Machine Input and Output questions frequently appear in government exams like IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk,IBPS RRB Officer Scale 1, SBI Clerk, SBI PO, RRB, and others. It is one of the most scoring sections of the exam. The answers to such questions are lengthy, and students end up devoting a significant amount of time to them. It might be lengthy but a good grip over this topic can fetch you 5 marks collectively.
Before solving the questions, you must understand the logic behind the questions. It is important that you first understand the concept of machine input output and then start solving the questions so that you don’t get stuck in between. Let’s discuss the concept of machine input output, machine input output questions for Bank PO, machine input output questions with the help of some examples.
A word and numerical arrangement is given in the Input Output type of reasoning based question. The order of the words and numbers changes with each succeeding operation following a specific pattern. These actions are carried out in a loop or until a final arrangement is achieved. You must find the hidden pattern in the rearrangement and use it to answer the questions.
The machine input questions in the reasoning section may be asked in various forms. This includes:
There are essentially four types of operations that appear in exams in this topic. The following are the four operations:
Ordering: The words are either sorted alphabetically (forward/ backward) or numerically (ascending/descending). The order is usually determined by the initial letter of each word. It is sometimes based on the final letter of each word. In each phase, both words and numbers might be organised separately or concurrently. The rearrangement can begin on either the left or right side of the sentence, or even from both ends at the same time. The rearrangement could begin with a word, a number, or anything else.
Example: Input: Cat Rail Snow Moon Fear
Step 1: Snow Cat Rail Moon Fear
Step 2: Snow Rail Cat Moon Fear
Step 3: Snow Rail Moon Cat Fear
Step 4: Snow Rail Moon Fear Cat
This is the final arrangement and STEP IV is the last step for this input.
Solution: From the input step, Step IV, the given rearrangement has a pattern that can be followed. Observe carefully. The following patterns emerge from the rearrangement:
The rearrangement is occurring from left to right.
The rearrangement is occurring one word at a time.
The words are rearranged in descending alphabetical order, starting with the first letter of each word.
Point to Remember: To recognize the pattern, often it is necessary to look at the input, 1st, 2nd and final steps of the arrangement.
Mathematical Operations: In each step, several mathematical operations (such as squaring the number, adding the digits within the number, adding/subtracting/multiplying/dividing each number by a common number, etc.) are applied to the numbers.
Example: Input: 567 873 751 239 912 262 492 712 183 376
Step 1: 567 378 157 239 129 226 249 127 138 367
Step 2: 29 17 02 15 07 10 14 05 05 15
Step 3: 21 97 01 25 01 70 10 45 01 55
Step 4: 03 16 01 07 01 07 01 09 01 10
Step 5: 5 4 4 5 1
Step 6: 1 4 4 5 5
And Step 6 is the last step of the rearrangement as the desired arrangement is obtained.
Solution: To reach the final output in Step 6 certain steps are given. Starting from Step 1, the digits of each number are assembled in ascending order. Example: 567 is already in ascending order. Similarly, the second number 873 is rewritten as 378.
In Step 2, in any number, the middle digit is subtracted from the product of the first and last digit. Example: 5*7-6=29; 5*7= 35; 35-6=29. Similarly, in 378; 3*8-7=17.
In Step 3, the logic used is: Consider the pair from the left side, the first digits of the pair used to make the number. Say in the pair of 29 and 17, the first digit of 29 is 2 and the first digit of 17 is 1. Thus, by combining these two digits the first number obtained in Step III i.e., 21. The second number of the series is formed by combining the second digits of the same pair i.e., 97. From the pair 02 and 15, the third and fourth numbers are obtained i.e., 01 and 25.
In Step 4, the digits of a number are being added up. 2+1=3, 9+7=16, and so on.
In Step 5, you first make pairs of the numbers, then add up the individual digits of the pair starting from the left and then divide by 2. Example: 03 and 16; add the digits i.e., 0+3+1+6=10. The sum of the digits is 10 and now divide it by 2. Thus, 10/2=5.
