Odd Man Out – MBA CET questions with solutions

Approach: Classification — find the item whose category differs (endocrine glands vs brain part).

Solution:
Pituitary, Pancreas, Adrenal and Testis are endocrine glands — they secrete hormones into the blood.
Thalamus is a part of the brain (forebrain) that relays sensory signals; it is not a gland.
So Thalamus is the odd one out.

Why the other options are wrong:
A, B, D, E: all four are hormone-secreting glands, so they form the group.

Cetking shortcut: Hypothalamus is endocrine-related, but Thalamus is purely a brain relay centre — don't confuse the two.

Answer: C

Approach: Number-pair classification — each pair is (n, n²).

Solution:
15² = 225 ✓, 13² = 169 ✓, 14² = 196 ✓, 12² = 144 ✓.
19² = 361, but the pair shows 227 ✗.
So (19, 227) is the odd pair.

Cetking shortcut: Unit digit check: 19² must end in 1 — 227 ends in 7.

Answer: C

Approach: Number classification — divisibility by 11.

Solution:
253 = 11 × 23 ✓
473 = 11 × 43 ✓
143 = 11 × 13 ✓
847 = 11 × 77 ✓
633: alternating sum 6 − 3 + 3 = 6, not 0 or 11 → not divisible by 11 ✗
633 is the odd one.

Cetking shortcut: For a 3-digit number abc, it is a multiple of 11 when a + c = b (or a + c = b + 11): 2+3=5, 4+3=7, 1+3=4, 8+7=15=4+11; 6+3=9 ≠ 3.

Answer: D

Approach: Odd one out by category: wild vs domesticated animals.

Solution:
Zebra, Lion, Tiger and Giraffe are wild animals.
The Horse is a domesticated animal used by humans for riding and work.
So Horse is the odd one.

Why the other options are wrong:
A (Zebra): wild, though it looks like a horse.
B (Lion), C (Tiger): wild carnivores.
E (Giraffe): wild herbivore.

Cetking shortcut: When four belong to the jungle/safari, the pet/farm animal is the odd one.

Answer: D

Approach: Odd pair: check which pair is not a pair of exact opposites.

Solution:
Easy – Difficult, Brave – Coward, End – Beginning, Day – Night: all exact antonyms.
White – Dirty: the opposite of White is Black; the opposite of Dirty is Clean. Not an antonym pair.
So White – Dirty is the odd pair.

Why the other options are wrong:
B (Easy – Difficult): antonyms.
C (Brave – Coward): antonyms.
D (End – Beginning): antonyms.
E (Day – Night): antonyms.

Cetking shortcut: For each pair, ask 'is the second the exact opposite of the first?' — White's opposite is Black, so A fails at once.

Answer: A

Approach: Test divisibility and parity.

Solution:
363: digit sum 12, odd → odd multiple of 3.
489: digit sum 21, odd → odd multiple of 3.
579: digit sum 21, odd → odd multiple of 3.
471: digit sum 12 → divisible by 3, and odd → matches.

Why the other options are wrong:
A 562 (sum 13), C 382 (sum 13), D 281 (sum 11): not divisible by 3.
E 666: divisible by 3 but even, unlike the set.

Cetking shortcut: Digit-sum test for 3 eliminates A, C, D at once; parity removes E.

Answer: B

Approach: Look at the last digit and the digit sum of each number.

Solution:
733 → last digit 3 (prime), digit sum 13 (prime).
845 → last digit 5 (prime), digit sum 17 (prime).
632 → last digit 2 (prime), digit sum 11 (prime).
992 → last digit 2 (prime) (its digit sum 20 is the exception in the set).
425 → last digit 5 (prime), digit sum 11 (prime) → matches.

Why the other options are wrong:
A 114: last digit 4 not prime, sum 6 not prime.
B 326: sum 11 is prime but last digit 6 is not prime.
D 947: last digit 7 prime but sum 20 is not prime.
E 858: last digit 8 not prime, sum 21 not prime.

Cetking shortcut: Check the last digit first — only 425 and 947 end in a prime; the digit sum then picks 425.

Answer: C

Approach: First digit + second digit = the rest of the number.

Solution:
134 → 1 + 3 = 4; 246 → 2 + 4 = 6; 358 → 3 + 5 = 8.
4610 → 4 + 6 = 10 → matches.

Why the other options are wrong:
A 3725: 3 + 7 = 10, not 25.
C 5720: 5 + 7 = 12, not 20.
D 6845: 6 + 8 = 14, not 45.
E 4693: 4 + 6 = 10, not 93.

