11+ Verbal ReasoningPractice Paper 2 · MathedUp
Instructions
- Do not begin until you are told to start. You have 50 minutes for 80 questions.
- Mark every answer on the separate answer sheet, not on this paper.
- Most questions want one answer (A–E): shade the matching lozenge in pencil.
- Some blocks ask you to find two words, one from each group. Those questions want TWO marks: one from A–C and one from X–Z.
- Others show five words and ask for the TWO that do not belong: fill two lozenges from A–E. Both must be right to score the mark.
- Work quickly and carefully. If a question is hard, move on and come back.
- Rub out any answer you want to change. Do not leave two marks for one question.
Example: to choose answer C, shade it like this:
ABCDE
Section 1Letter in Two Brackets
The same letter must fit into both sets of brackets, to complete the word in front of the brackets and begin the word after. Find that letter.
Worked example
pu [ ? ] urse salo [ ? ] ip
rA
xB
bC
cD
nE
Answer E — n makes pun, nurse, salon, nip.
1
The same letter must fit into both sets of brackets, to complete the word in front of the brackets and begin the word after. Find that letter.
lunc [ ? ] er pus [ ? ] elm
tA
pB
kC
hD
yE
2
The same letter must fit into both sets of brackets, to complete the word in front of the brackets and begin the word after. Find that letter.
craw [ ? ] oser al [ ? ] and
lA
uB
pC
hD
xE
3
The same letter must fit into both sets of brackets, to complete the word in front of the brackets and begin the word after. Find that letter.
mus [ ? ] abit fres [ ? ] ave
fA
pB
gC
hD
vE
4
The same letter must fit into both sets of brackets, to complete the word in front of the brackets and begin the word after. Find that letter.
focu [ ? ] ide odd [ ? ] have
eA
rB
sC
iD
jE
5
The same letter must fit into both sets of brackets, to complete the word in front of the brackets and begin the word after. Find that letter.
bul [ ? ] ept chec [ ? ] elp
fA
oB
aC
wD
kE
6
The same letter must fit into both sets of brackets, to complete the word in front of the brackets and begin the word after. Find that letter.
lega [ ? ] eak nai [ ? ] ogo
mA
lB
wC
sD
kE
7
The same letter must fit into both sets of brackets, to complete the word in front of the brackets and begin the word after. Find that letter.
chin [ ? ] xe extr [ ? ] pe
aA
fB
tC
eD
oE
Section 2Synonym Pairs
Find the two words, one from each group, that are closest in meaning. Mark BOTH words.
Worked example
(pretty polite neat) (frightened smart dirty)
prettyA
politeB
neatC
frightenedX
smartY
dirtyZ
Answer C Y — mark one word in each group. “neat” and “smart” mean the same.
8
Find the two words, one from each group, that are closest in meaning.
(cowardly brave repulsive) (heroic roomy little)
cowardlyA
braveB
repulsiveC
heroicX
roomyY
littleZ
9
Find the two words, one from each group, that are closest in meaning.
(cowardly dim brave) (fearless rich thin)
cowardlyA
dimB
braveC
fearlessX
richY
thinZ
10
Find the two words, one from each group, that are closest in meaning.
(fond effortless spotless) (tender enthralling cold)
fondA
effortlessB
spotlessC
tenderX
enthrallingY
coldZ
11
Find the two words, one from each group, that are closest in meaning.
(near glad haughty) (scrupulous imperious risky)
nearA
gladB
haughtyC
scrupulousX
imperiousY
riskyZ
12
Find the two words, one from each group, that are closest in meaning.
(happy sad conscientious) (cheerful casual weak)
happyA
sadB
conscientiousC
cheerfulX
casualY
weakZ
13
Find the two words, one from each group, that are closest in meaning.
(imperious fake hard) (wet tricky unhappy)
imperiousA
fakeB
hardC
wetX
trickyY
unhappyZ
Section 3Three-Letter Words
In these sentences, the word in capitals has had three letters next to each other taken out. These three letters will make one correctly-spelt word without changing their order. Mark the correct three-letter word.
Worked example
She was the GREST runner in the county.
jarA
hubB
dinC
eatD
witE
Answer D — Putting EAT back into GREST makes GREATEST.
14
The word in capitals has had three letters next to each other taken out. Those three letters make a word. Find it.
The nurse wrapped a BAGE round his wrist.
elmA
dyeB
pinC
andD
yakE
15
The word in capitals has had three letters next to each other taken out. Those three letters make a word. Find it.
He chose the SMEST apple in the bowl.
oatA
ranB
dyeC
hadD
allE
16
The word in capitals has had three letters next to each other taken out. Those three letters make a word. Find it.
He was too young to OPEE the machine.
tipA
gotB
roeC
ratD
dabE
17
The word in capitals has had three letters next to each other taken out. Those three letters make a word. Find it.