Similarly, in 01 and 08; 0+1+0+7=8; 8/2=4.
In the last step, Step 6: All the numbers are rearranged in ascending order. So, the final output obtained is 1, 4, 4, 5, 5.
Shifting or interchanging: In this type, the positions of letters, alphabets, words, and other elements in the input change in response to questions, following a certain pattern that repeats itself, such as shift 1st character to last or interchange 1st & last, and so on.
Example: A computer rearranges a particular input using some operations 01, 02, 03, and 04.
Input: I am not coming home for dinner
Step 1: dinner not am coming home for I
Step 2: not dinner coming am home I for
Step 3: for coming dinner am home I not
Step 4: coming for am dinner home not IIf
Step 4 gives "I know you will not come back" what step will have "you back I come not will know"
Solution: Since the words remain unchanged here, so this is a case of either rearrangement or shifting. Each word denotes the following number.
I = 1, am = 2, not = 3, coming = 4, home = 5, for = 6, dinner = 7
Others: The input-output section may also include questions such as capitalising an alphabet, replacing an alphabet with a corresponding number, and so on. The operation is either reordering or shifting if the words (from the input) do not change in the output. Check for rearrangement first in this case. If the operation was not performed, the next step is to look for shifting. If the words (from the input) change in the output, the operation is either Mathematical (if numbers are used) or Other (if alphanumeric data is used).
Points to Remember:
Machine Input-Output Questions New Pattern
Direction(Q.81-85): Study the following information carefully and answer the questions given below:
A word and number arrangement machine when given an input line of words and numbers rearranges them following a particular rule in each step. The following is an illustration of an input and rearrangement.
Input: Premature 78 surprise 60 90 68 manure tan fragile 40 96 wave
Step I: 40 premature 78 surprise 60 90 68 manure tan 96 wave fragile
Step II: 40 96 premature 78 surprise 60 90 68 tan wave manure fragile
Step III: 40 96 60 78 surprise 90 68 tan wave premature manure fragile
Step IV: 40 96 60 90 78 68 tan wave surprise premature manure fragile
Step V: 40 96 60 90 68 78 wave tan surprise premature manure fragile
And Step V is the last step of the rearrangement of the above input.
As per the rules followed in the above steps, find out in each of the following questions the appropriate step for the given input.
Input: young 32 42 nose 55 value 70 worth paint 96 48 trees 74 59 zebra chase
Solution:
From the given input and final step it is understood that words are arranged in the alphabetical order. Numbers are arranged alternately in the increasing order and alternatively in decreasing order i.e. least number followed by highest number, second least number followed by second highest number and so on.
Input: young 32 42 nose 55 value 70 worth paint 96 48 trees 74 59 zebra chase
Step I: 32 young 42 nose 55 value 70 worth paint 96 48 trees 74 59 zebra chase
Step II: 32 96 young 42 55 value 70 worth paint 48 trees 74 59 zebra nose chase
Step III: 32 96 42 young 55 value 70 worth 48 trees 74 59 zebra paint nose chase
Step IV: 32 96 42 74 young 55 value 70 worth 48 59 zebra trees paint nose chase
Step V: 32 96 42 74 48 young 55 70 worth 59 zebra value trees paint nose chase
Step VI: 32 96 42 74 48 70 young 55 59 zebra worth value trees paint nose chase
Step VII: 32 96 42 74 48 70 55 59 zebra young worth value trees paint nose chase
126. Which of the following would be the final arrangement?
1) 32 96 42 74 48 young 55 70 worth 59 zebra value trees paint nose chase
2) 32 96 42 74 young 55 value 70 worth 48 59 zebra trees paint nose chase
3) 32 96 42 74 48 70 young 55 59 zebra worth value trees paint nose chase
4) 32 96 42 74 48 70 55 59 zebra young worth value trees paint nose chase
5) None of these
Ans: 4
132. In step III, which of the following words would be at seventh position from the left?
1) 96
2) 70
3) trees
4) value
5) None of these
Ans: 2
128. In step V, which of the following words would be at fifth position to the right of ninth from the left element?
1)trees
2)paint
3) nose
5) chase
4) zebra
Ans: 2
129. In step IV of the rearrangement, if 32 is related to 42 and 74 is related to 55 in a certain way, which of the following would 70 be related to, following the same pattern?
