RAS question
If 'AMBULANCE' is written in mirror image on the front of an ambulance, which of the following represents the correct mirror text that would appear normal when viewed in a rear-view mirror?
Correct answer: (B) ECNALUBMA written with each letter mirror-inverted.
On the front of an ambulance, AMBULANCE is written as ECNALUBMA with each letter mirror-inverted so that it reads normally in a rear-view mirror.
Explanation
A rear-view mirror laterally inverts what it reflects, so the word on the ambulance must already be written in mirror image. The actual vehicle text is ECNALUBMA, with every letter also mirror-flipped, not merely typed backwards in normal letters. When a driver ahead sees this in the rear-view mirror, the mirror reverses it again, making it appear as normal AMBULANCE. CBSE Academic science material tests the same reason: AMBULANCE is written in this manner so that vehicles ahead can read it easily in the rear-view mirror. Hence option B captures both required parts: reversed order and lateral inversion of each letter.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Writing AMBULANCE normally would be laterally inverted by the rear-view mirror, so the driver ahead would not see the normal word.
- (C) This form keeps AMBULANCE as normal text while treating it as only backwards, so it misses the required reversal of order and mirror inversion of each letter.
- (D) ECNALUBMA written in ordinary letters is only a reversed spelling; each letter must be mirror-inverted as well.
Concept
Mirror images and lateral inversion are standard Reasoning and Mental Ability ideas linked to everyday observation. They recur in RAS-style reasoning because candidates must visualise how text changes under reflection, not just memorise a pattern.