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GATE 2025 EE GA Q.4: solution and answer

GATE 2025 · EEGA Q.4 · 1 mark · MCQ

Each row of Column-I has three items and each item is represented by a circle in Column-II. The arrangement of circles in Column-II represents the relationship among the items in Column-I.

Identify the option that has the most appropriate match between Column-I and Column-II.

Note: The figures shown are representative.

| Column-I | Column-II |
|---|---|
| (1) Animals, Zebra, Giraffe | (P) Figure |
| (2) Director, Producer, Actor | (Q) Figure |
| (3) Word, Sentence, Novel | (R) Figure |
| (4) Pianist, Guitarist, Instrumentalist | (S) Figure |

GATE 2025 EE GA question 4: Column-II has four circle diagrams, one per row.Tap to open full size
Figure from the GATE 2025 EE paper. It is part of the question.
Figure description

Column-II has four circle diagrams, one per row. (P): one large circle with two small circles inside it, near its centre; the two small circles overlap each other. (Q): one large circle with two small circles inside it, side by side; the two small circles do not touch or overlap. (R): three circles of equal size arranged in a triangle (two on top, one below and between them), each overlapping the other two, with no circle enclosing another. (S): three concentric circles, small inside medium inside large, so each circle lies completely inside the next.

  1. (A)

    (1) – (Q); (2) – (P); (3) – (S); (4) – (R)

  2. (B)

    (1) – (Q); (2) – (R); (3) – (S); (4) – (P)

  3. (C)

    (1) – (S); (2) – (P); (3) – (R); (4) – (Q)

  4. (D)

    (1) – (R); (2) – (S); (3) – (Q); (4) – (P)

Answer and solution

ANSWER

Option (B): (1) – (Q); (2) – (R); (3) – (S); (4) – (P).

Official answer: BSource: Official answer key, GATE 2025 EE (IIT Roorkee)

  1. Read the four diagrams first. (P): two sets that overlap each other, both inside a larger set. (Q): two separate (disjoint) sets, both inside a larger set. (R): three sets that each partly overlap the other two, with none inside another. (S): three nested sets, each fully inside the next.

  2. (1) Animals, Zebra, Giraffe: zebras and giraffes are both animals, but no animal is both a zebra and a giraffe. That is two disjoint subsets inside a larger set, so (1) – (Q).

  3. (2) Director, Producer, Actor: one person can hold any one, any two or all three of these roles (actor-directors, producer-directors, people who act, direct and produce), and no role includes another. That is three mutually overlapping sets, so (2) – (R).

  4. (3) Word, Sentence, Novel: this is a part-of chain. Words make up a sentence, and sentences make up a novel, so each item sits wholly inside the next. That is drawn as nested circles, so (3) – (S). This is also the only diagram left once (1), (2) and (4) are matched.

  5. (4) Pianist, Guitarist, Instrumentalist: every pianist and every guitarist is an instrumentalist, and some people play both piano and guitar. That is two overlapping subsets inside a larger set, so (4) – (P).

  6. The matching is (1) – (Q); (2) – (R); (3) – (S); (4) – (P), which is option (B). Quick check: only (A) and (B) have (1) – (Q), and (A) gives (2) – (P) and (4) – (R), both wrong.

KEY IDEA

Each Venn diagram shows one relationship. Disjoint circles inside a big circle: two categories that never share a member, both belonging to a larger class. Overlapping circles inside a big circle: two categories that can share members, both inside a larger class. Three mutually overlapping circles: three roles a person can hold in any combination. Nested circles: a chain in which each item is contained in the next.

WATCH OUT FOR

Swapping (P) and (Q) for rows (1) and (4). Zebra and Giraffe can never overlap, so they need the diagram with separate inner circles (Q). Pianist and Guitarist can overlap, because one person can play both, so they need the diagram with overlapping inner circles (P). Another slip is to draw Director, Producer, Actor as nested circles. None of these roles is a subset of another, so the circles must overlap (R).

From the GATE 2025 EE paper. Every question of this paper · Download the full paper · All 41 Reasoning questions, with notes

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