A cube is a three-dimensional object with 6 faces, 12 edges, and 8 vertices. Each face is a square. In SSC CGL exams, cube and dice questions test your ability to visualize how a flat pattern folds into a 3D shape or how a cube looks when rotated. Key Rules for Cubes:
1. Opposite faces never touch each other when the cube is folded 2. Adjacent faces share a common edge
3. When a cube is cut, count the pieces formed 4. In dice problems, opposite faces always add up to 7 (1-6, 2-5, 3-4)
Main Question Types: - Net to Cube: Given a flat pattern, identify which cube it forms
- Cube Views: Different views of the same cube from various angles - Dice Problems: Find opposite faces or adjacent faces
- Cube Cutting: Calculate pieces when cube is cut by planes Shortcut for Net Problems:
Use the 'Corner Method' - pick any corner in the net and trace which three faces meet at that corner. In the answer choices, the same three faces must meet at one corner. This eliminates wrong options quickly.
Identify which faces are opposite to each other in the net.
Faces that are separated by exactly one face in between are opposite.
In the net A-B-C-D, face A is opposite to face C (one face B in between).
Face E is above B, so E is opposite to F (which is below C).
Face B is opposite to face D.
Since A is at bottom, its opposite face C will be at top. Answer: Face C For Dice Problems: Remember the standard dice pattern: 1 opposite 6, 2 opposite 5, 3 opposite 4. If you see faces 1, 2, 3 meeting at a corner, you know 6, 5, 4 meet at the opposite corner. Cube Cutting Formula: If a cube is cut by n planes parallel to faces: Total pieces = (n₁ + 1) × (n₂ + 1) × (n₃ + 1), where n₁, n₂, n₃ are cuts along length, breadth, and height.
Students often confuse adjacent faces with opposite faces. Remember - opposite faces never appear together in any single view of a cube. If two faces are visible together in a view, they cannot be opposite faces.
11graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis