Which of the following options should be the next symbol

Solution

It is clear from the given pattern that the order of the shapes has to be square, oval, triangle, square, oval, and so on.  Thus, the next shape has to be a square. Now, look at the number of dots within each shape in the given series. The number of dots keep on decreasing by one until it reaches 1, and then it starts to increase by one. So, the number of dots in the next symbol should be (2+1) = 3. Hence, option (C) is the correct answer.