[ CBSE CLASS 6 / COMPUTATIONAL THINKING / CHAPTER 1 / 2026-27 ]

Class 6 Patterns in Mathematics: Computational Thinking Questions and Answers

The Class 6 CT chapter on Patterns in Mathematics asks students to spot the rule behind number and shape sequences, then use that rule to predict terms without counting one by one. The core skills are pattern recognition and abstraction: turning “what I see” into “the rule that always works”.

Practise 6 questions Printable worksheet
Skills: Pattern recognition · Abstraction · Algorithmic thinking · Linked to Ganita Prakash Chapter 1: Patterns in Mathematics

[ WORKED EXAMPLE ]

What comes next in the sequence 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, … ?

Answer: 21.

  1. The gaps are +2, +3, +4, +5.
  2. The next gap is +6.
  3. 15 + 6 = 21. These are the triangular numbers.

What this chapter is about

Students look at sequences such as counting numbers, odd numbers, triangular numbers and square numbers, and at shapes that grow step by step.

The computational-thinking move is to stop listing terms and find a rule. Once a rule is found (for example “add one more than last time”), a student can jump straight to the 20th or 100th term.

Questions also train decomposition: breaking a long sum into equal pairs, or a growing picture into the part that repeats.

[ PRACTICE MODE / 6 QUESTIONS ]

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Pattern recognitionQuestion 1 of 6 · Score 0

What comes next in the sequence 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, … ?

Choose one answer

All Patterns in Mathematics questions with answers

Try each one first, then open it to check the answer and the reasoning.

Q1What comes next in the sequence 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, … ?
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 25

Answer: B. 21

Hint: Look at how much is added each time.

  1. The gaps are +2, +3, +4, +5.
  2. The next gap is +6.
  3. 15 + 6 = 21. These are the triangular numbers.

Skill: Pattern recognition · Level: easy · Report an error

Q2Without adding one by one, what is 1 + 3 + 5 + 7 + 9 + 11 + 13?
  • 42
  • 45
  • 49
  • 56

Answer: C. 49

Hint: Try the first 1, 2 and 3 odd numbers. What kind of numbers are the totals?

  1. 1 = 1, 1 + 3 = 4, 1 + 3 + 5 = 9: the totals are square numbers.
  2. The sum of the first n odd numbers is n × n.
  3. There are 7 odd numbers here, so the sum is 7 × 7 = 49.

Skill: Abstraction · Level: medium · Report an error

Q3Matchsticks make squares in a row: 1 square uses 4 sticks, 2 squares use 7, 3 squares use 10. How many sticks for 6 squares?
  • 18
  • 19
  • 21
  • 24

Answer: B. 19

Hint: Each new square shares one side with the square before it.

  1. The first square needs 4 sticks.
  2. Every extra square needs only 3 more sticks.
  3. For 6 squares: 4 + 3 × 5 = 19 sticks.

Skill: Algorithmic thinking · Level: medium · Report an error

Q4What comes next: 2, 6, 18, 54, … ?
  • 108
  • 148
  • 162
  • 216

Answer: C. 162

Hint: The gaps are not equal. Try dividing instead of subtracting.

  1. 6 ÷ 2 = 3, 18 ÷ 6 = 3, 54 ÷ 18 = 3.
  2. Each term is 3 times the one before.
  3. 54 × 3 = 162.

Skill: Pattern recognition · Level: easy · Report an error

Q5Which plan finds 1 + 2 + 3 + … + 20 fastest?
  • Add the numbers one at a time
  • Pair 1 with 20, 2 with 19, and so on: 10 pairs that each make 21
  • Multiply 20 × 20
  • Add only the even numbers and double it

Answer: B. Pair 1 with 20, 2 with 19, and so on: 10 pairs that each make 21

Hint: Add the first and last numbers. Then try the second and second-last.

  1. 1 + 20 = 21, 2 + 19 = 21, 3 + 18 = 21 … every pair makes 21.
  2. Twenty numbers make 10 pairs.
  3. 10 × 21 = 210. Breaking the sum into equal pairs is decomposition.

Skill: Decomposition · Level: challenge · Report an error

Q6A border repeats triangle, square, circle, triangle, square, circle, … What is the 20th shape?
  • Triangle
  • Square
  • Circle
  • It cannot be known

Answer: B. Square

Hint: The pattern repeats every 3 shapes. Where does 20 land inside a group of 3?

  1. One full repeat is 3 shapes.
  2. 20 = 3 × 6 + 2, so 6 full repeats end at shape 18.
  3. Shape 19 is a triangle and shape 20 is a square.

Skill: Pattern recognition · Level: medium · Report an error

Frequently asked questions

What does the Class 6 Patterns in Mathematics Computational Thinking chapter cover?

The Class 6 CT chapter on Patterns in Mathematics asks students to spot the rule behind number and shape sequences, then use that rule to predict terms without counting one by one. The core skills are pattern recognition and abstraction: turning “what I see” into “the rule that always works”.

Which computational thinking skills does Patterns in Mathematics use?

Patterns in Mathematics mainly practises pattern recognition, abstraction, algorithmic thinking. It links to Ganita Prakash Chapter 1: Patterns in Mathematics.

Where are the official CBSE Patterns in Mathematics questions?

The official questions are in the CBSE Class 6 Computational Thinking and AI handbook for 2026-27, free on the CBSE Academic website. The practice on this page is original and mapped to the same chapter.

More Class 6 chapters