Home / 11 Plus guide / Question types / Verbal Reasoning 11 Plus verbal reasoning: every question type 12 topics. Each one below shows an exam-standard question to try and the kinds of question inside the topic; open a topic to see it from foundation upwards.
Every question here is written by Prism in the style of the tests. None is copied from a real paper, and a fresh one is drawn each time a child practises.
Words with similar meanings.
Words in context One from each group
Exam standard
Question 1 Aim for about 35 seconds
Which word means the same as “deliberate”?
A accidental B remiss C irascible D impending E intentional
Show the worked answer
Answer: E, intentional
How to work it out “deliberate” means done on purpose, so “intentional” is closest. “accidental” is the opposite: a common trap. Why the other options are wrong A (accidental): “accidental” is the opposite of “deliberate”, not a word with the same meaning. Read the question for same or opposite.B (remiss): “remiss” means “careless in doing a duty”, which is a different idea from “deliberate” (“done on purpose”).C (irascible): “irascible” means “easily made angry”, which is a different idea from “deliberate” (“done on purpose”).D (impending): “impending” means “about to happen”, which is a different idea from “deliberate” (“done on purpose”). Words with opposite meanings.
Opposites, one from each group
Exam standard
Question 2 Aim for about 35 seconds
Which word is the opposite of “mischievous”?
A gentle B well-behaved C obedient D gallant E naughty
Show the worked answer
Answer: B, well-behaved
How to work it out “mischievous” means playfully naughty. Its opposite is “well-behaved”. “naughty” means the same, not the opposite. Why the other options are wrong A (gentle): “gentle” means “kind, soft and careful”. That is neither the same as “mischievous” nor its opposite, so it is unrelated.C (obedient): “obedient” means “doing what you are told”. That is neither the same as “mischievous” nor its opposite, so it is unrelated.D (gallant): “gallant” means “brave and polite, especially towards others”. That is neither the same as “mischievous” nor its opposite, so it is unrelated.E (naughty): “naughty” means the same as “mischievous”, so it is a synonym. The question asks for the opposite. A is to B as C is to ?
Analogies by relationship
Exam standard
Question 3 Aim for about 35 seconds
What is the relationship between these two words?
window : glass
A Instrument to what it measures B Animal to its home C Object to its material D Tool to its user E Young to adult
Show the worked answer
Answer: C, Object to its material
How to work it out Say the link as a sentence: a window is to a glass as object is to its material. The relationship is object to its material. Why the other options are wrong A (Instrument to what it measures): "instrument to what it measures" fits a pair like thermometer : temperature, not window : glass.B (Animal to its home): "animal to its home" fits a pair like bird : nest, not window : glass.D (Tool to its user): "tool to its user" fits a pair like hammer : carpenter, not window : glass.E (Young to adult): "young to adult" fits a pair like puppy : dog, not window : glass. Odd one out and words that belong together.
Two odd ones out
Exam standard
Question 4 Aim for about 35 seconds
The three words in the box are alike in some way. Which word goes with them?
month century week
A dollar B calendar C ant D clock E decade
Show the worked answer
Answer: E, decade
How to work it out “month”, “century” and “week” are all units of time. So is “decade”. Why the other options are wrong A (dollar): “dollar” belongs with currencies, not units of time.B (calendar): “calendar” shows days and months, but is not a unit.C (ant): “ant” belongs with insects, not units of time.D (clock): “clock” measures time, but is not a unit. Cracking alphabet shift codes.
Discover the code rule Number codes for words Two rules fit: which word tells them apart
Exam standard
Question 5 Aim for about 35 seconds
Here are four words and three number codes. The codes are not in the same order as the words, and one code is missing. What is the code for TUNE?
TUNE DUST NEST NOSE 2978 1374 1478
A 4198 B 8194 C 8914 D 9814 E 8941
Show the worked answer
Answer: C, 8914
How to work it out Find a letter that appears in only one place, or two words that share a pattern, and match them to the codes. Working through the letters: N = 1, E = 4, S = 7, T = 8, O = 3, U = 9, D = 2. So TUNE is 8914. Why the other options are wrong A (4198): The first digit is 4, but T stands for 8 in the other words.B (8194): Right digits, wrong order: the second and third digits are swapped. U is 9.D (9814): Right digits, wrong order: the first and second digits are swapped. T is 8.E (8941): Right digits, wrong order: the third and fourth digits are swapped. N is 1. Patterns in pairs of letters.
Letter series with a twist The letter that connects
Exam standard
Question 6 Aim for about 35 seconds
Find the next pair of letters in the series.
CP GT KX OB ?
A SF B FS C WJ D TF E SG
Show the worked answer
Answer: A, SF
How to work it out Follow each letter on its own. The first letters move forward 4 each time; the second letters move forward 4. So the next pair is SF. Tip: write the alphabet with numbers above it. Why the other options are wrong B (FS): The right two letters but swapped. The first letters make their own series and the second letters make theirs.C (WJ): Goes on one step too far, to the pair after SF. The next pair is the one straight after OB.D (TF): The first letter T is one place later in the alphabet than the S that its own series reaches.E (SG): The second letter G is one place later in the alphabet than the F that its own series reaches. Interleaved and alternating number patterns.