1) 48
2) 59
3) 96
4) 42
5) None of these
Ans: 1
130. Which of the following would last but one step?
1)V
2)VII
3)VIII
4)VI
5)None of these
Ans: 4
Directions (131-135): Study the given information and answer the questions:
A word and number arrangement machine when given an input line of words and numbers rearranges them following a particular rule in each step. The following is an illustration of an input and rearrangement.
Input: 23 feather 28 broad 22 orange 33 private 36 negative 15 candle
Step I: 15 23 feather 28 22 orange 33 private 36 negative candle broad
Step II: candle 15 feather 28 22 orange 33 private 36 negative broad 23
Step III: 33 candle 15 28 22 orange private 36 negative broad 23 feather
Step IV: negative 33 candle 15 28 orange private 36 broad 23 feather 22
Step V: 28 negative 33 candle 15 private 36 broad 23 feather 22 orange
Step VI: private 28 negative 33 candle 15 broad 23 feather 22 orange 36
And Step VI is the last step of the rearrangement of the above input.
As per the rules followed in the above steps, find out in each of the following questions the appropriate step for the given input.
Input: 25 bandage 38 permanent 18 office 33 urn 15 queen 8 gang
131. In which step the elements ‘38 18 urn’ are found in the same order?
1) Step I
2) Step II
3) Step III
4) Step IV
5)Step VI
Ans: 4
132. In step III, which of the following elements would be at 2nd to the left of 5th from the right end?
1) 18
2) urn
3) queen
4) 8
5) bandage
Ans: 1
133. How many steps required completing the above arrangement?
1) Three
2) Four
3) Five
4) Seven
5) None of these.
Ans: 5
134. Which of the following would be the step V after arrangement?
1) 18 permanent 33 gang 15 38 urn 25 bandage office 8 queen
2) permanent 18 33 gang 15 38 urn bandage 25 office 8 queen
3) 18 permanent 33 gang 15 38 urn bandage 25 office queen 8
4) 18 permanent 33 gang 15 38 urn bandage 25 office 8 queen
5) None of these
Ans: 4
135. In step VI, ‘urn’ is related to ‘permanent’ and ‘office’ is related to ‘queen’. In the same way ‘gang’ is related to?
1) urn
2) 18
3) permanent
4) bandage
5) None of these
Ans: 4
Solution:
For word arrangement- Words are arranged according to ascending order given in English dictionary. In the first step the words which come first according to English dictionary are arranged first to extreme right. And in the second step, the next word according to English dictionary is arranged to extreme left. And this process is continued in further steps.
For number arrangement- Numbers are arranged according to ascending order. There are three odd numbers and three even numbers. In the first three steps odd numbers are arranged in ascending order first to extreme left end then to extreme right. And in the last three steps even numbers are arranged in ascending order.
Input: 25 bandage 38 permanent 18 office 33 urn 15 queen 8 gang
Step I: 15 25 38 permanent 18 office 33 urn queen 8 gang bandage
Step II: gang 15 38 permanent 18 office 33 urn queen 8 bandage 25
Step III: 33 gang 15 38 permanent 18 urn queen 8 bandage 25 office
Step IV: permanent 33 gang 15 38 18 urn queen bandage 25 office 8
Step V: 18 permanent 33 gang 15 38 urn bandage 25 office 8 queen
Step VI: urn 18 permanent 33 gang 15 bandage 25 office 8 queen 38
