Start here · the first lesson of Paper folding / cutting
Paper folding / cutting
Non-verbal Reasoning · for IPMAT Indore, IPMAT Rohtak and JIPMAT
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The idea
A sheet is folded one or more times, a hole is punched through all the layers, and the sheet is opened out. Every fold doubles the number of layers, so every opening doubles the holes: each hole gets a twin, its reflection in the fold line. Listed in the Rohtak and JIPMAT syllabi; no paper has asked it in 2019–2026.
Textbook vs exam method
Textbook method
- Note the folds in order and the final folded shape with the hole.
- Open the last fold first: add the reflection of every hole in that fold line.
- Open the folds one by one in reverse order, reflecting all holes each time.
- Compare the final pattern with the options.
Exam method
- One punched hole gives holes after folds (fewer only if it lies on a fold line).
- Check where one hole's twin must lie for the first fold opened; that usually leaves one option.