Cetking shortcut: Options are 4-digit, so look for a pair of digits summing to a 2-digit tail — 4 + 6 = 10.

Answer: B

Approach: Check each group for vowels.

Solution:
ALIDJ → A, I; ACZXV → A; FASJE → A, E; RSQOP → O.
NDWVS → no vowel → odd one.

Why the other options are wrong:
A, B, C, E: each contains at least one vowel.

Cetking shortcut: With random-looking letter groups, test vowels/consonants first.

Answer: D

Approach: Prime check.

Solution:
43, 53, 73, 83 are all prime.
63 = 7 × 9 → composite → odd one.

Why the other options are wrong:
A 43, B 53, D 73, E 83: all prime.

Cetking shortcut: Digit sum of 63 is 9 → divisible by 3 instantly.

Answer: C

Approach: Check the last digit (parity).

Solution:
2384, 1592, 3756, 4298 end in 4, 2, 6, 8 → even.
3629 ends in 9 → odd → odd one.

Why the other options are wrong:
A, B, C, D: all even numbers.

Cetking shortcut: Look at last digits first.

Answer: E

Approach: Check for vowels.

Solution:
PBQTX, DRYSN, CGHKV, HLWZP → no vowels.
MEWGN contains E → odd one.

Why the other options are wrong:
B, C, D, E: all consonant-only groups.

Cetking shortcut: Scan for A, E, I, O, U first.

Answer: A

Approach: Split each word into two blocks of 3 and map positions.

Solution:
LOCATE: LOC → OCL (2-3-1), ATE → TAE (2-1-3).
EXAMIN: EXA → XAE (2-3-1), MIN → IMN (2-1-3).
COWARD: COW → OWC (2-3-1), ARD → RAD (2-1-3).
ALWINS: ALW → LWA (2-3-1), INS → NIS (2-1-3).
PLENTY: PLE → LEP (2-3-1), but NTY → TYN (2-3-1) — second block breaks the 2-1-3 rule → odd one.

Why the other options are wrong:
A, B, D, E: second block follows 2-1-3 (swap first two letters).

Cetking shortcut: The first blocks all match; compare only the last three letters of each code.

Answer: C

Approach: Rule for each 3-letter half: (3rd)(1st)(2nd + 1).

Solution:
SUNDAY: SUN → N S V; DAY → Y D B → NSVYDB ✓
PARENT: PAR → R P B; ENT → T E O → RPBTEO ✓
MOSTLY: MOS → S M P; TLY → Y T M → SMPYTM ✓
SIMPLE: SIM → M S J; PLE → E P M → MSJEPM ✓
MOTHER: MOT → T M P; HER → R H F, but code shows R H D → odd one.

Why the other options are wrong:
A, C, D, E: both halves follow the rule exactly.

Cetking shortcut: Only the shifted letters (3rd and 6th of the code) need checking: V, B / P, D(✗) / B, O / P, M / J, M.

Answer: B

Approach: Odd one out by parity.

Solution:
2321, 8261, 8261 and 825 all end in an odd digit → odd numbers.
3808 ends in 8 → the only even number.
Odd one out = 3808

Why the other options are wrong:
B) 2321, C)/D) 8261, E) 825 are all odd, so they form the group.

Answer: A

Approach: Sum of alphabet positions.

Solution:
QMJ = 17 + 13 + 10 = 40
JIU = 10 + 9 + 21 = 40
KVG = 11 + 22 + 7 = 40
NAY = 14 + 1 + 25 = 40
EKO = 5 + 11 + 15 = 31 ✗
Odd one out = EKO

Cetking shortcut: Memorise EJOTY (5, 10, 15, 20, 25) to get letter values fast.

Answer: D

Approach: Classification by category (instrument family).

Solution:
Cello, Violin, Guitar, Harp – all string instruments (sound from vibrating strings).
Flute – a wind instrument (sound from vibrating air column).

Why the other options are wrong:
A–D are all string instruments, so none of them is the odd one.

Answer: E

Approach: Number classification: square of a prime vs square of a composite.

Solution:
121 = 11², 169 = 13², 289 = 17², 361 = 19² → squares of primes.
441 = 21² and 21 = 3 × 7 is composite.

Cetking shortcut: Know squares 11²–25² by heart; check the bases for primality.

Answer: E

Approach: Number classification: perfect numbers.

Solution:
6 = 1 + 2 + 3; 28 = 1 + 2 + 4 + 7 + 14 → perfect.
496 and 8128 are the next two perfect numbers.
1024 = 2¹⁰; its proper divisors add up to 1023 ≠ 1024 → not perfect.

