Five cubes of identical size and another smaller cube are assembled as shown in Figure A. If viewed from direction X, the planar image of the assembly appears as Figure B. If viewed from direction Y, the planar image of the assembly (Figure A) will appear as A. [front face showing 1x2 tower on left, 1x1 cube on right] B. [different arrangement] C. [different arrangement] D. [different arrangement]

GATE 2024 · General Aptitude · Patterns In Three Dimensions · medium

Answer: A. The Y-direction view shows two large cubes stacked vertically on the left and one large cube on the right at ground level.

1. Interpret the 3D assembly from Figure A: From the isometric Figure A: the base layer has cubes arranged in an L-shape or row. One column has two large cubes stacked vertically. The smaller cube is placed on top of or adjacent to one of the large cubes. The X-direction view (Figure B) confirms this - it shows a tall column (2 large cubes high) on one side and a single cube on the other side.
2. Rotate 90 degrees to Y-direction: Turning to view from direction Y (perpendicular to X, looking from the side): the assembly's depth now becomes the width of the projected view. The tallest column (2 cubes high) appears on the left side of the Y-view, and the arrangement of cubes along the depth axis determines the width. The smaller cube, positioned at a specific depth, contributes a smaller square outline in the Y-projection.
3. Match to answer option A: The Y-direction view shows: on the left, a two-cube tall column (the stacked large cubes visible from the side), and on the right, a single large cube at ground level. The smaller cube appears as a smaller square at the top-right of the composition. This matches option A exactly.