OLSAT (Otis-Lennon School Ability Test) — Questions and Answers

Question 1: If no cats are reptiles and all reptiles are cold-blooded, which must be true?

None of the above must be true (Correct answer)
Some cats are cold-blooded
All cats are cold-blooded
No cats are cold-blooded

Correct answer: None of the above must be true

Cats could still be cold-blooded through another reason; we can only conclude cats are not reptiles.

Question 2: Each figure in a series gains one extra side: triangle, square, pentagon, ___.

Heptagon
Hexagon (Correct answer)
Pentagon
Octagon

Correct answer: Hexagon

Triangle (3 sides), square (4), pentagon (5), so the next is hexagon (6 sides).

Question 3: Complete the analogy: Arid is to desert as frigid is to ___.

Beach
Meadow
Jungle
Tundra (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Tundra

Arid describes the climate of a desert; frigid describes the climate of a tundra.

Question 4: Which net folds into a cube? A net with 4 squares in a row and 1 square on top and bottom of the second square.

It forms a pyramid
It forms a cube (Correct answer)
It forms a rectangular prism
It cannot form a cube

Correct answer: It forms a cube

A cross-shaped net of 6 squares (4 in a row, 1 above and 1 below the second) correctly folds into a cube.

Question 5: Which figure completes the matrix if a large white circle → large gray circle → large black circle pattern applies?

Large gray circle (Correct answer)
Large black square
Small white square
Small black circle

Correct answer: Large gray circle

The pattern darkens circles in sequence; the next step after gray is black, keeping the same large circle.

Question 6: Frugal is to wasteful as diligent is to ___.

Honest
Hardworking
Lazy (Correct answer)
Careful

Correct answer: Lazy

Frugal and wasteful are antonyms; diligent and lazy are antonyms.

Question 7: Choose the best word: The diplomat tried to ___ the tensions between the two nations.

Escalate
Provoke
Inflame
Defuse (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Defuse

Defuse means to reduce tension or danger, which is what a diplomat would aim to do.

Question 8: A clock shows 3:00. What time will it be in 2 hours?

4:00
2:00
6:00
5:00 (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 5:00

3:00 plus 2 hours equals 5:00.

Question 9: Which number comes next in the series: 3, 6, 9, 12, ___?

15 (Correct answer)
21
18
12

Correct answer: 15

Each number increases by 3, so 12 + 3 = 15.

Question 10: A library is to books as a museum is to ___.

Clothes
Movies
Food
Exhibits (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Exhibits

A library contains books, and a museum contains exhibits.

Question 11: Which conclusion follows logically: 'All athletes train hard. Maria trains hard.' Therefore ___.

Maria is not an athlete
Maria might be an athlete (Correct answer)
Maria is an athlete
Athletes are like Maria

Correct answer: Maria might be an athlete

Training hard is necessary but not sufficient to conclude Maria is an athlete — other people train hard too.

Question 12: An image shows a large outer circle and a small inner circle. After transformation, both circles double in size. The new ratio of inner to outer diameter is ___.

Same as before (Correct answer)
Half of before
Double of before
Cannot be determined

Correct answer: Same as before

Doubling both circles maintains their ratio; if inner was 1:3, it remains 1:3.

Question 13: Which word best completes the analogy: Symphony is to orchestra as novel is to ___?

Author (Correct answer)
Reader
Musician
Chapter

Correct answer: Author

An orchestra creates a symphony, and an author creates a novel.

Question 14: Which word means 'to make something less severe'?

Mitigate (Correct answer)
Aggravate
Intensify
Exacerbate

Correct answer: Mitigate

Mitigate means to make something less severe, serious, or painful.

Question 15: Biologist : Cell :: Astronomer : ___

Galaxy (Correct answer)
Microscope
Telescope
Atom

Correct answer: Galaxy

A biologist studies cells, and an astronomer studies galaxies (and other celestial objects).

