Prelims 2026 · CSAT / Logical Reasoning · Question 15
The top of a table is rectangular and its dimensions are 6' × 10'. Two rectangular portions of the table top are painted in blue colour; both these portions have dimensions 2.5' × 8' and each of them has exactly two sides common with two edges of the table top. If the table is fixed to the ground and the remaining portion of the table top is painted in white, how many different patterns are possible when observed from above?<br/>
Answer
4
Each 2.5' × 8' blue rectangle must occupy a corner: the 8' side can align only with a 10' edge, and the 2.5' side with the adjacent 6' edge. So there are 4 corner placements. Taking “two rectangular portions” in the usual sense of two distinct non-overlapping parts, the two top-corner placements overlap, and the two bottom-corner placements also overlap. Hence the valid pairs are 4: left pair, right pair, and the two diagonals. Since the table is fixed to the ground, these remain distinct patterns.