Edutest Year 8 Verbal Reasoning Practice

Try each question first, then open the worked solution to check your answer and see how to reach it.

1. 1.Statement 1: All togs are frens. Statement 2: Some frens are birks. Conclusion: Some togs are birks.

   • ATrue
   • BFalse
   • CUncertain
   • DNone of the above
   Show answer and working

   Answer: C (Uncertain)

   All togs are inside the frens group, and some frens are birks. But the frens who are birks might not be the ones who are togs. Draw circles: the birk circle can overlap the frens circle in a part that misses the togs entirely. So the conclusion might be true but is not guaranteed, which makes it uncertain.

2. 2.Which word is a synonym for 'articulate'?

   • AMumbled
   • BEloquent
   • CQuiet
   • DSimple
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   Answer: B (Eloquent)

   'Articulate' describes someone who expresses ideas clearly and fluently. 'Eloquent' has the same meaning: well-spoken and persuasive. 'Mumbled' is close to the opposite, and 'quiet' and 'simple' do not describe how clearly someone speaks, so they are not synonyms.

3. 3.Molecule is to Atom as Sentence is to...

   • AParagraph
   • BLetter
   • CWord
   • DPunctuation
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   Answer: C (Word)

   The relationship is 'a whole and the units it is built from': a molecule is made of atoms. A sentence is made of words. Letters are smaller than words, but they build words rather than sentences directly, and a paragraph is bigger than a sentence. Match the level: atoms are the direct building blocks, like words.

4. 4.If 'WATER' is coded as 'XBUFS', what is 'BREAD'?

   • ACSFBE
   • BCSBFD
   • CDSFBE
   • DCRFBE
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   Answer: A (CSFBE)

   Compare WATER with XBUFS letter by letter: W→X, A→B, T→U, E→F, R→S. Each letter moves forward one place in the alphabet. Apply the same shift to BREAD: B→C, R→S, E→F, A→B, D→E, giving CSFBE. Options B and D change letters in the middle, so check every position.

5. 5.Island is to Ocean as Oasis is to...

   • AMirage
   • BWater
   • CSand
   • DDesert
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   Answer: D (Desert)

   The relationship is 'a small area surrounded by a very different environment': an island is land surrounded by ocean. An oasis is a fertile spot with water surrounded by desert. Water is found at an oasis, and a mirage is an illusion seen in deserts, so neither matches the 'surrounded by' relationship.

6. 6.No dogs are reptiles. All snakes are reptiles. Therefore...

   • ASome dogs are snakes
   • BNo dogs are snakes
   • CAll dogs are snakes
   • DCannot be determined
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   Answer: B (No dogs are snakes)

   All snakes are inside the reptile group, and no dogs are in the reptile group. Since every snake is a reptile and no dog is a reptile, no dog can be a snake. Drawing circles helps: the snake circle sits inside the reptile circle, and the dog circle is completely outside it.

7. 7.Which word is a synonym for 'ubiquitous'?

   • ARare
   • BScarce
   • CWidespread
   • DLocal
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   Answer: C (Widespread)

   'Ubiquitous' means found everywhere, as in 'Smartphones are ubiquitous today.' The synonym is 'widespread'. 'Rare' and 'scarce' mean the opposite, and 'local' means limited to one area. If you are unsure, think of the related Latin word 'ubique', meaning everywhere.

8. 8.Prologue is to Book as Overture is to...

   • APlay
   • BOpera
   • CChapter
   • DSong
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   Answer: B (Opera)

   A prologue is an introductory section at the start of a book. An overture is an instrumental introduction played at the start of an opera. A play may also have a prologue, but the overture is specifically the musical opening of an opera. A chapter is a section within a book, not an introduction to it.

9. 9.Which word does not belong?

   • AIron
   • BGold
   • CSilver
   • DBronze
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   Answer: D (Bronze)

   Iron, gold and silver are pure metals, which are chemical elements. Bronze is an alloy, a mixture of copper and tin, so it does not belong. Gold, silver and bronze are also medal colours, which makes iron seem odd, so look for the most precise shared feature: being an element.

10. 10.All artists are creative. Some creative people are painters. Are some artists painters?

    • AYes
    • BNo
    • CCannot be determined
    • DOnly if they are creative
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    Answer: C (Cannot be determined)

    All artists are creative, and some creative people are painters. But the painters among creative people might not be artists from this group. With circles, the painter circle can overlap the creative circle without touching the artist circle. Since we cannot be sure either way, the answer cannot be determined.