RAS question
A clock shows 7:25. What time does its mirror image show?
Correct answer: (B) 4:35.
The mirror image of a clock showing 7:25 shows 4:35.
Explanation
For mirror-image clock reasoning, use the standard subtraction rule: mirror time = 11:60 - actual time. Testbook presents this clock problem with the options 5:35, 4:35, 4:25 and 5:25, and marks Option 2 as 4:35. Applying the rule to 7:25 gives 11:60 - 7:25 = 4:35. The hour changes because the reflected dial reverses the left-right position of the hands, and the minutes are handled through the 60-minute borrow in 11:60. Therefore the image seen in the mirror is 4:35, not a time that keeps either the same hour or the same minute.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 5:35 has the reflected minute value but the hour is not obtained from 11:60 - 7:25.
- (C) 4:25 keeps the original minute value, while the mirror-time calculation changes 25 minutes to 35 minutes.
- (D) 5:25 keeps the original minute value and also gives an hour different from the 4 obtained by subtracting 7:25 from 11:60.
Concept
Clock mirror-image reasoning is a routine mental-ability pattern where candidates must convert the displayed time rather than visually guess the hands. It recurs in RAS-style reasoning because it checks speed, arithmetic control and attention to options.
