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Data
Sufficiency
Part - 2
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Data Sufficiency
In this section the UPSC tests the ability of the candidate to identify whether the
data given are sufficient to answer the question or not. Although data sufficiency
was given as a topic under Data Interpretation its scope also extends from
mathematical based quantitative ability questions to non-mathematical based
simple reasoning under Analytical Section.
Since these questions require candidates to identify the sufficiency of data, you
must stop at the stage of determining the sufficiency of data and you are not
expected to solve the problem completely.
Like Assertion and Reason which all Civil service aspirants have prior knowledge
from the old question pattern, this data sufficiency questions also have set of
directions?

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Question: For example:

Raju is the tallest boy in the school. Is he the tallest student in the class?
1. Priyanka is the tallest girl in the class
2. Priyanka is shorter than Raju
Choose A:
Choose B:

Choose C:
Choose D:

If statement 1 alone is sufficient and statement 2 alone is

sufficient to answer
If statement 1 alone is sufficient and statement 2 alone is not
sufficient to answer
If statement 1 alone is not sufficient and statement 2 alone is
sufficient to answer
If both the statements are sufficient to answer

Answer: D
However there are 3 different sets of Directions as they are appearing in different
examinations.
Note: If the UPSC did not mention the set of direction earlier in the oncoming
notification, then we must prepare for all sets of directions.

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Some Typical Cases: Data Sufficiency

The questions can be broadly divided into the following categories:
1.
Relationships
2.
Dates
3.
Comparison
4.
Critical Analysis
5.
Age
6. Miscellaneous

1. Relationships
The wording goes like this: How is P related to Q?. In these questions one very
prominent source of confusion is the fact that students tend to conclude about
relationship without knowing about the sex of the person involved.
2. Dates
The wording of the question goes like this: On which day of the week did P reach
(say) Delhi? or What is the date of birth of P?. In such questions, you have to
determine a day or a date. Usually, the data will provide you with some
knowledge of some previous day or date and from this you can work out the
required day or date.
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3. Comparison
The wording of the question is: Who is the tallest among P, Q and R? or Who is
the heaviest among X, Y and Z? or Who is sitting to the left of P when P, Q and
R are sitting together? etc. Here you have to make comparisons of the
respective places of some persons in a fixed pattern or order.
4. Critical Analysis
Sometimes questions asked in the examination are qualitative in nature, wherein
you have to apply your value-judgement in order to reach a conclusion.

5. Age
In some questions of data sufficiency, problems are concerned with age. Again,
we must emphasis that the question does not ask you to actually calculate the
age of the person. It only wants you to tell whether the given statements are
sufficient (or not) to calculate the age of that person.
6. Miscellaneous
Although the five categories mentioned above are standard categories and most
of the questions asked will be from these five categories, these are certain type
which do not belong to any of them. We may sell them miscellaneous questions.
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