Spatial Ability: Pattern Recognition Flashcards

A pattern of nested squares grows by adding one outer square each step: figure 1 has 1 square outline, figure 2 has 2, and so on. How many square outlines does figure 5 contain?

Answer: 5

The figure number directly equals the count of concentric square outlines, so figure 5 has 5.

A shape is folded along its horizontal center line. The top half has a circle on the left and a triangle on the right. When unfolded, what appears on the bottom half?

Answer: Circle on right, triangle on left

Folding along a horizontal axis reflects the top half left-to-right onto the bottom half, swapping positions.

The number of shaded cells per row increases by 2: row 1 = 1, row 2 = 3, row 3 = 5. How many shaded cells does row 6 have?

Answer: 11

The pattern is 2n−1; row 6 = 2(6)−1 = 11.

Three regular polygons tessellate a flat surface by themselves: equilateral triangle, square, and regular hexagon. Which regular polygon does NOT tessellate by itself?

Answer: Regular pentagon

A regular pentagon's interior angle (108°) does not divide 360° evenly, so it cannot tile a plane alone.

An 8-direction arrow cycle is: →, ↗, ↑, ↖, ←, ↙, ↓, ↘, then repeats. What direction is the 22nd arrow?

Answer: ↙

22 mod 8 = 6; the 6th direction in the cycle is ↙ (southwest).

Two identical L-shaped pieces must fit together to form a 2×3 rectangle. What single transformation applied to the second piece achieves this?

Answer: Rotate it 180°

Rotating one L-shaped piece 180° produces the complementary orientation needed to fill the remaining space.

A matrix rule states: each cell's shape has one more side than the cell to its left. Row 1 starts with a triangle in column 1. What shape is in row 1, column 4?

Answer: Hexagon

Triangle (3) → square (4) → pentagon (5) → hexagon (6) in column 4.