What time should the bottom clock show?
2024
What time should the bottom clock show?
- A.
To the 5
- B.
Hour hand points to 8
- C.
Ten minutes to Six
- D.
Five minutes to Ten
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Concept — in a figure-series puzzle, consecutive figures are linked by one fixed rule. When a figure has independent parts — here the two hands of a clock — treat each part as its own sequence and find the constant step that governs it.
Setting it up — go clockwise from the top-left clock: top-left, then top-right, then lower-right, then the bottom (missing) clock, then lower-left. On each clock read the short hand (hour) and the long hand (minute).
Clock | Hour hand | Minute hand |
|---|---|---|
Top-left | 1 | 55 (at the 11 mark) |
Top-right | 3 | 40 (at the 8 mark) |
Lower-right | 6 | 20 (at the 4 mark) |
Lower-left | 3 | 25 (at the 5 mark) |
Reading clockwise, two independent patterns appear:
Hour hand — it moves forward by 2, then 3, then 4, then 5 hours: 1 → 3 → 6 → 10 → (15 − 12) = 3.
Minute hand — it moves backward by 15, then 20, then 25, then 30 minutes: 55 → 40 → 20 → (20 − 25 + 60) = 55 → 25.
The missing clock — it is the 4th in the chain. Hour hand = 6 + 4 = 10; minute hand = 20 − 25 = −5, i.e. 55 minutes (the 11 mark). A clock whose hour hand is on 10 and whose minute hand is on 55 reads as five minutes to ten.
Cross-check — carry the same rule one step further to the lower-left clock: hour = 10 + 5 = 15 → 3, minute = 55 − 30 = 25. That matches the lower-left clock exactly, confirming both the clockwise order and the rule.