This is a 30-minute Verbal Reasoning depth practice on logic and deduction, styled on GL Assessment 11+ multiple-choice papers. It is a second, all-new set of reasoning questions on this topic. There are 36 questions across five sections: Short Deductive Statements, Ordering and Ranking, True or False from Information, Day and Time Puzzles, and Family Relationship Puzzles. Every question is worth 1 mark, for 36 marks in total. Difficulty increases through each section and across the pack as a whole, finishing with scholarship-level stretch questions that combine several reasoning steps or hinge on spotting missing information. For each question, choose the ONE best answer from the options given. No calculator is allowed. Treat every statement in a question as certainly true, however unusual it seems, and base your answer only on what is actually said, never on outside knowledge or guesswork; only choose an option such as 'cannot tell' when the information truly is not enough to be certain, not simply because working out the answer takes several steps.
Worked example. Worked example (Short Deductive Statements): Statement 1: All the pupils in Mrs Patel's class play a musical instrument.
Statement 2: Ade plays the violin.
Which conclusion must be true?
A) Ade is in Mrs Patel's class B) Ade is not in Mrs Patel's class C) All violin players are in Mrs Patel's class D) Cannot tell whether Ade is in Mrs Patel's class E) No pupils outside Mrs Patel's class play an instrument Answer: D. Statement 1 only tells us that being in Mrs Patel's class guarantees playing an instrument; it does not say that playing an instrument guarantees being in her class. Ade playing the violin is consistent with being in the class or not, so option D is correct. Option A wrongly assumes the rule works in reverse. Option B wrongly asserts the opposite with no support. Option C restates the same illicit reverse rule as a fact. Option E is an unsupported overgeneralisation. Apply this same careful approach throughout the pack, even as the sections move from short deductive statements to ordering and ranking, true-or-false judgements from short passages of facts, day and time calculations, and family relationship puzzles: treat every statement as certainly true, base your answer only on what is actually said, and only choose 'cannot tell' when the information truly falls short, not simply because a question takes several steps to work through.
1
SECTION 1: SHORT DEDUCTIVE STATEMENTS (6 minutes, 7 questions)
Each question gives two or three short statements. Treat every statement as certainly true, however unusual it seems, and choose the ONE conclusion that must follow.
Q1. Statement 1: All spaniels are dogs. Statement 2: All dogs are mammals. Which conclusion must be true?
A) All mammals are spaniels
B) All spaniels are mammals
C) All dogs are spaniels
D) No spaniels are mammals
E) Cannot tell whether spaniels are mammals
(Total for Question 1 is 1 mark)
2
(SHORT DEDUCTIVE STATEMENTS) Q2. Statement 1: All cats are animals. Statement 2: Ruby is an animal. Which conclusion must be true?
A) Ruby is a cat
B) Ruby is not a cat
C) All animals are cats
D) No cats are animals
E) Cannot tell whether Ruby is a cat
(Total for Question 2 is 1 mark)
3
(SHORT DEDUCTIVE STATEMENTS) Q3. Statement 1: No fish can breathe air. Statement 2: A trout is a fish. Which conclusion must be true?
A) A trout can breathe air
B) A trout cannot breathe air
C) Some fish can breathe air
D) All animals that cannot breathe air are fish
E) Cannot tell whether a trout can breathe air
(Total for Question 3 is 1 mark)
4
(SHORT DEDUCTIVE STATEMENTS) Q4. Statement 1: All the sweets in Mia's jar are strawberry flavour. Statement 2: This sweet is strawberry flavour. Which conclusion must be true?
A) This sweet is from Mia's jar
B) This sweet is not from Mia's jar
C) All strawberry sweets are from Mia's jar
D) No sweets in Mia's jar are strawberry flavour
E) Cannot tell whether this sweet is from Mia's jar
(Total for Question 4 is 1 mark)
5
(SHORT DEDUCTIVE STATEMENTS) Q5. Statement 1: Every member of the chess club can play chess. Statement 2: Freya cannot play chess. Which conclusion must be true?
A) Freya is a member of the chess club
B) Freya is not a member of the chess club
C) All people who can play chess are members of the chess club
D) Cannot tell whether Freya is a member of the chess club
E) Everyone who cannot play chess is banned from every club
(Total for Question 5 is 1 mark)
6
(SHORT DEDUCTIVE STATEMENTS) Q6. Statement 1: All the houses on Elm Street have a blue front door. Statement 2: Number 14 does not have a blue front door. Which conclusion must be true?
