Independent School Entrance (ISEB Pre-Test and 11+ CEM style) · Verbal Reasoning

Logic and deduction

32 practice questions, each with the answer and an explanation.

Practise Logic and deduction now

Random questions from this topic, one at a time. You see the answer and the explanation straight after each one.

All 32 questions

  1. Five children ran a race with no ties. Ana finished before Ben. Cal finished after Ben but before Dev. Eli finished first. Who is in third place?
  2. Five friends queued for tickets. Pia stood somewhere ahead of Omar. Mira stood immediately behind Omar. Quin stood somewhere ahead of Pia. Noah stood exactly two places ahead of Pia. Who is in third p…
  3. Five pupils were ranked by height from tallest to shortest, with no two the same height. Sam is taller than Tara. Uri is shorter than Tara but taller than Vik. Rosa is taller than Sam. Who is in fourt…
  4. Five pupils scored different marks in a test, ranked from the highest mark. Jo scored more than Kit. Lu scored less than Kit but more than Ike. Hana scored more than Jo. Who is in third place?
  5. Five cars stand in a row of five numbered spaces, counted from the left. The green car is immediately to the right of the blue car. The red car is at one end of the row. The white car is somewhere to…
  6. Five runners finished a relay in different positions. Gus finished immediately before Hal. Fay finished after Hal. Isla finished before Gus. Jon finished fourth. Who is in fifth place?
  7. One of four children took a cake. Alex says: "Bea took it." Bea says: "Cy took it." Cy says: "I did not take it." Dee says: "I did not take it." Exactly 1 of these four statements is true. Who took th…
  8. One of four children took a cake. Alex says: "Bea or Cy took it." Bea says: "Dee took it." Cy says: "I did not take it." Dee says: "Alex took it." Exactly 1 of these four statements is true. Who took…
  9. I am a number. I am a two-digit number. I am a multiple of 7. My digits add up to 10. I am greater than 40. What number am I?
  10. I am a number. I am between 100 and 200. I am a square number. My digits add up to 16. I am odd. What number am I?
  11. I am a number. I am a two-digit prime number. My tens digit is less than my units digit. My digits add up to a multiple of 4. I am greater than 30. What number am I?
  12. I am a number. I am a three-digit number. I am a multiple of 11. My digits add up to 12. I am an even number. My hundreds digit is 6. What number am I?
  13. All gazelles are mammals. Some mammals can run very fast. Which statement MUST be true?
  14. If the fire alarm sounds, the main doors lock automatically. The main doors did not lock this morning. Which conclusion must be true?
  15. No reptile has fur. Some pets are reptiles. Which statement MUST be true?
  16. Every member of the chess club plays the piano. Dev plays the piano. Which conclusion is certain?
  17. Either Lily or Max left the light on. Lily was away all week. Which statement must be true?
  18. If a number is divisible by 6, it is divisible by 3. The number 21 is divisible by 3. What follows?
  19. Tom's mother has one brother, Ravi. Ravi has one daughter, Mina. How is Mina related to Tom?
  20. Sara is Ben's mother. Ben is Chloe's father. Dan is Sara's husband. How is Dan related to Chloe?
  21. The day after the day before tomorrow is Friday. What day is it today?
  22. Yesterday was two days before Sunday. What day will it be the day after tomorrow?
  23. In 2026, 9 March is a Monday. What day of the week is 9 April 2026?
  24. Which word fits both sentences? 'He used a ___ to hit the ball.' 'A ___ hung upside down in the cave.'
  25. Which word fits both sentences? 'The ___ of the river was muddy.' 'She went to the ___ to pay in some money.'
  26. Which word fits both sentences? 'The suitcase was surprisingly ___.' 'Please turn on the ___.'
  27. Which word fits both sentences? 'The tree's ___ was rough.' 'The dog's ___ echoed down the street.'
  28. Which word fits both sentences? 'The football ___ was waterlogged.' 'The singer's ___ was perfect.'
  29. On an island, knights always tell the truth and knaves always lie. A says: 'B is a knave.' B says: 'A and I are the same type.' What are A and B?
  30. Box P is heavier than box Q. Box R is lighter than box Q. Box S is heavier than box P. Which box is the lightest?
  31. In a code, 'red apple' is written 'ka mo', 'green apple' is written 'ka li' and 'green leaf' is written 'ti li'. How is 'red' written?
  32. In a code, 'blue bird' is written 'pa ze', 'blue sky' is written 'pa lo' and 'big sky' is written 'ru lo'. What does 'ze' mean?

Keep practising

More Independent School Entrance (ISEB Pre-Test and 11+ CEM style) topics

All Independent School Entrance (ISEB Pre-Test and 11+ CEM style) practice →

Logic and deduction in other exams

Ready for the full Independent School Entrance (ISEB Pre-Test and 11+ CEM style) test?

Take a mock testIndependent School Entrance (ISEB Pre-Test and 11+ CEM style) hub