3D shapes: plan views: 11 Plus non-verbal reasoning practice
Match a solid to what it looks like from directly above.
Less commonIn some papers only, mainly spatial sections and a few independent schoolsAbout 45 seconds a question in the test
The big idea
Imagine standing over the solid and looking straight down. Flat-topped solids (cubes, prisms, cylinders) show the shape of their top. Solids that rise to a point (pyramids and cones) show their base with lines, or a dot, where the sides meet at the tip.
A cylinder and a cone both look round from above; only the cone has a point in the centre. A cube looks like a square, and a square-based pyramid looks like a square crossed by lines from each corner to the middle.
Tips that save marks
Ask: is the top flat, or does it come to a point?
Count the sides of the shape you see: 3, 4, 5, 6, or round.
Lines meeting in the middle mean sloping sides.
A worked example
From above you see a triangle with lines from each corner to the centre. Which solid is it?
A triangle means the base has three sides.
Lines meeting in the centre mean the sides slope up to a point.
So it is a triangular-based pyramid.
Now try five
Try each one before you look at the answer: answering from memory is what makes it stick. Tap an option to check it. Most children get three or four right at first; five out of five means move on to the next topic.
Question 1Aim for about 45 seconds
Which picture shows this solid seen from directly above?
Show the worked answer
Answer: C
How to work it out
The solid is a triangular-based pyramid.
Seen from directly above it looks like a triangle with lines from each corner to the centre.
Why the other options are wrong
A: This is the view from above of a triangular prism (standing up) (a triangle).
B: This is the view from above of a cone (a circle with a point in the centre).
D: This is the view from above of a cube (a square).
E: This is the view from above of a triangular prism (lying down) (a rectangle with a line down the middle (the ridge)).
Question 2Aim for about 45 seconds
This is a solid seen from directly above. Which solid is it?
Show the worked answer
Answer: C
How to work it out
From above, a cone looks like a circle with a point in the centre.
Picture looking straight down on each solid: flat tops show their own shape, and a point in the middle means the sides slope up to a tip.
Why the other options are wrong
A: This is a pentagonal prism. From above it looks like a pentagon, not the shape shown.
B: This is a hexagonal prism. From above it looks like a hexagon, not the shape shown.
D: This is a cuboid. From above it looks like a long rectangle, not the shape shown.
E: This is a hexagonal-based pyramid. From above it looks like a hexagon with lines from each corner to the centre, not the shape shown.
Question 3Aim for about 45 seconds
This is a solid seen from directly above. Which solid is it?
Show the worked answer
Answer: B
How to work it out
From above, a square-based pyramid looks like a square with lines from each corner to the centre.
Picture looking straight down on each solid: flat tops show their own shape, and a point in the middle means the sides slope up to a tip.
Why the other options are wrong
A: This is a cone. From above it looks like a circle with a point in the centre, not the shape shown.
C: This is a triangular prism (standing up). From above it looks like a triangle, not the shape shown.
D: This is a triangular-based pyramid. From above it looks like a triangle with lines from each corner to the centre, not the shape shown.
E: This is a pentagonal prism. From above it looks like a pentagon, not the shape shown.
Question 4Aim for about 45 seconds
Which picture shows this solid seen from directly above?
Show the worked answer
Answer: D
How to work it out
The solid is a triangular prism (standing up).
Seen from directly above it looks like a triangle.
Why the other options are wrong
A: This is the view from above of a cuboid (a long rectangle).
B: This is the view from above of a triangular prism (lying down) (a rectangle with a line down the middle (the ridge)).
C: This is the view from above of a cube (a square).
E: This is the view from above of a square-based pyramid (a square with lines from each corner to the centre).
Question 5Aim for about 45 seconds
Which picture shows this solid seen from directly above?
Show the worked answer
Answer: A
How to work it out
The solid is a triangular prism (lying down).
Seen from directly above it looks like a rectangle with a line down the middle (the ridge).
Why the other options are wrong
B: This is the view from above of a triangular prism (standing up) (a triangle).
C: This is the view from above of a square-based pyramid (a square with lines from each corner to the centre).
D: This is the view from above of a hexagonal prism (a hexagon).
E: This is the view from above of a triangular-based pyramid (a triangle with lines from each corner to the centre).
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