses which rule?
1. Reverse the word
2. Each letter -3
3. Opposite letters (A<->Z)
4. Each letter +1
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Answer: (c) Opposite letters (A<->Z). Opposite letter rule (position sum 27): T(20)→G(7), A(1)→Z(26), B(2)→Y(25), L(12)→O(15), E(5)→V(22).
If MONDAY is coded as ONMYAD (pairs swapped), then FRIDAY becomes:
1. FRIYAD
2. RFIADY
3. RFIYAD
4. RFIDYA
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Answer: (c) RFIYAD. Pattern: swap within pairs → MO→OM?
If DELHI is coded as 38 (sum of letter positions D+E+L+H+I), then AGRA is coded as:
1. 28
2. 27
3. 36
4. 37
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Answer: (b) 27. DELHI = 4+5+12+8+9 = 38 (sum of positions).
In a code, LQVAF is written as OTYDI. How will VYBEH be written?
1. XADGJ
2. YBEHK
3. SVYBE
4. ZCFIL
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Answer: (b) YBEHK. Every letter is shifted +3.
If the coding rule reverses the letters, how is CCPWDK coded?
1. KDWPCC
2. CPWDKC
3. CCPWDK
4. DDQXEL
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Answer: (a) KDWPCC. Read the word from right to left.
If the coding rule reverses the letters, how is CNSZGN coded?
1. NGZSNC
2. DOTAHO
3. NSZGNC
4. CNSZGN
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Answer: (a) NGZSNC. Read the word from right to left.
If the coding rule reverses the letters, how is CFELSZ coded?
1. ZSLEFC
2. DGFMTA
3. FELSZC
4. CFELSZ
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Answer: (a) ZSLEFC. Read the word from right to left.
If the coding rule reverses the letters, how is CMNUBI coded?
1. MNUBIC
2. IBUNMC
3. CMNUBI
4. DNOVCJ
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Answer: (b) IBUNMC. Read the word from right to left.