Quick Theory – Mirror Image

A mirror image is the reflection of an object as seen in a plane (flat) mirror. The image appears “laterally inverted”, i.e., left ↔ right interchange while top-bottom remains unchanged. In technical terms, the mirror line acts like a vertical axis of symmetry; every point of the object is mapped to a point at the same perpendicular distance on the opposite side of the mirror.

For capital English letters, 11 stay identical in the mirror: A, H, I, M, O, T, U, V, W, X, Y. These are called mirror-stable or symmetrical letters. Digits 0 and 8 also look the same. While solving RRB questions, first check whether the given figure/letter/word has vertical symmetry; if yes, the mirror image is the same as the original. Otherwise, swap left and right parts mentally (or use the “clock-rule” shortcut given at the end).

Practice Set – 25 MCQs

Easy (1-8)

1. Which capital letter does not change in the mirror?

   • A) P
   • B) L
   • C) M
   • D) N
   Answer

   Correct: Option C. Explanation: M is vertically symmetrical.

2. Mirror image of 218 will look like:

   • A) 812
   • B) 218
   • C) 281
   • D) 128
   Answer

   Correct: Option A. Explanation: Left-right reversal gives 812.

3. How many digits 0–9 remain unchanged in a mirror?

   • A) 2
   • B) 3
   • C) 4
   • D) 1
   Answer

   Correct: Option A. Explanation: Only 0 and 8 (2 digits).

4. Mirror image of R is closest to:

   • A) Я
   • B) Ƨ
   • C) ⅃
   • D) ᗄ
   Answer

   Correct: Option A. Explanation: Cyrillic ‘Я’ is the standard reversed R.

5. Choose the pair that is identical in mirror:

   • A) BOX – XOB
   • B) MOCK – KCOM
   • C) TOT – TOT
   • D) DOG – GOD
   Answer

   Correct: Option C. Explanation: TOT is vertically symmetrical.

6. Mirror image of 6:40 on a clock looks like:

   • A) 6:40
   • B) 5:20
   • C) 11:20
   • D) 12:20
   Answer

   Correct: Option B. Explanation: Use 12–x rule (12–6=6, 12–40=20) → 5:20.

7. Which word becomes meaningful after mirroring?

   • A) STOP
   • B) POTS
   • C) NOON
   • D) TIME
   Answer

   Correct: Option B. Explanation: POTS mirrored is STOP – a meaningful word.

8. Mirror image of Δ (triangle pointing right) will point:

   • A) Up
   • B) Down
   • C) Left
   • D) Unchanged
   Answer

   Correct: Option C. Explanation: Lateral inversion flips left-right.

Medium (9-18)

9. Mirror image of RAILWAY is:

   • A) YAWLIAR
   • B) YAWLIΛЯ
   • C) ЯAILWAY
   • D) ЯΛIWIIΛЯ
   Answer

   Correct: Option B. Explanation: Full reversal with mirrored R→Я, A→Λ etc.

10. If the mirror is placed right side of figure 573, the image is:

    • A) 375
    • B) 573
    • C) 537
    • D) 357
    Answer

    Correct: Option A. Explanation: Right-side mirror → left-right flip.

11. Choose the odd one out regarding mirror stability:

    • A) X
    • B) S
    • C) O
    • D) H
    Answer

    Correct: Option B. Explanation: S is not vertically symmetrical.

12. A clock shows 3:25 in the mirror. Real time is:

    • A) 8:35
    • B) 9:35
    • C) 8:25
    • D) 9:25
    Answer

    Correct: Option A. Explanation: 12–3:25 = 8:35.

13. Mirror image of COVID will not contain which letter unchanged?

    • A) O
    • B) I
    • C) D
    • D) V
    Answer

    Correct: Option C. Explanation: D becomes reversed Ɔ or ᗡ.

14. How many meaningful English words can be formed by mirroring TOP?

    • A) 0
    • B) 1
    • C) 2
    • D) 3
    Answer

    Correct: Option B. Explanation: TOP → POT (1 meaningful word).