Question 16: Look at the pattern: 2, 4, 8, 16, ___. What comes next?

18
30
24
32 (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 32

Each number is doubled to get the next number, so 16 × 2 = 32.

Question 17: Which word is a synonym for 'candid'?

Honest (Correct answer)
Secretive
Deceptive
Cautious

Correct answer: Honest

Candid means frank and honest.

Question 18: Provident : Wasteful :: Prudent : ___

Thrifty
Careful
Reckless (Correct answer)
Wise

Correct answer: Reckless

Provident and wasteful are antonyms; prudent and reckless are antonyms.

Question 19: Choose the word that best fills the blank: The scientist's hypothesis was ___; it had no support from experimental data.

Conclusive
Verified
Unfounded (Correct answer)
Substantiated

Correct answer: Unfounded

Unfounded means lacking a foundation or evidence, matching the absence of data support.

Question 20: Which piece completes the puzzle if the missing segment is the top-right of a 4-piece square divided diagonally?

A square
A rectangle
A triangle pointing down-left
A triangle pointing up-right (Correct answer)

Correct answer: A triangle pointing up-right

Dividing a square diagonally from bottom-left to top-right gives a triangle whose hypotenuse faces the top-right.

Question 21: Which shape has 3 sides?

Circle
Rectangle
Triangle (Correct answer)
Square

Correct answer: Triangle

A triangle has exactly 3 sides.

Question 22: There is a connection between the words in the box. Select the word that fills in the empty space the best.

bent
pant
pain (Correct answer)
pent
bean

Correct answer: pain

The right response is suffering. The first two things in the top row are bat and bet. The final word in the row is beat. This is a mixture of the first two words since the middle two letters of beat (e and a) are taken from the first two words (bet and bat), and the beginning letter (b) and the end letter (t) are the same in all the words. There will be a similar pattern in the second row. Given that the first two items are pan and pin, the right response is pain, which is a word that combines the two words in the same way by using the center letters of both pan and pin.

Question 23: Which best describes the relationship: 'Prologue : Story :: Preface : ___'?

Chapter
Appendix
Index
Book (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Book

A prologue introduces a story just as a preface introduces a book.

Question 24: A student reads 5 chapters in 2 hours. At this rate, how long to read 12 chapters?

4.8 hours (Correct answer)
4 hours
5 hours
6 hours

Correct answer: 4.8 hours

Rate = 5/2 chapters/hr; time = 12 ÷ 2.5 = 4.8 hours.

Question 25: In a pattern, each square is shaded one additional quadrant clockwise per step. After 4 steps, how many quadrants are shaded?

1
4 (Correct answer)
2
3

Correct answer: 4

Starting unshaded, after 4 steps all 4 quadrants are shaded.

Question 26: Sycophant is to flattery as bully is to ___.

Kindness
Leadership
Intimidation (Correct answer)
Respect

Correct answer: Intimidation

A sycophant uses flattery; a bully uses intimidation.

Question 27: modest → haughty :: → antiquated

antique
pompous
modest
modern (Correct answer)
classical

Correct answer: modern

The answer that fits best is modern. Given their opposing definitions, humble and arrogant are antonyms. Additionally, ancient and modern are antonyms.

Question 28: The antithesis of adaptability is:

rigid (Correct answer)
bendy
careless
careless
tolerant

Correct answer: rigid

Rigidity is the right response. In contrast to rigid, which cannot be bent or altered, flexible materials can be bent without breaking.

Question 29: Which sentence uses the word 'pernicious' correctly?

Her pernicious kindness helped many.
The pernicious rumor damaged her reputation. (Correct answer)
He gave a pernicious smile of welcome.
The pernicious sunshine warmed the garden.

Correct answer: The pernicious rumor damaged her reputation.

Pernicious means having a harmful effect in a gradual or subtle way — rumors can be pernicious.

Question 30: A regular hexagon is divided into 6 equilateral triangles. If 4 triangles are shaded, what fraction is unshaded?