Exam standard
Question 7 Aim for about 35 seconds
Which number comes next in the series?
1, 3, 9, 27, 81, ?
A 324 B 729 C 135 D 162 E 243
Show the worked answer
Answer: E, 243
How to work it out Multiply by 3 each time.
Why the other options are wrong A (324): This adds the last two numbers, which does not fit the series.B (729): This multiplies by 3 twice. Only one more step is needed.C (135): This adds the last gap again, but the gaps are growing: each number is multiplied by 3.D (162): This doubles, but each number is three times the one before. Find the rule that links pairs of numbers.
Exam standard
Question 8 Aim for about 35 seconds
The same rule turns each number on the left into the number on the right. Which number is missing?
[ 11 → 32 ] [ 3 → 8 ] [ 6 → ? ]
A 8 B 27 C 18 D 17 E 16
Show the worked answer
Answer: D, 17
How to work it out The rule is: multiply by 3, then subtract 1. It works for both pairs, so 6 becomes 17. Why the other options are wrong A (8): This is the answer for 3, the middle pair, not for 6.B (27): Adding 21 works for the first pair, but not the second. A rule must work for every pair.C (18): This multiplies by 3 but forgets to subtract 1.E (16): One too few: multiply by 3, then subtract 1 applied to 6 gives 17, so this slipped one down. Join two words to make a new one.
Exam standard
Question 9 Aim for about 35 seconds
Which word can go after “pass” to make a new word?
A bow B red C age D bag E light
Show the worked answer
Answer: C, age
How to work it out pass + age = passage. Say each option after “pass” and check it makes a real word. Why the other options are wrong A (bow): “passbow” is not a real word, so “bow” cannot follow “pass”. “passage” is.B (red): “passred” is not a real word, so “red” cannot follow “pass”. “passage” is.D (bag): “passbag” is not a real word, so “bag” cannot follow “pass”. “passage” is.E (light): “passlight” is not a real word, so “light” cannot follow “pass”. “passage” is. Find hidden words, move and insert letters, and climb word ladders.
Which word cannot be made
Exam standard
Question 10 Aim for about 35 seconds
Change one letter at a time to turn the first word into the last. Every step must be a real word. Which word goes in the middle?
LAST → ? → EASY
A PAST B LOST C EAST D VAST E LIST
Show the worked answer
Answer: C, EAST
How to work it out LAST → EAST (one letter changed) → EASY (one more letter changed).
Why the other options are wrong A (PAST): PAST is one step from LAST, but it needs two more changes to reach EASY.B (LOST): LOST is one step from LAST, but it needs two more changes to reach EASY.D (VAST): VAST is one step from LAST, but it needs two more changes to reach EASY.E (LIST): LIST is one step from LAST, but it needs two more changes to reach EASY. Put people in order from clues, then answer a question.
Who plays what Must, could or cannot Is there enough information Find the flaw Put them in order The clue you do not need
Exam standard
Question 11 Aim for about 35 seconds
Read the clues. Who is the fastest?
Gita is faster than Cara. Gita is slower than Ada. Dev is faster than Ada. Esme is faster than Dev. A Gita B Ada C Dev D Esme E Cara
Show the worked answer
Answer: D, Esme
How to work it out Put the clues in order from fastest to slowest: Esme, Dev, Ada, Gita, Cara. Who is the fastest: Esme. Why the other options are wrong A (Gita): Gita is fourth from the fastest end, in the middle of the line, so is neither the fastest nor the slowest.B (Ada): Ada is third from the fastest end, in the middle of the line, so is neither the fastest nor the slowest.C (Dev): Dev is second from the fastest end, in the middle of the line, so is neither the fastest nor the slowest.E (Cara): Cara is the slowest, the other end of the line. The question asks for the fastest. Substitute numbers for letters and calculate.
Exam standard
Question 12 Aim for about 35 seconds
Work out the sum and give the answer as a letter.
A = 8, B = 6, C = 2, D = 5, E = 10. A × C − 2 × D = ?
A A B B C C D D E E
Show the worked answer
Answer: B, B
How to work it out Swap each letter for its number: 8 × 2 − 2 × 5 = 6. The letter worth 6 is B. Why the other options are wrong A (A): A is one of the letters in the sum. The answer is the letter worth 6, the result of the working, not a letter from the question.C (C): C is one of the letters in the sum. The answer is the letter worth 6, the result of the working, not a letter from the question.D (D): D is one of the letters in the sum. The answer is the letter worth 6, the result of the working, not a letter from the question.E (E): E is worth 10, but 8 × 2 − 2 × 5 comes to 6, so the answer is not E. Find out where your child stands today Prism starts with a free assessment across maths, English, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, then builds a weekly plan for your target schools. Parents follow progress free.
Start the free assessment