Verbal Reasoning Mixed Practice Set O
Verbal Reasoning Mixed Practice Set O is built from deliberately tricky, high-mistake versions of standard question types: opposite and closest meaning words with a strong near-synonym trap, a hidden word needing an uneven letter split, a compound-word bridge with several plausible wrong answers, and a number sequence whose own difference changes. Each question is chosen because it costs marks under time pressure even when the method is known, training checking discipline as much as the underlying skill.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- On a meaning question, identify and mentally set aside the option that is a near-synonym of the given word rather than its opposite, or vice versa on a closest-meaning question, since this is the most common trap in the whole paper.
- On a hidden-word question, do not stop checking a join once an equal split fails; also try an uneven split of the letters before moving to the next join, since papers do set uneven splits deliberately.
- On a compound or bridging-word question, check an option fully both ways even if it looks correct after the first check, since several options often pass the first check and only one passes both.
- On a sequence question, calculate the differences between every pair of consecutive terms before assuming the pattern, and check whether those differences are themselves changing by a constant amount, rather than stopping at the first difference found.
- Where an option looks instantly obvious, pause for a second read of the question rather than selecting it immediately, since an option chosen instinctively on this kind of question is disproportionately likely to be the trap.
- If you get one of these trickier questions wrong in practice, write down in one sentence exactly which trap caught you out, since naming the mistake is what stops it happening again in the real exam.
Worked example
Choose the word most nearly OPPOSITE in meaning to VERBOSE. A) talkative B) concise C) polite D) loud E) formal
- VERBOSE means using far more words than are needed, wordy.
- TALKATIVE is close in meaning to verbose, so rule it out as a trap, not an opposite.
- POLITE, LOUD and FORMAL are all unrelated to how many words someone uses.
- CONCISE means brief and to the point, the true opposite of verbose.
- Final answer: B) concise.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1Choose the word closest in meaning to LENIENT. A) strict B) lax C) fair D) angry E) firmShow answer
Answer: B) lax - lenient means not strict, showing tolerance or mercy, which matches lax; strict and firm are close to the opposite.
Q2A four-letter word is hidden between two words that are next to each other in this sentence. Which word is hidden? 'The heat became extreme almost overnight.' A) CAME B) MEAL C) TREME D) BECA E) ALMOShow answer
Answer: B) MEAL - the last two letters of EXTREME (ME) join with the first two letters of ALMOST (AL) to spell MEAL.
Q3ARM ( ??? ) MAN. Choose the missing word from: A) Band B) Ful C) Chair D) Rest E) OrShow answer
Answer: C) Chair - ARM + CHAIR = ARMCHAIR, and CHAIR + MAN = CHAIRMAN; the other options make a real word after ARM but not before MAN.
Q4If the code for CHASE is GLEWI, what is the code for BRAKE, using the same rule? A) EUDNH B) FVEOI C) GWFPJ D) FVDOH E) EVFOIShow answer
Answer: B) FVEOI - each letter of CHASE moves 4 places forward in the alphabet to make GLEWI, so the same +4 shift applied to BRAKE gives FVEOI.
Q51, 3, 7, 13, 21, ( ? )Show answer
Answer: 31 - the gaps between terms grow by 2 each time (2, 4, 6, 8, then 10), and 21 plus 10 gives 31.
Q6Choose the word most nearly OPPOSITE in meaning to HUMBLE. A) modest B) proud C) shy D) polite E) smallShow answer
Answer: B) proud - humble means modest and not boastful, so its opposite is proud; modest is a synonym, not an opposite.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 11+ exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
A four-letter word is hidden between two words that are next to each other in this sentence, using an uneven split of the letters. Which word is hidden? 'The radio penetrated the static easily.' A) DIOP B) OPEN C) RADI D) ETRA E) STAT
Show mark scheme
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Nothing ticked yet - 3 available
80, 74, 65, 53, ( ? )
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Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the verbal reasoning mixed practice set o worksheet pack - 17 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 15 of 11+ Verbal Reasoning Workbook 1, the whole course as one free printable PDF.
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