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GATE 2026 EC GA Q.10: solution and answer

GATE 2026 · ECGA Q.10 · 2 marks · MCQ

If

[Figure: two-line text "Ref Fig" over "12 34" its transformed image]

Then

[Figure: two-line text "GATE - 2026" over "Aptitude Test" ?]

[Figures P, Q, R, S: four candidate images, described below]

GATE 2026 EC GA question 10: Reference pair: on the left a two-line block of bold text, top line "Ref Fig", bottom line "12 34".Tap to open full size
Figure from the GATE 2026 EC paper. It is part of the question.
Figure description

Reference pair: on the left a two-line block of bold text, top line "Ref Fig", bottom line "12 34". A right-pointing arrow leads to a two-line block whose top line is "12 34" and bottom line is "Ref Fig". In the right block every character is turned upside down by a top-to-bottom flip (as in a water reflection): the letters and digits still read in their original left-to-right order (R-e-f F-i-g, 1-2 3-4), but each glyph is inverted vertically (f looks like t, g hangs upward, 4 has its triangle at the bottom, 3 looks unchanged). Question pair: a two-line block, top line "GATE - 2026", bottom line "Aptitude Test", then an arrow and a question mark. Four answer figures, each a two-line block drawn with the same vertically flipped glyphs: P (top left): top line "Test Aptitude", bottom line "GATE - 2026". Q (top right): top line "Aptitude Test", bottom line "2026- GATE". R (bottom left): top line "Aptitude Test", bottom line "GATE - 2026". S (bottom right): top line "Test Aptitude", bottom line "2026 - GATE".

  1. (A)

    P

  2. (B)

    Q

  3. (C)

    R

  4. (D)

    S

Answer and solution

ANSWER

The transformation is a water image, a reflection in a horizontal line. The lines swap places and each glyph flips upside down, but the left-to-right order stays the same. The image of \"GATE - 2026 / Aptitude Test\" is therefore \"Aptitude Test / GATE - 2026\", which is figure R. The answer is option (C).

Official answer: CSource: Official answer key, GATE 2026 EC (IIT Guwahati)

  1. Read the reference pair. On the left, "Ref Fig" is on top and "12 34" is below. On the right, "12 34" is on top and "Ref Fig" is below, and every glyph is upside down: f looks like t, g hangs upward, the 1 has its flag at the bottom, the 4 has its triangle at the bottom, and the 3 looks unchanged.

  2. Check the left-to-right order. It has not changed. "Ref" still comes before "Fig", "12" still comes before "34", and the letters inside each word are in their original order. So the rule is not a rotation, which would reverse the reading order and swap the lines. It is not a left-right mirror either, which would reverse the order and leave the lines where they were.

  3. Name the transformation. It is a water image: a reflection in a horizontal mirror line. Such a reflection swaps top and bottom but keeps every point's left-right position. So the two lines change places, each character turns upside down, and the reading order stays the same.

  4. Apply it to the question. Take "GATE - 2026" (top) and "Aptitude Test" (bottom). In the image, the top line must be "Aptitude Test" with "Aptitude" first, and the bottom line must be "GATE - 2026" with "GATE" first. Every glyph is flipped vertically.

  5. Rule out the wrong options. P has "Test Aptitude" on top, so the word order is reversed. Q has "2026- GATE" at the bottom, so the word order is reversed. S reverses the word order on both lines.

  6. Conclude. Only R has "Aptitude Test" on top and "GATE - 2026" at the bottom, both in their original left-to-right order with vertically flipped glyphs. So R is the required figure, which is option (C).

KEY IDEA

A water image (reflection in a horizontal line) swaps top and bottom and turns each character upside down. It never changes left-to-right order. A left-right mirror reverses the order and keeps the lines where they are. A rotation does both: it reverses the order and swaps the lines.

WATCH OUT FOR

Seeing upside-down text and assuming a rotation, then choosing an option with the word order reversed (S, or P or Q, which each reverse one line). Check the reference: \"Ref\" still comes before \"Fig\" and \"12\" before \"34\", so the reading order is kept and only the vertical direction changes.

From the GATE 2026 EC paper. Every question of this paper · Download the full paper · All 23 Spatial questions, with notes

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