15. If a letter looks same in mirror, it must have:

    • A) Horizontal symmetry
    • B) Vertical symmetry
    • C) Rotational symmetry
    • D) Point symmetry
    Answer

    Correct: Option B. Explanation: Vertical (left-right) symmetry.

16. Mirror image of F is closest to:

    • A) ɘ
    • B) 𝟈
    • C) Ⅎ
    • D) 𝆺
    Answer

    Correct: Option C. Explanation: Unicode Ⅎ is reversed F.

17. A figure has mirror placed at top. Image will be inverted:

    • A) Left-right
    • B) Top-bottom
    • C) Both
    • D) No change
    Answer

    Correct: Option B. Explanation: Horizontal mirror → top-bottom flip.

18. Which number looks same upside-down and in mirror?

    • A) 1
    • B) 0
    • C) 6
    • D) 9
    Answer

    Correct: Option B. Explanation: 0 is symmetric both ways.

Hard (19-25)

19. A digital clock shows 18:88 in the mirror. Real time is:

    • A) 21:11
    • B) 11:12
    • C) 21:12
    • D) 11:11
    Answer

    Correct: Option C. Explanation: Mirror of 18:88 is 21:12 (digit-wise reversal).

20. Mirror image of b d p q concatenated is:

    • A) q p d b
    • B) b d p q
    • C) p q b d
    • D) d b q p
    Answer

    Correct: Option A. Explanation: Each letter reverses + order reverses.

21. If MIRROR is written as ЯOЯЯIM, then WINDOW is written as:

    • A) WO⅃⅃IW
    • B) WO⅃DOW
    • C) WO⅃⅃OI
    • D) WO⅃⅃ID
    Answer

    Correct: Option C. Explanation: Pattern is full mirror + W→M typo corrected; actual mirror of WINDOW is WO⅃⅃OI.

22. A symmetric 5-digit number looks same in mirror. How many such numbers exist using 0–9?

    • A) 900
    • B) 1000
    • C) 950
    • D) 810
    Answer

    Correct: Option A. Explanation: Form ABCBA; A∈1-9 (9), B,C∈mirror-stable {0,1,8} (3 each) → 9×3×3×1×1=81 per pair; total 900 (0-99999 range).

23. Mirror placed parallel to plane of paper behind the object. Image will appear to shift:

    • A) Left
    • B) Right
    • C) Toward observer
    • D) Away from observer
    Answer

    Correct: Option D. Explanation: Virtual image forms behind mirror, away from observer.

24. Which combination of letters cannot form a mirror-stable word?

    • A) HIT
    • B) TOOT
    • C) MOM
    • D) DAD
    Answer

    Correct: Option D. Explanation: D is not mirror-stable → DAD won’t look same.

25. A barcode is scanned in mirror. To retrieve original data, the scanner should:

    • A) Flip vertically
    • B) Flip horizontally
    • C) Rotate 180°
    • D) No action needed
    Answer

    Correct: Option B. Explanation: Mirror = horizontal flip; reverse it by another horizontal flip.

Shortcuts & Tips

1. Clock Rule: Mirror time = 12:00 – given time (subtract from 11:60 if minutes > 00).
   Example: 4:50 → 12–4:50 = 7:10.

2. Letter Check: Memorise 11 mirror-stable capitals – AHIMOTUVWXY – and digits 0, 8.

3. Reverse & Replace: For any word/number, first write the reverse, then replace non-stable characters with their mirrored shapes (R→Я, N→И etc.).

4. Option Elimination: In RRB papers, if two options are exact reverses of each other, pick the one with correct mirrored glyphs.

5. Draw Mirror Line: On rough sheet, draw vertical line; place object on left, sketch equidistant right-side points – fastest for complex diagrams.

Practice 5–10 questions daily with a timer – 45 s per easy, 60 s per medium, 90 s per hard – to ace the Mirror Image section. All the best!