A) Number 14 is on Elm Street
B) Number 14 is not on Elm Street
C) All houses with blue front doors are on Elm Street
D) Every house on Elm Street has a red front door
E) Cannot tell whether Number 14 is on Elm Street
(Total for Question 6 is 1 mark)
7
(SHORT DEDUCTIVE STATEMENTS) Q7. Statement 1: All engineers wear safety boots on site. Statement 2: Some people who wear safety boots on site also wear hard hats. Statement 3: Priya is an engineer. Which conclusion must be true?
A) Priya definitely wears a hard hat
B) Priya definitely does not wear a hard hat
C) All safety boot wearers are engineers
D) Cannot tell whether Priya wears a hard hat
E) No engineers wear hard hats
(Total for Question 7 is 1 mark)
8
SECTION 2: ORDERING AND RANKING (6 minutes, 7 questions)
Each question gives clues about the relative order, position or size of a group of people or things. Combine the clues into a single order before choosing your answer.
Q8. Tom is taller than Sam. Sam is taller than Ben. Who is the shortest?
A) Tom
B) Sam
C) Ben
D) Cannot tell
E) Tom and Sam are the same height
(Total for Question 8 is 1 mark)
9
(ORDERING AND RANKING) Q9. In a race, Aisha finished before Ben. Ben finished before Chloe. Chloe finished before Dan. Who finished second?
A) Aisha
B) Ben
C) Chloe
D) Dan
E) Cannot tell
(Total for Question 9 is 1 mark)
10
(ORDERING AND RANKING) Q10. Zara is younger than Leo. Leo is older than Mia. Mia is younger than Zara. Who is the oldest?
A) Zara
B) Leo
C) Mia
D) Zara and Leo are the same age
E) Cannot tell
(Total for Question 10 is 1 mark)
11
(ORDERING AND RANKING) Q11. Five children sat a test. Priya scored higher than Kwame. Kwame scored higher than Freya. Freya scored higher than Oliver. Oliver scored higher than Ravi. Who scored the lowest mark?
A) Priya
B) Kwame
C) Freya
D) Oliver
E) Ravi
(Total for Question 11 is 1 mark)
12
(ORDERING AND RANKING) Q12. In a queue, Daniel is in front of Grace. Grace is in front of Harriet. Isaac is behind Harriet but in front of Jack. Who is at the very back of the queue?
A) Daniel
B) Grace
C) Harriet
D) Isaac
E) Jack
(Total for Question 12 is 1 mark)
13
(ORDERING AND RANKING) Q13. Four books are stacked on a shelf: a Dictionary, an Atlas, a Novel and a Thesaurus. The Dictionary is directly above the Atlas. The Novel is directly above the Thesaurus. The Atlas is directly above the Novel. What is the order from top to bottom?
A) Dictionary, Atlas, Novel, Thesaurus
B) Dictionary, Novel, Atlas, Thesaurus
C) Atlas, Dictionary, Novel, Thesaurus
D) Dictionary, Atlas, Thesaurus, Novel
E) Thesaurus, Novel, Atlas, Dictionary
(Total for Question 13 is 1 mark)
14
(ORDERING AND RANKING) Q14. Five sprinters, Mo, Nia, Oscar, Priti and Quinn, finished a race in some order with no ties. Mo did not finish first or last. Nia finished immediately before Oscar. Priti finished first. Quinn finished immediately after Mo. Who finished last?
A) Oscar
B) Quinn
C) Priti
D) Mo
E) Cannot tell for certain
(Total for Question 14 is 1 mark)
15
SECTION 3: TRUE OR FALSE FROM INFORMATION (6 minutes, 7 questions)
Each question gives one or more facts about an everyday situation. Treat every fact as certainly true and choose the ONE statement that must be true.
Q15. Fact 1: Leeds is in Yorkshire. Fact 2: Yorkshire is in England. Which statement must be true?
A) Leeds is in England
B) Leeds is not in England
C) Yorkshire is not in England
D) England is in Yorkshire
E) Cannot tell whether Leeds is in England
(Total for Question 15 is 1 mark)
16
(TRUE OR FALSE FROM INFORMATION) Q16. Fact 1: The library opens at 09:00 and closes at 17:00 on every weekday. Fact 2: It is closed all day on Sundays. Which statement must be true?
