Clock-Based Reasoning Questions for Competitive Exams

Clock-based reasoning is a crucial topic in logical reasoning for exams like SSC CGL, Banking, Railway, and other competitive exams. These questions test a candidate’s ability to understand the movement of the clock’s hands and calculate angles, time loss or gain, mirror images, etc. Here, we present 20 unique multiple-choice questions (MCQs) along with their explanations.

Clock-Based Reasoning Questions for Competitive Exams

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1. Angle Between Hands of the Clock

Q1. What is the angle between the hands of the clock at 4:20? 

A) 100°
B) 110°
C) 120°
D) 140°

Answer: B) 110°
Explanation: Formula:
= 110°

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2. Overlapping Hands

Q2. At what time between 2:00 and 3:00 do the hour and minute hands coincide? 

A) 2:10
B) 2:20
C) 2:21.8
D) 2:30

Answer: C) 2:21.8
Explanation: The hands coincide at: minutes

= 21.8 minutes

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3. Reflex Angle Calculation

Q3. Find the reflex angle between the hands of the clock at 5:40. 

A) 100°
B) 200°
C) 220°
D) 240°

Answer: C) 220°
Explanation: Reflex angle = 360° - smaller angle
Smaller angle = 120° (using formula)
So, 220° is the reflex angle.

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4. Mirror Image of Clock Time

Q4. What will be the mirror image of 5:15? 

A) 6:45
B) 7:45
C) 6:15
D) 6:50 

Answer: A) 6:45
Explanation: Mirror image formula = 6:45

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5. Time Between Two Same Positions

Q5. How many times do the hands of the clock coincide in 12 hours? 

A) 10
B) 11
C) 12
D) 24

Answer: B) 11
Explanation: Hands coincide 11 times in 12 hours.

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6. Hands in a Straight Line

Q6. At what time between 1:00 and 2:00 do the hands of the clock form a straight line? A) 1:30
B) 1:32.73
C) 1:40
D) 1:50

Answer: B) 1:32.73
Explanation: Formula:

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7. Hands at Right Angle

Q7. At what time between 3:00 and 4:00 do the hands form a right angle? 

A) 3:15
B) 3:20
C) 3:27.3
D) 3:40

Answer: C) 3:27.3
Explanation: Formula:

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8. Fast and Slow Clocks

Q8. A clock gains 5 minutes every hour. How much will it gain in a day? 

A) 60 minutes
B) 100 minutes
C) 120 minutes
D) 150 minutes

Answer: C) 120 minutes
Explanation: 5 minutes/hour × 24 hours = 120 minutes

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9. Time Loss Calculation

Q9. A clock loses 2 minutes every 6 hours. How much time will it lose in a week? 

A) 24 minutes
B) 48 minutes
C) 56 minutes
D) 56 hours

Answer: C) 56 minutes
Explanation: 2 minutes × (24/6) × 7 days = 56 minutes

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10. Identifying Wrong Clock Time

Q10. A clock shows 9:15 but the actual time is 9:30. How much does the clock lose in a day if it continues at the same rate? 

A) 30 minutes
B) 60 minutes
C) 120 minutes
D) 150 minutes

Answer:* B) 60 minutes*
Explanation:* 15 minutes in 6 hours means 60 minutes in 24 hours.

11. Angle Between Hands of the Clock

Question: What is the angle between the hour and minute hand at 4:20?

Options:
A) 120°
B) 110°
C) 130°
D) 105°

Answer: B) 110°
Explanation: The angle formula is:

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12. Right Angle Time Calculation

Question: At what time between 3:00 and 4:00 will the hands form a right angle (90°)?

Options:
A) 3:15
B) 3:30
C) 3:40
D) 3:22

Answer: D) 3:22
Explanation: The formula for when hands are at 90°: So, the answer is 3:22.

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13. Coincidence of Hands

Question: At what time between 2:00 and 3:00 do the hands coincide?

Options:
A) 2:05
B) 2:10
C) 2:11
D) 2:12

Answer: C) 2:11
Explanation: The formula for coincidence is: So, the hands coincide at 2:11.

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14. Reflex Angle Calculation

Question: Find the reflex angle between the hands at 7:45.

Options:
A) 150°
B) 170°
C) 200°
D) 220°

Answer: D) 220°
Explanation: The smaller angle: The reflex angle = 360° - 37.5° = 220°.

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15. When Are the Hands Opposite to Each Other?

Question: At what time between 6:00 and 7:00 are the hands opposite to each other?

Options:
A) 6:40
B) 6:50
C) 6:55
D) 6:45

Answer: A) 6:40
Explanation: Hands are opposite when the angle is 180°. So, the time is 6:40.

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16. Overlapping of Hands

Question: Between 8:00 and 9:00, when will the hands overlap?

Options:
A) 8:36
B) 8:40
C) 8:43
D) 8:45

Answer: C) 8:43
Explanation: Hands overlap when: So, hands overlap at 8:43.

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17. Hands Forming 120°

Question: At what time between 5:00 and 6:00 do the hands form an angle of 120°?

Options:
A) 5:10
B) 5:20
C) 5:30
D) 5:40

Answer: B) 5:20
Explanation: So, the answer is 5:20.

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18. Hands Being 45° Apart

Question: At what time between 10:00 and 11:00 do the hands form a 45° angle?

Options:
A) 10:05
B) 10:10
C) 10:15
D) 10:20

Answer: B) 10:10
Explanation: Using the formula: So, the answer is 10:10.

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19. Angle at 12:15

Question: Find the angle between the hands at 12:15.

Options:
A) 75°
B) 90°
C) 82.5°
D) 97.5°

Answer: C) 82.5°
Explanation:

20. Clock Reflection

Question: If a clock shows 9:10, what will be its mirror image?

Options:
A) 2:50
B) 3:50
C) 3:40
D) 2:40

Answer: A) 2:50
Explanation: Mirror image formula:

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Conclusion

Clock-based reasoning is a crucial topic in SSC CGL and other competitive exams. Mastering these questions through formulas and practice will improve accuracy and speed in the exam. Keep practicing and applying these techniques to enhance your problem-solving skills!