Most verbal reasoning tests give you a short passage and a statement, and ask whether the statement is true, false or cannot say, using only what the passage tells you. Below is a worked example passage with six statements, followed by examples of the other formats you may meet: which conclusion follows, word meaning, analogies and grammar. Every answer comes with the reasoning, because the reasoning is what you are being tested on.
Once you have worked through them, try the same formats against the clock in a free verbal reasoning test, which has an explanation for every question.
What true, false and cannot say mean
Get these definitions fixed before you look at any examples, because most wrong answers come from blurring them.
- True: the statement follows from the passage. It may repeat something the passage says in different words, or it may be a conclusion you can reach from two or more sentences together.
- False: the statement contradicts the passage, either directly or by something that must follow from it.
- Cannot say: the passage does not give you enough to decide either way. The statement might well be true in real life, but that does not matter.
Use only the passage. Your own knowledge of the subject, however good, is not evidence. If you find yourself thinking “well, that is probably true”, the answer is almost always cannot say.
Example passage with six statements
Passage
Harlow Logistics opened a second distribution centre in Leeds in March. The new site handles all orders for customers in the north of England, which previously went through the company’s Bristol centre. In the first six months, the average delivery time for northern customers fell from three days to two. Bristol now handles 40% fewer orders than it did before the Leeds site opened, and the company has used the spare capacity to launch a next-day service for customers in Wales. Staff at Bristol were offered the chance to transfer to Leeds. Most chose to stay.
Statement 1. Northern customers now receive their orders a day sooner on average than before the Leeds site opened.
Answer: True. The average fell from three days to two, which is one day sooner. The statement uses different words, but it says exactly what the passage says.
Statement 2. Every order from a customer in the north of England is now handled in Leeds.
Answer: True. The passage says the new site “handles all orders” for northern customers. “Every” and “all” mean the same thing here.
Statement 3. Harlow Logistics made some Bristol staff redundant after the Leeds site opened.
Answer: Cannot say. We know staff were offered a transfer and most stayed. Nothing says whether anyone lost their job. It may sound likely given the drop in orders, but the passage does not say it.
Statement 4. Bristol now handles more orders than Leeds.
Answer: Cannot say. We know Bristol’s volume fell by 40%, but we are never told how many orders either site handles. This is a classic trap: the passage gives you a figure, so it feels as though you should be able to compare, but a percentage change for one site tells you nothing about the other.
Statement 5. The next-day service in Wales began before the Leeds site opened.
Answer: False. The service was launched using the spare capacity at Bristol, and that capacity only existed because orders moved to Leeds. So the service must have started after Leeds opened, which contradicts the statement.
Statement 6. Most Bristol staff moved to Leeds.
Answer: False. The passage says most chose to stay, so most did not move.
Notice that statements 5 and 6 are both false, but for different reasons. Statement 6 contradicts a single sentence. Statement 5 contradicts something you have to work out from two sentences together. Tests use both kinds.
Example of a statement that looks true but is not
This is the kind of question that catches strong readers, because every word in the statement seems to appear in the passage.
Passage. Over the past ten years, collectable items such as stamps and fine wine have outperformed traditional investments as a group. Many investors have turned to collectables to reduce their exposure to the stock market.
Statement. Stamps have produced higher returns than shares over the past ten years.
Answer: Cannot say. The passage compares collectables as a group with traditional investments as a group. It does not give a figure for stamps on their own, and it never says that shares count as a traditional investment. You may know that they usually do, but outside knowledge cannot fill the gap. When a statement narrows a group claim down to one member, check that the passage supports that member specifically.
Example of a “which conclusion follows” question
Passage. The company introduced hybrid working last year to reduce office costs. Staff satisfaction scores rose over the same period.
Which conclusion follows?
- A) Hybrid working caused the rise in staff satisfaction.
- B) Hybrid working may have contributed to the rise in staff satisfaction.
- C) Office costs went up after hybrid working was introduced.
Answer: B. The two things happened at the same time, but the passage does not say one caused the other, so A claims too much. Nothing in the passage supports C. B stays within what the evidence allows. When a passage shows two things happening together, prefer the answer that does not claim cause.
Word meaning examples
Some verbal tests include short language questions alongside, or instead of, passages.
Choose the word that completes the sentence: “The new fabric is too _____ for the uniform, so staff found it uncomfortable.”
- course
- coarse
- curse
- cord
Answer: coarse. Coarse means rough in texture. “Course” sounds the same, which is why it is there.
Choose the synonym of the word in bold: “Please close the file before you leave.”
- near
- shut
- open
- finish
Answer: shut. “Close” can mean near or shut, so the sentence decides. You close a file in the sense of shutting it.
Analogy examples
An analogy gives you one pair of words and asks you to complete a second pair with the same relationship. Say the relationship as a sentence, then apply it.
attack is to defend as timid is to … quiet, bold, fight, shy
Answer: bold. Attack and defend are opposites, so you need the opposite of timid.
irritated is to incensed as careful is to … meticulous, organised, cautious, angry
Answer: meticulous. Incensed is a much stronger form of irritated, so you need a much stronger form of careful. “Cautious” is a near synonym, not a stronger version, which makes it the trap.
teller is to bank as server is to … web, restaurant, work, food
Answer: restaurant. A teller works in a bank, so a server works in a restaurant. The other options relate to “server” in other ways, which is exactly why they are offered.
Grammar examples
Fill the gap: “She asked me if I _____ seen the report before the meeting.”
- have
- had
- was
- is
Answer: had. “Asked” is in the past tense, so the verb that follows moves back too: “if I had seen”.
Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
- The office has many, modern meeting rooms including a large boardroom.
- The office has many modern meeting rooms, including a large boardroom.
- The office has many, modern meeting rooms, including a large boardroom.
Answer: 2. “Many modern meeting rooms” needs no comma inside it. “Including a large boardroom” is extra information added to the end, so a comma before it marks the break.
How to get the most from these examples
Reading worked answers is useful, but the improvement comes from answering first and checking second. Cover the answer, commit to your choice, and write down why. When you get one wrong, name the reason: an assumption, a missed word such as “all” or “most”, or a misread question.
If you want to understand the test itself first, start with what verbal reasoning is. For a plan to raise your score over a few weeks, see how to improve verbal reasoning, and for test day itself, read our verbal reasoning test tips.
Practise with more examples
The formats above are short to read and quick to explain, but they are much harder with a timer running. A timed verbal reasoning practice test is the best way to see whether your method holds up under pressure.
