Odd One Out Notes & Questions | Class 5 Reasoning | Drishti OS

Odd One Out

How to find the common property shared by three items in a group of four.
How to spot the one item that breaks that shared property.
Applying this both to words (categories like fruits, animals, shapes) and to numbers (multiples, primes, squares).

Verbal: Three words belong to the same category (fruit, animal, colour, vehicle...); the fourth belongs to a different category.

Example: Apple, Mango, Banana, Carrot -> Carrot is a vegetable, the rest are fruits.

Group	Odd one	Reason
Dog, Cat, Cow, Sparrow	Sparrow	Others cannot fly / are common land animals
Circle, Square, Triangle, Cube	Cube	Others are flat (2D) shapes

Verbal: Three numbers are all multiples of the same number; the fourth is not.

Example: 6, 9, 12, 10 -> 6, 9, 12 are multiples of 3; 10 is not.

Verbal: Groups may be based on prime numbers (only two factors: 1 and itself) or perfect squares (1, 4, 9, 16, 25...).

Which does not belong? Rose, Lily, Lotus, Mango

Step 1 - Rose, Lily, Lotus are flowers
Step 2 - Mango is a fruit, not a flower
Answer: Mango

Which does not belong? 4, 9, 16, 10

Step 1 - Check each: 4=2x2, 9=3x3, 16=4x4 are perfect squares
Step 2 - 10 is not a perfect square
Answer: 10

Mistake	Why it happens	Fix
Picking the first unfamiliar word	Guessing without checking category	Name the category for all four items first
Missing the number property	Only skimming values	Check divisibility, prime, or square for each number
Assuming size alone matters	Confusing big/small with the real rule	Rule is about property, not size
Choosing a word that just sounds different	Ignoring meaning	Focus on meaning-based category

Revision tip: Say the shared category out loud before picking the odd one.

Open the Practice tab for graded questions on Odd One Out.