UPSC PYQPrelims 2026

Civil Services Examination · प्रश्न 51

Seven cubes are identical in shape. Out of these, the weight of each of the six cubes is equal and the weight of the remaining cube is less than the weight of any other cube. A balance is used to identify the lightest cube. What is the minimum number of attempts required to distinguish the odd cube with certainty?

  1. 2
  2. 3
  3. 4
  4. 1
उत्तर देखें और व्याख्या

उत्तर: (A) 2

व्याख्या

Weigh 3 vs 3. If they balance, the 7th is the light one. Otherwise take the lighter three and weigh 1 vs 1. Two weighings suffice (3² = 9 ≥ 7).