Cetking shortcut: Even perfect numbers have the form 2^p−1(2^p − 1): 6, 28, 496, 8128 — memorise them.

Answer: E

Approach: Digit pattern within each number.

Solution:
135 → 1, 3, 5 (+2, +2); 357 → 3, 5, 7; 579 → 5, 7, 9.
791 → 7, 9, 1: after 9 the next should be 11, so the pattern breaks.
Second check: digit sums 9, 15, 21 are multiples of 3; 7 + 9 + 1 = 17 is not.

Why the other options are wrong:
A, B, C, D – all follow the +2 digit step and are divisible by 3.

Answer: E

Approach: Classify by parity of the perfect squares.

Solution: All numbers are perfect squares: 49 = 7², 16 = 4², 4 = 2², 36 = 6², 100 = 10².
49 is the only odd number (square of an odd number); all the others are even squares of even numbers.

Why the other options are wrong: 16, 4, 36 and 100 share the property 'even square of an even number', so none of them is the odd one.

Cetking shortcut: If all items share one property (perfect squares), look at a second property: parity, primes, digit sums.

Answer: A

Approach: Odd one out by meaning.

Solution:
Demonstrate, Illustrate, Exemplify, Exhibit — all mean to show / make visible.
Camouflage means to hide / disguise — the opposite idea.

Why the other options are wrong: A, B, D, E all belong to the 'show' group.

Answer: C

Approach: Odd one out among letter groups — look for a simple common property (vowels).

Solution:
TPIL → contains I (vowel).
SOKL → contains O.
YUQM → contains U.
LATW → contains A.
RNJF → R, N, J, F — no vowel at all.
So RNJF is the odd one.

Why the other options are wrong:
SOKL, YUQM, LATW, TPIL each contain exactly one vowel, so they belong together.

Cetking shortcut: Before testing letter gaps, scan for vowels — it's the quickest check in odd-one-out letter groups.

Answer: A

Approach: Letter-group odd one out: check the gaps between consecutive letters.

Solution:
WTYX: W(23) T(20) Y(25) X(24) → −3, +5, −1
KHML: 11, 8, 13, 12 → −3, +5, −1
PMRQ: 16, 13, 18, 17 → −3, +5, −1
GDIH: 7, 4, 9, 8 → −3, +5, −1
TPWU: 20, 16, 23, 21 → −4, +7, −2 ✗
Only TPWU breaks the −3, +5, −1 pattern.

Cetking shortcut: Check just the first gap: W→T, K→H, P→M, G→D are all −3, T→P is −4 – done.

Answer: E

Approach: Classification by the quantity measured.

Solution:
Inch, Foot, Yard and Mile are units of length.
Acre is a unit of area.

Answer: E

Approach: Number-pair odd one out: check divisibility by 12.

Solution:
12 – 84: 12 = 12×1, 84 = 12×7 ✓
48 – 72: 12×4, 12×6 ✓
84 – 96: 12×7, 12×8 ✓
24 – 48: 12×2, 12×4 ✓
36 – 62: 36 = 12×3 but 62 is not a multiple of 12 (it is not even a multiple of 3) ✗

Cetking shortcut: Digit-sum test for 3: 6+2 = 8, so 62 is not divisible by 3 – it is the only number in the list that fails.

Answer: B

Approach: Number odd one out: digit sum parity / primality.

Solution:
Digit sums: 3727 → 19, 4668 → 24, 5847 → 24, 5364 → 18, 6745 → 22.
Only 3727 has an odd digit sum; all others are even.
Also, 3727 is a prime number, while 4668 and 5364 are even, 5847 is divisible by 3 and 6745 by 5.

Cetking shortcut: Digit sums take five seconds – 19 is the lone odd sum.

Answer: A

Approach: Odd one out in a number list: all are primes, so look at the gap pattern.

Solution:
All five numbers are prime, so primality does not separate them.
Gaps: 17 → 19 (+2) → 23 (+4) → 29 (+6) → next should be +8 = 37.
31 (+2 after 29) breaks the +2, +4, +6, +8 progression, so 31 is the odd one.

Cetking shortcut: When every term shares the obvious property (prime), check the differences – the series 17, 19, 23, 29 has gaps 2, 4, 6.

Answer: E

Approach: Fast growth with increasing multipliers → test ×n + n².

Solution:
4 × 2 + 2² = 12 ✓
12 × 3 + 3² = 45 (series shows 42 ✗)
45 × 4 + 4² = 196 ✓
196 × 5 + 5² = 1005 ✓
1005 × 6 + 6² = 6066 ✓
6066 × 7 + 7² = 42511 ✓
Only 42 breaks the rule; it should be 45.