A) The library is open at 10:00 on a Tuesday
B) The library is closed at 10:00 on a Tuesday
C) The library is open at 10:00 on a Sunday
D) The library opens at 09:00 on Sundays
E) Cannot tell whether the library is open at 10:00 on a Tuesday
(Total for Question 16 is 1 mark)
17
(TRUE OR FALSE FROM INFORMATION) Q17. Fact 1: Every pupil in Class 4 owns a bicycle. Fact 2: Freddie owns a bicycle. Which statement must be true?
A) Freddie is in Class 4
B) Freddie is not in Class 4
C) All bicycle owners are in Class 4
D) No pupils outside Class 4 own bicycles
E) Cannot tell whether Freddie is in Class 4
(Total for Question 17 is 1 mark)
18
(TRUE OR FALSE FROM INFORMATION) Q18. Fact 1: There are 30 pupils in the class. Fact 2: 18 of them are girls. Which statement must be true?
A) There are more girls than boys in the class
B) There are more boys than girls in the class
C) There are exactly 18 boys in the class
D) There are equal numbers of boys and girls
E) Cannot tell how many boys are in the class
(Total for Question 18 is 1 mark)
19
(TRUE OR FALSE FROM INFORMATION) Q19. Fact 1: A train leaves London at 10:15. Fact 2: The journey to Bristol takes 1 hour 50 minutes. Which statement must be true?
A) The train arrives in Bristol before 12:00
B) The train arrives in Bristol after 12:00
C) The train arrives in Bristol at exactly 12:00
D) The train arrives in Bristol at 11:50
E) Cannot tell when the train arrives in Bristol
(Total for Question 19 is 1 mark)
20
(TRUE OR FALSE FROM INFORMATION) Q20. Fact 1: All the shops on the high street close at 17:30, except the bakery. Fact 2: The bakery closes at 13:00 on Wednesdays and at 17:30 on every other day. Fact 3: Today is Wednesday. Which statement must be true?
A) The bakery is open at 14:00 today
B) The bakery is closed at 14:00 today
C) The bakery is closed all day today
D) Every shop on the high street closes at 13:00 today
E) Cannot tell when the bakery closes today
(Total for Question 20 is 1 mark)
21
(TRUE OR FALSE FROM INFORMATION) Q21. Fact 1: No pupil may enter the science lab without safety goggles, unless a teacher has given written permission. Fact 2: Yusuf has no written permission. Which statement must be true?
A) Yusuf may enter the science lab without safety goggles
B) Yusuf may not enter the science lab without safety goggles
C) Yusuf may never enter the science lab
D) All pupils with written permission must still wear safety goggles
E) Cannot tell whether Yusuf may enter without safety goggles
(Total for Question 21 is 1 mark)
22
SECTION 4: DAY AND TIME PUZZLES (6 minutes, 7 questions)
Each question involves working out a day of the week, a date, or a clock time. Work through the calculation carefully before choosing your answer.
Q22. If today is Wednesday, what day will it be in 3 days' time?
A) Thursday
B) Friday
C) Saturday
D) Sunday
E) Monday
(Total for Question 22 is 1 mark)
23
(DAY AND TIME PUZZLES) Q23. Priya has a swimming lesson every 4th day. Her first lesson this month is on the 2nd. What date is her next lesson?
A) 4th
B) 5th
C) 6th
D) 8th
E) 3rd
(Total for Question 23 is 1 mark)
24
(DAY AND TIME PUZZLES) Q24. A film starts at 19:45 and lasts 2 hours 20 minutes. What time does it finish?
A) 21:45
B) 22:05
C) 22:15
D) 21:05
E) 22:25
(Total for Question 24 is 1 mark)
25
(DAY AND TIME PUZZLES) Q25. Ahmed says, 'Two days ago it was Monday.' What day is it today?
A) Tuesday
B) Wednesday
C) Thursday
D) Sunday
E) Friday
(Total for Question 25 is 1 mark)
26
(DAY AND TIME PUZZLES) Q26. A bus leaves the station every 25 minutes, starting at 08:00. What is the departure time of the 5th bus?
A) 09:15
B) 09:25
C) 09:40
D) 09:50
E) 10:00
(Total for Question 26 is 1 mark)
27
(DAY AND TIME PUZZLES) Q27. Grace's birthday is 5 days after Harry's. Harry's birthday is on the 12th of March. March has 31 days. On what date is Grace's birthday?
A) 15th March
B) 16th March
C) 17th March
D) 18th March
E) 22nd March
(Total for Question 27 is 1 mark)
28
(DAY AND TIME PUZZLES) Q28. Today is Thursday the 20th of July. Isaac's exam is in 10 days' time. On what day and date is Isaac's exam?