It did not fit into any CGORY.
forA
bugB
padC
gapD
ateE
18
The word in capitals has had three letters next to each other taken out. Those three letters make a word. Find it.
That was the CLREST answer of the day.
eelA
yewB
rigC
midD
eveE
19
The word in capitals has had three letters next to each other taken out. Those three letters make a word. Find it.
The geese flew in a neat FORION.
digA
twoB
newC
matD
jotE
20
The word in capitals has had three letters next to each other taken out. Those three letters make a word. Find it.
He was SCLING notes in the margin.
ourA
rawB
oreC
nilD
wagE
Section 4Verbal Logic
Read the information, then find the answer that must be true.
Worked example
Anna is stronger than Kai. Ruby is stronger than Anna. Max is stronger than Ben. Kai is stronger than Max. Who is the strongest?
KaiA
MaxB
RubyC
BenD
AnnaE
Answer C — Chain the comparisons in order: Ruby is the strongest.
21
Read the information, then answer the question.
Jack is faster than Mia. Lily is faster than Leo. Sam is faster than Jack. Mia is faster than Lily. Who is the fastest?
LeoA
MiaB
SamC
JackD
LilyE
Section 5Odd Two Out
Three of these five words go together. Find the TWO words that do not belong and mark BOTH.
Worked example
brass · bus · tractor · car · silver
brassA
busB
tractorC
carD
silverE
Answer A E — mark TWO answers. Three are vehicles; “brass” and “silver” are metals.
22
Three of these five words go together. Find the TWO words that do not belong.
pine · elbow · neck · ash · beech
pineA
elbowB
neckC
ashD
beechE
23
Three of these five words go together. Find the TWO words that do not belong.
bronze · copper · maroon · white · brown
bronzeA
copperB
maroonC
whiteD
brownE
24
Three of these five words go together. Find the TWO words that do not belong.
kiwi · elbow · grape · heel · chin
kiwiA
elbowB
grapeC
heelD
chinE
25
Three of these five words go together. Find the TWO words that do not belong.
blue · bus · van · violet · yacht
blueA
busB
vanC
violetD
yachtE
26
Three of these five words go together. Find the TWO words that do not belong.
painter · jeep · yacht · barber · van
painterA
jeepB
yachtC
barberD
vanE
27
Three of these five words go together. Find the TWO words that do not belong.
pine · sofa · cupboard · elm · ash
pineA
sofaB
cupboardC
elmD
ashE
Section 6Letters by Position
The three words in the second group should go together in the same way as the three in the first group. Find the word that is missing in the second group.
Worked example
(stock [pot] adopt) (tenth [ ? ] event)
theA
vetB
eveC
netD
henE
Answer D — pot is the 4th letter of adopt, the 3rd letter of adopt and the 5th letter of adopt. The same positions of tenth and event give net.
28
The three words in the second group go together in the same way as the three in the first group. Find the missing word.
(subtle [bee] beside) (toffee [ ? ] hamlet)
offA
letB
matC
foeD
fatE
29
The three words in the second group go together in the same way as the three in the first group. Find the missing word.
(custom [cot] cousin) (access [ ? ] attach)
actA
ateB
catC
sheD
eatE
30
The three words in the second group go together in the same way as the three in the first group. Find the missing word.
(ridge [kit] track) (loser [ ? ] paint)
tarA
eelB
oilC
topD
parE
31
The three words in the second group go together in the same way as the three in the first group. Find the missing word.
(timber [met] number) (within [ ? ] supper)
theA
weeB
pewC
hitD
tinE
32
The three words in the second group go together in the same way as the three in the first group. Find the missing word.
(bread [pad] plant) (medal [ ? ] gleam)
ageA
gelB
legC
eggD
damE
33
The three words in the second group go together in the same way as the three in the first group. Find the missing word.
(raided [ode] shorts) (engage [ ? ] thread)
gagA
ragB
netC
henD
tanE
34
The three words in the second group go together in the same way as the three in the first group. Find the missing word.
(theme [toe] bound) (fiery [ ? ] slope)
offA
fryB
eelC
flyD
proE
Section 7Antonym Pairs
Find the two words, one from each group, that are most opposite in meaning. Mark BOTH words.
Worked example
(dry hilarious roomy) (big wet courteous)
dryA
hilariousB
roomyC
bigX
wetY
courteousZ
Answer A Y — mark one word in each group. “dry” and “wet” are opposites.
35
Find the two words, one from each group, that are most opposite in meaning.
(sell defend accept) (forget attack leap)
sellA
defendB
acceptC
forgetX
attackY
leapZ
36
Find the two words, one from each group, that are most opposite in meaning.
(loosen open acknowledge) (tighten buy lower)
loosenA
openB
acknowledgeC
tightenX
buyY
lowerZ
37
Find the two words, one from each group, that are most opposite in meaning.
