Embedded Figures – Quick Theory

An Embedded Figure is a smaller, simpler shape that is hidden inside a larger, more complex design.
Your task is to spot whether the given small figure (X) is present anywhere inside the bigger figure (A, B, C, D).
The hidden copy may be rotated, inverted, or even mirror-imaged, but its relative proportions and internal angles never change; only its orientation changes.
Therefore, never waste time mentally rotating the big figure—mentally rotate the small figure and slide it over every nook & corner of the choices.

Railway exams usually ask 25–30 embedded-figure questions in the Non-Verbal Reasoning chunk.
Each correct question carries 1 mark and takes 8–10 seconds if you know the hacks:
(1) Trace the outline of the small figure with your fingertip on the screen/paper;
(2) Look for the sharpest/cut-most angle of the small figure first—rare shapes are easiest to locate;
(3) Eliminate options that do not contain even a single matching angle;
(4) Count sides—a pentagon can never hide inside a quadrilateral;
(5) Use the clockwise-corner rule—label the corners of the small figure 1-2-3-4… and try to match the same clockwise order inside the big figures.

Practice Set – 25 MCQs

Instructions:
In each question a small figure (X) is given.
Choose the option (A/B/C/D) in which X is exactly embedded (may be rotated/reflected).

1. Easy

X: A simple arrow pointing right.
Where is it hidden?

A. Square with a right-arrow inside
B. Circle
C. Triangle
D. Hexagon

2. Easy

X: A small ‘L’ shaped tetromino.
Find it.

A. 3×3 grid with L inside
B. 2×2 solid square
C. Straight line
D. Cross

3. Easy

X: Semi-circle.

A. Full circle
B. Rectangle
C. Another semi-circle outline inside
D. Star

4. Easy

X: Equilateral triangle.

A. Square
B. Regular pentagon
C. Larger equilateral triangle inside
D. Trapezium

5. Easy

X: Kite shape.

A. Rhombus
B. Kite inside a circle
C. Oval
D.Rectangle

6. Medium

X: Right-angled isosceles triangle (45-45-90).

A. Square
B. Regular hexagon
C. Trapezium
D. Rectangle

7. Medium

X: Arrowhead (concave quadrilateral).

A. Five-pointed star
B. Crescent
C. Diamond
D. Trapezium

8. Medium

X: ‘T’ shape.

A. Cross
B. Square
C. Circle
D. Triangle

9. Medium

X: Chevron (two lines meeting at 90°).

A. Zig-zag line forming right angles
B. Curved wave
C. Circle
D. Oval

10. Medium

X: Trapezium with parallel sides horizontal.

A. Isosceles trapezium inside
B. Parallelogram
C. Rhombus
D. Kite

11. Medium

X: Arrow pointing left.

A. Right-arrow
B. Bidirectional arrow
C. Up-arrow
D. Down-arrow

12. Medium

X: Five-petal flower.

A. Six-petal flower
B. Four-petal flower
C. Sun symbol with 5 rays
D. Star

13. Medium

X: Small square rotated 45° (diamond).

A. Larger square
B. Octagon
C. Circle
D. Triangle

14. Medium

X: ‘F’ shape (mirror of normal F).

A. E
B. F
C. P
D. Reflection of E

15. Medium

X: Right-angle bracket ‘⟩’.

A. Parentheses
B. Angle bracket pair
C. Square brackets
D. Curly braces

16. Hard

X: Concave hexagon (arrow with tail).

A. Five-point star
B. Six-point star
C. Snowflake outline
D. Crescent

17. Hard

X: Lightning bolt (zig-zag with 3 lines).

A. Cloud drawing
B. Straight line
C. Mountain range
D. Rectangle

18. Hard

X: Greek cross (equal arms).

A. Plus inside circle
B. Swastika
C. Arrow
D. Triangle

19. Hard

X: Obtuse triangle (110°).

A. Regular pentagon
B. Square
C. Hexagon
D. Circle

20. Hard

X: Pac-man shape (sector 270°).

A. Circle
B. Flower
C. Crescent
D. Another 270° sector inside

21. Hard

X: Tetris ‘S’ shape.

A. 4×4 grid with S inside
B. Straight tetromino
C. Square tetromino
D. T-tetromino

22. Hard

X: Mirror image of capital ‘N’.

A. M
B. Z
C. N
D. W

23. Hard

X: Scalene triangle (no equal sides).

A. Equilateral triangle
B. Isosceles triangle
C. Random polygon containing scalene triangle
D. Square

24. Hard

X: Four-leaf clover outline.

A. Three-leaf clover
B. Five-leaf clover
C. Circle
D. Four cardioids forming clover

25. Hard

X: Helix quarter-segment (curved taper).

A. Spring drawing
B. Straight line
C. Triangle
D. Square

Shortcuts & Last-Minute Tips

1. Finger-Trace: Physically trace the small figure with your pen cap; your eye will automatically spot the same curvature in the options.
2. Angle-First: Start with the most unusual angle of X; rare angles are the fastest giveaways.
3. Side-Count Filter: If X has n sides, skip any option whose outer border has < n sides—saves 30 % time.
4. Mirror-Check: Still unsure? Reflect X horizontally/vertically; railway panels love mirror embedding.
5. 60-sec Rule: If a question consumes >60 s, mark it for review and move on—accuracy beats attempts.

Practice these 25 twice, apply the hacks, and you’ll net 20+ sure-shot marks in the reasoning section. All the best!