A) Saturday 29th July
B) Sunday 30th July
C) Monday 30th July
D) Sunday 29th July
E) Saturday 30th July
(Total for Question 28 is 1 mark)
29
SECTION 5: FAMILY RELATIONSHIP PUZZLES (6 minutes, 8 questions)
Each question describes part of a family tree using words such as father, mother, brother, sister, son and daughter. Work out the exact relationship asked for.
Q29. Ben is Sara's father. Sara is Maya's mother. What is Ben to Maya?
A) Father
B) Grandfather
C) Uncle
D) Brother
E) Cousin
(Total for Question 29 is 1 mark)
30
(FAMILY RELATIONSHIP PUZZLES) Q30. Priya's mother has one brother, called Zain. What is Zain to Priya?
A) Father
B) Grandfather
C) Uncle
D) Cousin
E) Brother
(Total for Question 30 is 1 mark)
31
(FAMILY RELATIONSHIP PUZZLES) Q31. Oliver's mother has only one daughter, and her name is Freya. What is Freya to Oliver?
A) Mother
B) Sister
C) Cousin
D) Aunt
E) Cannot tell
(Total for Question 31 is 1 mark)
32
(FAMILY RELATIONSHIP PUZZLES) Q32. Grandma Iris has two children, David and Karen. David has one son, called Leo. Karen has one daughter, called Mia. What is Leo to Mia?
A) Brother
B) Cousin
C) Uncle
D) Nephew
E) Cannot tell
(Total for Question 32 is 1 mark)
33
(FAMILY RELATIONSHIP PUZZLES) Q33. Tom's wife is Nina. Nina's brother is Sam. Sam has one daughter, called Ellie. What is Ellie to Tom?
A) Daughter
B) Niece
C) Cousin
D) Granddaughter
E) Cannot tell
(Total for Question 33 is 1 mark)
34
(FAMILY RELATIONSHIP PUZZLES) Q34. Alex has one sibling, called Jordan. Jordan has one child, called Robin. What is Alex to Robin?
A) Aunt
B) Uncle
C) Aunt or uncle, but it cannot be told which
D) Grandparent
E) Cousin
(Total for Question 34 is 1 mark)
35
(FAMILY RELATIONSHIP PUZZLES) Q35. In a family, Priti is 4 years older than her brother Rohan. Their mother, Sunita, was 26 years old when Rohan was born. Rohan is now 10 years old. How old is Sunita now?
A) 30
B) 32
C) 34
D) 36
E) 40
(Total for Question 35 is 1 mark)
36
(FAMILY RELATIONSHIP PUZZLES) Q36. Grandpa Eric is the father of Michael and Susan. Michael is the father of Ben. Susan is the mother of Chloe and Daniel. Ben and Chloe were born in the same year. What is Daniel to Ben?
A) Brother
B) Cousin
C) Uncle
D) Nephew
E) Cannot tell
(Total for Question 36 is 1 mark)
Mark scheme · EP.V38 Verbal Reasoning: Logic and Deduction Set 2
Question 1
B1 B) All spaniels are mammals - valid chain: spaniel -> dog -> mammal.
Answer: B) All spaniels are mammals
Question 2
B1 E) Cannot tell whether Ruby is a cat - being an animal does not prove Ruby is a cat, since many non-cat animals exist.
Answer: E) Cannot tell whether Ruby is a cat
Question 3
B1 B) A trout cannot breathe air - direct substitution: no fish can breathe air, and a trout is a fish.
Answer: B) A trout cannot breathe air
Question 4
B1 E) Cannot tell whether this sweet is from Mia's jar - being strawberry flavour does not prove it came from that particular jar.
Answer: E) Cannot tell whether this sweet is from Mia's jar
Question 5
B1 B) Freya is not a member of the chess club - valid by contrapositive: cannot play chess means not a member.
Answer: B) Freya is not a member of the chess club
Question 6
B1 B) Number 14 is not on Elm Street - valid by contrapositive: no blue door means not on Elm Street.
Answer: B) Number 14 is not on Elm Street
Question 7
B1 D) Cannot tell whether Priya wears a hard hat - Priya is confirmed to wear safety boots, but only 'some' boot wearers also wear hard hats, not all.
Answer: D) Cannot tell whether Priya wears a hard hat
Question 8
B1 C) Ben - the chain Tom > Sam > Ben places Ben at the bottom.
