Mensa IQ Test Spatial Reasoning 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A triangular prism stands on a table. How many edges does it have in total?
- 6
- 9 (Correct answer)
- 12
- 8
Correct answer: 9
A triangular prism has two triangular ends (3 edges each = 6 edges) plus 3 edges connecting the corresponding vertices of the two triangles, giving 6 + 3 = 9 edges total.
Question 2: If you rotate the letter 'Z' 90 degrees clockwise, which letter does the result most closely resemble?
- S
- N (Correct answer)
- 2
- L
Correct answer: N
Z consists of two horizontal strokes connected by a diagonal. Rotating 90° clockwise turns those horizontals into verticals and repositions the diagonal so the figure looks like 'N'.
Question 3: A solid sphere is sliced by a flat plane passing exactly through its center. What shape is the cross-section?
- Oval
- Square
- Circle (Correct answer)
- Semicircle
Correct answer: Circle
Any flat cut through the center of a perfect sphere produces a circle whose radius equals the sphere's radius — called a great circle.
Question 4: Two identical cubes are placed face-to-face to form a single rectangular solid. How many faces does the resulting shape have?
- 12
- 8
- 10 (Correct answer)
- 6
Correct answer: 10
Each cube contributes 6 faces, totaling 12. However, the two faces pressed together become interior and are no longer visible, so 12 − 2 = 10 outer faces remain.
Question 5: A square piece of paper is folded in half along one diagonal, then folded in half along the other diagonal. When fully unfolded, how many triangular sections does the paper show?
- 2
- 4 (Correct answer)
- 8
- 6
Correct answer: 4
The first diagonal fold creates one crease dividing the square into 2 triangles. The second diagonal fold creates a second crease, and together the two diagonal creases divide the square into 4 equal triangles.
Question 6: How many squares of ALL sizes (not just the smallest) can be counted in a 3×3 grid of unit squares?
- 9
- 12
- 14 (Correct answer)
- 16
Correct answer: 14
Count by size: there are 9 unit (1×1) squares, 4 larger (2×2) squares, and 1 full (3×3) square, giving 9 + 4 + 1 = 14 squares in total.
Mensa IQ Test Spatial Reasoning 1
A triangular prism stands on a table.
How many edges does it have in total?