Choose the figure which is different from the rest?

Question

Prepp Team · Accepted Answer

Analysing the Figures to Find the Odd One Out

The question asks us to identify the figure that is different from the others among the four options provided. Each option shows a square divided into four equal quadrants by a horizontal and a vertical line. We need to find a characteristic that three of the figures share, which the fourth one lacks.

Step 1: Examine the Characteristics of Each Figure

Let's carefully observe the features of each figure:

Figure 1: The top-left (TL) and bottom-right (BR) quadrants are shaded. A diagonal line runs from the top-left corner to the bottom-right corner.
Figure 2: The top-right (TR) and bottom-left (BL) quadrants are shaded. A diagonal line runs from the top-right corner to the bottom-left corner.
Figure 3: The top-left (TL) and bottom-right (BR) quadrants are shaded. There is no diagonal line present.
Figure 4: The top-right (TR) and bottom-left (BL) quadrants are shaded. There is no diagonal line present.

Step 2: Identify Patterns and Common Features

We can observe two main types of features:

Shading Pattern: Two diagonally opposite quadrants are shaded in all figures. There are two patterns: TL/BR shaded (Figures 1 & 3) or TR/BL shaded (Figures 2 & 4).
Diagonal Line: Figures 1 and 2 contain a diagonal line, while Figures 3 and 4 do not.

Step 3: Determine the Differentiating Logic

We are looking for a single figure that is different. Let's consider the combination of features. Often, in such problems, three figures satisfy a specific condition or set of conditions, while one does not.

Let's test a rule that combines the presence of a diagonal line and a specific shading pattern. Consider the rule: "The figure has a diagonal line OR it has the Top-Right/Bottom-Left shading pattern."

Let's apply this rule to each figure:

Figure 1: It has a diagonal line (TL-BR). The rule is satisfied.
Figure 2: It has a diagonal line (TR-BL). The rule is satisfied.
Figure 3: It does NOT have a diagonal line. It also does NOT have the TR/BL shading pattern (it has TL/BR shading instead). Since both conditions are false, the combined rule (False OR False) is False. This figure does not satisfy the rule.
Figure 4: It does NOT have a diagonal line, BUT it has the TR/BL shading pattern. The rule (False OR True) is True. The rule is satisfied.

Based on this logic, Figures 1, 2, and 4 satisfy the condition, while Figure 3 does not.

Conclusion

Figure 3 is the only figure that lacks a diagonal line AND does not have the Top-Right/Bottom-Left shading pattern. Therefore, Figure 3 is the one that is different from the rest.