Answer: C) Ben
Question 9
B1 B) Ben - the finishing order Aisha, Ben, Chloe, Dan places Ben second.
Answer: B) Ben
Question 10
B1 B) Leo - the order Mia < Zara < Leo places Leo at the top.
Answer: B) Leo
Question 11
B1 E) Ravi - the chain Priya > Kwame > Freya > Oliver > Ravi places Ravi at the bottom.
Answer: E) Ravi
Question 12
B1 E) Jack - the order Daniel, Grace, Harriet, Isaac, Jack (front to back) places Jack at the back.
Answer: E) Jack
Question 13
B1 A) Dictionary, Atlas, Novel, Thesaurus - the three 'directly above' clues chain into one fixed order.
Answer: A) Dictionary, Atlas, Novel, Thesaurus
Question 14
B1 E) Cannot tell for certain - two different valid orders satisfy every clue, and they give different runners in last place.
Answer: E) Cannot tell for certain
Question 15
B1 A) Leeds is in England - the chain Leeds -> Yorkshire -> England confirms this directly.
Answer: A) Leeds is in England
Question 16
B1 A) The library is open at 10:00 on a Tuesday - Tuesday is a weekday, and 10:00 falls within the stated 09:00 to 17:00 opening hours.
Answer: A) The library is open at 10:00 on a Tuesday
Question 17
B1 E) Cannot tell whether Freddie is in Class 4 - owning a bicycle does not prove Class 4 membership, since pupils in other classes could also own bicycles.
Answer: E) Cannot tell whether Freddie is in Class 4
Question 18
B1 A) There are more girls than boys - 30 minus 18 gives 12 boys, and 18 girls is more than 12 boys.
Answer: A) There are more girls than boys in the class
Question 19
B1 B) The train arrives in Bristol after 12:00 - 10:15 plus 1 hour 50 minutes is 12:05.
Answer: B) The train arrives in Bristol after 12:00
Question 20
B1 B) The bakery is closed at 14:00 today - today is Wednesday, so the bakery closes at 13:00, before 14:00.
Answer: B) The bakery is closed at 14:00 today
Question 21
B1 B) Yusuf may not enter the science lab without safety goggles - the only exception, written permission, does not apply to him.
Answer: B) Yusuf may not enter the science lab without safety goggles
Question 22
B1 C) Saturday - counting forward three days from Wednesday: Thursday, Friday, Saturday.
Answer: C) Saturday
Question 23
B1 C) 6th - the 2nd plus a 4-day gap gives the 6th.
Answer: C) 6th
Question 24
B1 B) 22:05 - 19:45 plus 2 hours is 21:45, plus a further 20 minutes is 22:05.
Answer: B) 22:05
Question 25
B1 B) Wednesday - Monday plus 2 days is Wednesday.
Answer: B) Wednesday
Question 26
B1 C) 09:40 - the 5th bus leaves after four 25-minute gaps from 08:00, which is 100 minutes later.
Answer: C) 09:40
Question 27
B1 C) 17th March - the 12th plus 5 days is the 17th.
Answer: C) 17th March
Question 28
B1 B) Sunday 30th July - the date is 20 + 10 = 30th July, and Thursday plus 10 days is a Sunday.
Answer: B) Sunday 30th July
Question 29
B1 B) Grandfather - Ben is Sara's father, and Sara is Maya's mother, making Ben Maya's grandfather.
Answer: B) Grandfather
Question 30
B1 C) Uncle - Zain is Priya's mother's brother, which makes him Priya's uncle.
Answer: C) Uncle
Question 31
B1 B) Sister - Freya is the only daughter of Oliver's own mother, making her Oliver's sister.
Answer: B) Sister
Question 32
B1 B) Cousin - Leo and Mia are children of siblings David and Karen, making them cousins.
Answer: B) Cousin
Question 33
B1 B) Niece - Ellie is the daughter of Tom's wife's brother, making her Tom's niece by marriage.
Answer: B) Niece
Question 34
B1 C) Aunt or uncle, but it cannot be told which - Alex is Jordan's sibling and so Robin's aunt or uncle, but Alex's gender is never given.
Answer: C) Aunt or uncle, but it cannot be told which
Question 35
B1 D) 36 - Sunita was 26 when Rohan was born, and Rohan is now 10, so Sunita is 26 + 10 = 36. Priti's age gap is not needed for this calculation.
Answer: D) 36
Question 36
B1 B) Cousin - Daniel and Ben are children of siblings Susan and Michael, making them cousins.