(shallow kind timid) (deep mercurial selfish)
shallowA
kindB
timidC
deepX
mercurialY
selfishZ
38
Find the two words, one from each group, that are most opposite in meaning.
(cover forestall criticise) (swamp praise scatter)
coverA
forestallB
criticiseC
swampX
praiseY
scatterZ
39
Find the two words, one from each group, that are most opposite in meaning.
(dissipate freeze mollify) (bellow preclude thaw)
dissipateA
freezeB
mollifyC
bellowX
precludeY
thawZ
40
Find the two words, one from each group, that are most opposite in meaning.
(tidy ancient narrow) (modern difficult brisk)
tidyA
ancientB
narrowC
modernX
difficultY
briskZ
41
Find the two words, one from each group, that are most opposite in meaning.
(destroy enter scatter) (gather chuck adjust)
destroyA
enterB
scatterC
gatherX
chuckY
adjustZ
Section 8Letter Series
Find the letters that continue the series and mark them on the answer sheet.
AlphabetA1B2C3D4E5F6G7H8I9J10K11L12M13N14O15P16Q17R18S19T20U21V22W23X24Y25Z26
Worked example
M O Q S U ?
VA
XB
WC
SD
UE
Answer C — Letter series — each letter moves by a fixed step.
42
Which letters continue the series?
MU UD QY XA UC AX ?
YGA
QGB
ZHC
DUD
AXE
43
Which letters continue the series?
KC UQ PF XN UI AK ?
AMA
PLB
DHC
AKD
ZLE
44
Which letters continue the series?
FI TJ AD OE VY JZ ?
EUA
RUB
QTC
ATD
JZE
45
Which letters continue the series?
BD EH GK HM HN ?
INA
GNB
HOC
HND
QHE
46
Which letters continue the series?
HL EN CQ BU BZ ?
BEA
ATB
BZC
CFD
DGE
47
Which letters continue the series?
SL UO UQ SR OR ?
ORA
IQB
KRC
USD
JRE
Section 9Synonyms
Choose the word most similar in meaning to the word in capitals.
Worked example
SAD
repugnantA
egotisticalB
demandingC
humorousD
unhappyE
Answer E — A synonym of “sad”.
48
Choose the word most similar in meaning.
ANSWER
pushA
decreaseB
increaseC
precludeD
respondE
49
Choose the word most similar in meaning.
STRONG
preposterousA
powerfulB
weakC
exhaustedD
abhorrentE
50
Choose the word most similar in meaning.
ADJUST
increaseA
rememberB
dissipateC
suppressD
correctE
51
Choose the word most similar in meaning.
DISSIPATE
decreaseA
forbidB
scatterC
retrieveD
informE
52
Choose the word most similar in meaning.
CLEAN
enchantingA
abominableB
reflectiveC
conscientiousD
sparklingE
53
Choose the word most similar in meaning.
SHUT
openA
fastenB
destroyC
succeedD
criticiseE
Section 10Verbal Logic
Read the information, then find the answer that must be true.
Worked example
Anna is stronger than Kai. Ruby is stronger than Anna. Max is stronger than Ben. Kai is stronger than Max. Who is the strongest?
KaiA
MaxB
RubyC
BenD
AnnaE
Answer C — Chain the comparisons in order: Ruby is the strongest.
54
Read the information, then choose the statement that must be true.
Kai is stronger than Eva. Zoe is stronger than Sam. Eva is stronger than Jack. Sam is stronger than Kai. Which statement is true?
Jack is stronger than Zoe.A
Sam is stronger than Eva.B
Jack is stronger than Eva.C
Jack is stronger than Sam.D
Kai is stronger than Sam.E
Section 11Word Codes
In these questions, three of the four words are given in code. The codes are not written in the same order as the words and one code is missing. Work out which number stands for which letter, then answer the question under each set.
Worked example
POUR FIRM DRUM DRIP
6751 3285 4581
Find the word that has the number code 6251.
6751 3285 4581
Find the word that has the number code 6251.
pourA
dripB
formC
firmD
fromE
Answer C — P=3, O=2, U=8, R=5, F=6, I=7, M=1, D=4. So 6251 is FORM.
55
Three of these four words are given in code. The codes are not written in the same order as the words, and one code is missing.
LADY SLAP LAMP SOLD
2518 2534 7621
Find the code for the word LOAD.
2518 2534 7621
Find the code for the word LOAD.
2534A
2651B
7621C
6251D
2518E
56
Three of these four words are given in code. The codes are not written in the same order as the words, and one code is missing.
RIND REAP RODE PAIR
2418 2371 2856
Find the code for the word DROP.
2418 2371 2856
Find the code for the word DROP.
2418A
2856B
6428C
2371D
1246E
57
Three of these four words are given in code. The codes are not written in the same order as the words, and one code is missing.
