Verbal Reasoning: Letter and Number Manipulation Depth
Verbal Reasoning: Letter and Number Manipulation Depth covers the harder end of the bracket-based 11+ GL Assessment question types, insert a letter, move a letter, hidden words and compound words, alongside multi-step number puzzles such as balance equations and number connections. Every question in this family hides two real words or two matching calculations inside one puzzle, testing whether a candidate answer is checked against both halves before it is committed to.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- For bracket puzzles, write out the word before the bracket with your candidate letter added, and check it is a genuine, correctly spelled word before checking the second half.
- Only once the first half is confirmed as a real word should you test whether your candidate also completes the second half correctly; a letter that only works for one half is not the answer.
- For move-a-letter questions, remember it is always the LAST letter of the first word that moves, so check what remains of the first word once that letter is removed.
- For hidden-word questions, look only at the join between two neighbouring words, the last letters of one and the first letters of the next, rather than searching the whole sentence.
- For number puzzles with two sides, work out the side with no missing value first, then use inverse operations, the opposite of add, subtract, multiply or divide, to isolate the missing number.
- For number connections, work out the rule from the single example pair given, then apply that exact same rule, in the same order, to the second pair.
Worked example
Find the letter which completes the word before the bracket and begins the word after the bracket: GRA ( ? ) AIN
- Test candidate letters against the word before the bracket: GRA+M=GRAM, a real word, so M is a possible answer.
- Check the same letter against the word after the bracket: M+AIN=MAIN, also a real word.
- Since M works for both halves, it is confirmed as the answer; other letters that make a word before the bracket, such as GRAB or GRAN, do not also make a real word with AIN.
- Final answer: M.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1Find the letter which completes the word before the bracket and begins the word after the bracket: SPO ( ? ) ILE A) T B) N C) R D) K E) LShow answer
Answer: A) T - SPOT (the word before) and TILE (the word after)
Q2(PUSH) (OWL). Exactly one letter can move from the end of the first word to the front of the second word so that both words made are still correctly spelled real words. Which letter moves? A) P B) U C) S D) H E) WShow answer
Answer: D) H - removing H from PUSH leaves PUS, and adding H to OWL makes HOWL
Q3A four-letter word is hidden between two words that are next to each other in this sentence. Which word is hidden? 'The machine arrived yesterday morning.' A) NEAR B) CHIN C) HINE D) VEAR E) RIVEShow answer
Answer: A) NEAR - MACHINE ends in NE and ARRIVED begins AR, so NE + AR = NEAR
Q4SIDE ( ) WALK. Choose the missing word that completes SIDE and begins WALK. A) Ways B) Board C) Kick D) Show E) LongShow answer
Answer: B) Board - SIDEBOARD and BOARDWALK
Q5Find the missing number that makes both sides equal: 15 + 9 = 13 + [ ]Show answer
Answer: 11 (15+9=24, so 24-13=11)
Q64 (17) 3 | 6 (?) 5. The first number is doubled, then three times the second number is added. Work out the missing number. A) 25 B) 27 C) 24 D) 30 E) 22Show answer
Answer: B) 27 - 6 x 2 = 12, then 5 x 3 = 15, and 12+15=27
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 11+ exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
OVER ( ) TIME. Choose the missing word that completes OVER and begins TIME, then explain how you checked it. A) Coat B) Night C) Seas D) Due E) All
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Find the missing number in each part, showing your working. a) 30 - 8 = 14 + [ ]. b) 50 divided by 5 = [ ] + 4.
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Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the verbal reasoning: letter and number manipulation depth worksheet pack - 14 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
This topic is chapter 11 of 11+ Verbal Reasoning Workbook 2, the whole course as one free printable PDF.
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