Cetking shortcut: Check the term that the next step uses — 196 needs 45 before it (45 × 4 + 16), so 42 is the wrong term.

Answer: E

Approach: Group by function — bladed (cutting) items vs others.

Solution: Sword, blade, knife and dagger all cut with a sharp edge. A hammer strikes/pounds and has no cutting edge, so it is the odd one.

Why the other options are wrong:
Sword – long bladed weapon.
Blade – the cutting edge itself.
Knife – bladed cutting tool.
Dagger – short bladed weapon.

Answer: B

Approach: Identify the common category — parts of a ship.

Solution: Bow (front), stern (rear), mast (pole for sails) and deck (floor) are all parts of a ship. A quay is a platform on the shore where ships dock — it is not part of the ship.

Why the other options are wrong:
Bow – front of the ship.
Mast – vertical pole on the ship.
Deck – floor of the ship.
Stern – back of the ship.

Answer: A

Approach: Check whether the prefix 'tri-' carries the meaning 'three'.

Solution: Tricolour (three colours), trilogy (three works), trident (three-pronged spear), tricycle (three wheels) all use tri- = three. 'Trifle' means something of little value (or a dessert) — 'tri' here is not a prefix meaning three.

Why the other options are wrong: Tricolour, Trilogy, Trident, Tricycle all mean 'three of something'.

Answer: C

Approach: Group by the nature of the act — causing physical harm/death.

Solution: Assassinate, murder and kill mean taking a life; stab is a violent attack that injures or kills. Kidnap means abducting a person — it involves no killing or wounding, so it is the odd one.

Why the other options are wrong: Assassinate, Murder, Kill – causing death; Stab – violent physical attack with a weapon.

Answer: D

Approach: Find the category shared by four words.

Solution:
Phi, Gamma, Delta, Beta are letters of the Greek alphabet.
Peso is a currency (Mexico, Philippines, etc.).

Answer: D

Approach: Look at a common property of the letter groups.

Solution:
APS, EBT, IRP, OTQ begin with a vowel (A, E, I, O).
PST begins with a consonant → odd one.

Cetking shortcut: Check first letters before computing gaps — vowel/consonant is the quickest test.

Answer: E

Approach: Find the shared category.

Solution:
Kohima (Nagaland), Imphal (Manipur), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Jaipur (Rajasthan) are state capitals.
Indore is not a capital (Madhya Pradesh's capital is Bhopal).

Answer: A

Approach: Odd word out by meaning.

Solution: Ignore, shrug off, spurn and disregard all mean paying no attention to / rejecting something. Bloom means to flower or flourish, which has nothing to do with rejection.

Why the other options are wrong: A, B, C, D all belong to the 'neglect / reject' family, so they cannot be the odd one.

Answer: E

Approach: Classification by property — fuels/flammable liquids vs. a metal.

Solution: Petrol, Acetone, Kerosene and Propane are all flammable hydrocarbons/organic compounds used as fuels or solvents.
Mercury is a metal (the only metal liquid at room temperature) and does not burn.

Why the other options are wrong:
A Petrol — fuel.
B Acetone — flammable solvent.
C Kerosene — fuel.
E Propane — fuel gas.

Answer: D

Approach: Perfect cubes.

Solution: 512 = 8³, 343 = 7³, 216 = 6³, 125 = 5³.
728 is not a cube (9³ = 729).
So 728 is the odd one.

Cetking shortcut: Know cubes 1–12 by heart; 728 = 9³ − 1 is a classic near-miss.

Answer: A

Approach: Meaning group — future vs. past.

Solution: Prophecy, Omen, Forecast and Prediction all point to the future.
History is a record of the past.

Why the other options are wrong:
A Prophecy — foretells the future.
B Omen — a sign of a future event.
D Forecast — future estimate.
E Prediction — statement about the future.

Answer: C

Approach: Prime numbers.

Solution: A: 2, 3, 5, 7 — all prime.
B: 11, 13, 17, 19 — all prime.
C: 23, 29, 31, 37 — all prime.
E: 53, 59, 61, 67 — all prime.
D: 40 = 2³ × 5 is not prime.

Cetking shortcut: Scan for an even number other than 2 — it breaks primality instantly.

Answer: D

Approach: Basic quantity vs. rate.

Solution: Time, Distance, Mass and Energy are each quantities in their own right.
Speed is a rate — it is defined as distance ÷ time, i.e. it is built from two of the other options.