LAMB BOAT MOTH SALT
3546 7824 1584
Find the word that has the number code 3584.
3546 7824 1584
Find the word that has the number code 3584.
boatA
mostB
lostC
moatD
tombE
58
Three of these four words are given in code. The codes are not written in the same order as the words, and one code is missing.
LAKE TEAK HAIL HALF
3284 6857 6871
Find the word that has the number code 6283.
3284 6857 6871
Find the word that has the number code 6283.
fateA
healB
heatC
fleaD
leakE
59
Three of these four words are given in code. The codes are not written in the same order as the words, and one code is missing.
LAST PALE DEAF STEP
4236 1247 8725
Find the word that has the number code 1236.
4236 1247 8725
Find the word that has the number code 1236.
eastA
pastB
lastC
fastD
pestE
60
Three of these four words are given in code. The codes are not written in the same order as the words, and one code is missing.
GIVE SOAK GAVE VISA
5731 6158 3214
Find the word that has the number code 5138.
5731 6158 3214
Find the word that has the number code 5138.
visaA
gaveB
vaseC
saveD
soakE
61
Three of these four words are given in code. The codes are not written in the same order as the words, and one code is missing.
PINK BLEW KELP PINE
1485 2657 3561
Find the word that has the number code 3857.
1485 2657 3561
Find the word that has the number code 3857.
knewA
winkB
blewC
wipeD
lineE
Section 12Word Analogies
Complete the second pair so that it matches the relationship in the first.
Worked example
actor : stage :: sailor : ?
rugbyA
shipB
stageC
courtD
wristE
Answer B — actor : stage = sailor : ? (place they work)
62
Complete the pair with the same relationship.
bee : swarm :: goose : ?
minerA
colonyB
hockeyC
swarmD
gaggleE
63
Complete the pair with the same relationship.
lion : pride :: goose : ?
fluteA
gaggleB
prideC
footD
shoalE
64
Complete the pair with the same relationship.
spider : web :: pig : ?
brassA
webB
burrowC
styD
rugbyE
65
Complete the pair with the same relationship.
whale : pod :: bee : ?
prideA
jeepB
daisyC
swarmD
podE
66
Complete the pair with the same relationship.
doctor : hospital :: chef : ?
vanA
appleB
hospitalC
kitchenD
mineE
67
Complete the pair with the same relationship.
fish : shoal :: ant : ?
colonyA
shoalB
gaggleC
butcherD
banjoE
Section 13Letter Analogies
The second pair of letters goes together in the same way as the first. Find the missing pair.
AlphabetA1B2C3D4E5F6G7H8I9J10K11L12M13N14O15P16Q17R18S19T20U21V22W23X24Y25Z26
Worked example
F → I :: J → ?
NA
MB
KC
JD
GE
Answer B — F → I uses the same move as J → ?
68
Complete the pair: which letters finish the second pair the same way?
DN → BL :: KD → ?
MFA
HAB
KDC
IBD
JBE
69
Complete the pair: which letters finish the second pair the same way?
JA → GD :: NK → ?
LNA
QHB
NKC
JOD
KNE
70
Complete the pair: which letters finish the second pair the same way?
AE → ZD :: FJ → ?
FIA
EIB
DHC
FJD
GKE
71
Complete the pair: which letters finish the second pair the same way?
AB → DA :: KR → ?
HSA
OQB
NQC
KRD
OPE
72
Complete the pair: which letters finish the second pair the same way?
AB → DA :: GP → ?
JOA
KOB
GPC
DQD
KNE
73
Complete the pair: which letters finish the second pair the same way?
RA → VD :: MF → ?
QIA
RIB
ICC
MFD
RJE
74
Complete the pair: which letters finish the second pair the same way?
GB → KE :: MF → ?
RJA
MFB
QIC
RID
ICE
Section 14Complete the Sum
Find the number that completes the sum correctly. Work from left to right.
Worked example
12 + 5 = 15 + ?
4A
0B
3C
2D
1E
Answer D — 12 + 5 = 17, so the missing number is 2.
75
Find the number that makes both sides equal.
10 − 8 + 5 = 4 ÷ 2 + ?
3A
7B
4C
5D
6E
76
Find the number that makes both sides equal.
3 + 16 − 4 = 2 + 40 − ?
27A
29B
26C
25D
28E
77
Find the number that makes both sides equal.
7 × 6 ÷ 3 = 11 + 23 − ?
21A
19B
18C
20D
22E
78
Find the number that makes both sides equal.
8 − 6 × 9 = 3 + 24 − ?
10A
11B
7C
9D
8E
79
Find the number that makes both sides equal.
10 + 33 − 11 = 5 + 30 − ?
3A
4B
5C
2D
1E
80
Find the number that makes both sides equal.
5 − 2 + 17 = 10 + 23 − ?
15A
14B
12C
11D
13E