Common entrance exams - Verbal Reasoning Tests

Verbal reasoning is understanding and reasoning using concepts framed in words. It aims at evaluating ability to think constructively, rather than at simple fluency or vocabulary recognition.

As promised in our previous post, we will be publishing a few common entrance tests for those who wish to practise for their 11+ exams. Feel free to comment with your answers!

In the following questions, you need to take one letter from the word on the left and add it to the word on the right to make two new, proper words. The order of the letters must not be changed. Write the words in the brackets.

Example: paint men (pint) (mean)

1. glove aunt ( ) ( )

2. pant either ( ) ( )

3. prince metal ( ) ( )

4. fact with ( ) ( )

5. acre cut ( ) ( )

6. madder caper ( ) ( )

7. drive fen ( ) ( )

In the following questions, choose one word from each set which best completes the sentences. Underline each word you choose.

Example: Black is to (dark, white, old) as good is to (new, young, bad).

8. Green is to (grass, jealousy, emerald) as red is to (scarlet, ruby, maroon).

9. Immediately, is to (later, instantly, today) as consecutively is to (randomly, following, independently.

10. Pail is to (bucket, faint, water) as bottle is to (glass, wine, courage).

11. Vertical is to (straight, perpendicular, horizontal) as column is to (row, pipe, grid).

12. Prune is to (pudding, fruit, plum) as sultana is to (raisin, grape, currant).

13. Kangaroo is to (Australia, pouch, jumping) as horse is to (rider, galloping, race).

14. Sonnet is to (encyclopaedia, legend, poetry) as novel is to (biography, fiction, diary).