Why the other options are wrong:
A Time — basic quantity.
B Distance — basic quantity (length).
D Mass — basic quantity.
E Energy — a quantity on its own, not a ratio of the others listed.

Cetking shortcut: Look for the option that can be written using two of the others: Speed = Distance/Time.

Answer: C

Approach: Odd one out — find the ratio common to most pairs.

Solution:
70 : 80 = 7 : 8
28 : 32 = 7 : 8
21 : 24 = 7 : 8
14 : 16 = 7 : 8
54 : 62 = 27 : 31 → not 7 : 8.
So 54–62 is the odd pair. (For 7 : 8, 54 should pair with 54 × 8/7, which is not a whole number.)

Why the other options are wrong:
A, C, D, E: all are in the ratio 7 : 8 (multiples 10, 4, 3, 2 of 7–8).

Cetking shortcut: Check if the first numbers are multiples of 7 (70, 28, 21, 14) — 54 is not.

Answer: B

Approach: Odd one out — property shared by all numbers in a group (primes).

Solution:
A: 71, 7, 3, 17 → all prime.
B: 67, 71, 3, 5 → all prime.
C: 41, 5, 3, 47 → all prime.
D: 37, 14, 19, 7 → 14 = 2 × 7 is not prime.
E: 11, 3, 5, 17 → all prime.

Why the other options are wrong:
A, B, C, E: every number is prime.

Cetking shortcut: Look for the only even number greater than 2 — it cannot be prime.

Answer: D

Approach: Odd one out: number equals the alphabet position of the letter.

Solution:
18R: R = 18 ✓
24X: X = 24 ✓
22V: V = 22 ✓
16P: P = 16 ✓
12M: M = 13 ✗ → 12M is different.

Cetking shortcut: Memorise EJOTY = 5, 10, 15, 20, 25: M is just before O(15) and after J(10) → 13.

Answer: D

Approach: Odd one out: letter-gap pattern within each group.

Solution:
DAH: D(4)→A(1) = −3, A→H(8) = +7
IFM: −3, +7
ROV: −3, +7
SPW: −3, +7
QNT: Q(17)→N(14) = −3, N→T(20) = +6 → odd one out.

Cetking shortcut: All start with −3; only check the second gap — QNT is the one that falls short by one.

Answer: D

Approach: Odd one out: divisibility.

Solution:
6 = 3×2, 12 = 3×4, 18 = 3×6, 9 = 3×3 — all multiples of 3.
7 is not a multiple of 3 → odd one out.

Why the other options are wrong:
A 6, B 12, C 18, D 9: all multiples of 3. (Even/odd splits 3 vs 2, so it cannot single out one number.)

Cetking shortcut: Look for a property shared by exactly four numbers; even/odd splits 3–2 and is rejected.

Answer: E

Approach: Odd one out: check for a common power pattern.

Solution:
27 = 3³, 125 = 5³, 343 = 7³, 729 = 9³: each is the cube of an odd number.
1321 is not a perfect cube (10³ = 1000, 11³ = 1331). So 1321 is the odd one.

Why the other options are wrong:
A, B, C, D: all are cubes of 3, 5, 7 and 9, so they belong to the group.

Cetking shortcut: Know the cubes up to 12³. Note that 1321 is a near-miss for 11³ = 1331.

Answer: E

Approach: Product of digits.

Solution: 331 → 3×3×1 = 9 = 3²
482 → 4×8×2 = 64 = 8²
551 → 5×5×1 = 25 = 5²
263 → 2×6×3 = 36 = 6²
383 → 3×8×3 = 72 (not a perfect square)
242 → 2×4×2 = 16 = 4²
111 → 1 = 1²
Only 383 breaks the pattern.

Why the other options are wrong: 263, 242, 111, 551 all give perfect-square digit products.

Answer: B

Approach: Odd one out — compare the step multipliers ×1.5, ×2, ×2/3.

Solution:
A: 6.4 → 9.6 → 19.2 → 12.8 = ×1.5, ×2, ×2/3.
B: 1 → 1.5 → 3 → 2 = ×1.5, ×2, ×2/3.
C: 0.5 → 0.75 → 1.5 → 1 = ×1.5, ×2, ×2/3.
D: 0.4 → 0.6 → 1.2 → 0.8 = ×1.5, ×2, ×2/3.
E: 0.5 → 1.5 → 3 → 0.25 = ×3, ×2, ×1/12 → breaks the pattern.

Cetking shortcut: Each regular group is 2 : 3 : 6 : 4 of a base value; E's first step is ×3 — spot it at once.

Answer: E