2/6
1/6
1/3 (Correct answer)
1/2

Correct answer: 1/3

6 − 4 = 2 unshaded triangles; 2/6 = 1/3 of the hexagon is unshaded.

Question 31: A 3×3 matrix has circles in row 1, squares in row 2, and triangles in row 3. Each row has small, medium, and large shapes. What shape fills the bottom-right cell?

Large triangle (Correct answer)
Medium triangle
Small triangle
Large square

Correct answer: Large triangle

Row 3 has triangles; the bottom-right corner must be the large triangle to complete the size sequence.

Question 32: Which word means the opposite of 'big'?

Small (Correct answer)
Tall
Large
Huge

Correct answer: Small

Small is the antonym of big.

Question 33: Which word is closest in meaning to 'ephemeral'?

Robust
Transient (Correct answer)
Eternal
Transparent

Correct answer: Transient

Ephemeral means lasting for a very short time, which is closest in meaning to transient.

Question 34: In a code where A=1, B=2, C=3, what does the code 3-1-2 spell?

BAC
ACB
CAB (Correct answer)
ABC

Correct answer: CAB

3=C, 1=A, 2=B, so the code spells CAB.

Question 35: Which figure comes next: circle, square, circle, square, circle ___?

Triangle
Rectangle
Square (Correct answer)
Circle

Correct answer: Square

The pattern alternates circle and square, so after circle comes square.

Question 36: Which word correctly completes: 'He was ___ about his personal life, rarely sharing details.'?

Reticent (Correct answer)
Verbose
Forthcoming
Garrulous

Correct answer: Reticent

Reticent means not revealing one's thoughts or feelings readily — fitting for someone who rarely shares.

Question 37: In a figure analogy, a filled circle becomes an empty circle when the background changes from white to black. A filled square with a white background becomes ___.

Empty square, black background (Correct answer)
Filled circle, black background
Filled square, black background
Empty square, white background

Correct answer: Empty square, black background

Applying the same rule (filled → empty, white → black), the result is an empty square on a black background.

Question 38: Which does NOT describe a property of a parallelogram?

All angles are right angles (Correct answer)
Opposite sides are equal
Opposite angles are equal
Diagonals bisect each other

Correct answer: All angles are right angles

A parallelogram does not require right angles — that is specific to rectangles.

Question 39: If there are 3 groups of 7 apples, how many apples are there in total?

10
14
28
21 (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 21

3 × 7 = 21 apples in total.

Question 40: In a number matrix, row 1 = [2, 4, 8], row 2 = [3, 6, 12]. What is the missing value in row 3 = [5, 10, ___]?

30
25
20 (Correct answer)
15

Correct answer: 20

Each row doubles its values: 5 × 4 = 20, or 10 × 2 = 20.

Question 41: What a hotel needs is _____

an elevator
a spa
a swimming pool
beds (Correct answer)

Correct answer: beds

The right response is "beds." Although some hotels do offer elevators, spas, and swimming pools, these amenities are not required. There must be beds in a hotel.

Question 42: In a series of figures, each step adds one dot to the outside of the previous figure (2, 3, 4, 5...). How many dots does the 7th figure have?

8 (Correct answer)
7
9
10

Correct answer: 8

Starting at 2 dots, each step adds 1: the 7th figure has 2 + 6 = 8 dots.

Question 43: ________ must be present in every airport.

Runways (Correct answer)
Restaurants
Boats
Shops

Correct answer: Runways

The runways is the right response. Runways are a must for airports in order for aircraft to take off. Restaurants, stores, and most airports' boat sections are not necessary.

Question 44: What is the next number in the sequence? 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, ___

20
19
21 (Correct answer)
18

Correct answer: 21

Each step increases by one more than the previous step (+2, +3, +4, +5, +6), so 15 + 6 = 21.

Question 45: A figure is rotated 180°. An arrow originally pointing up now points ___.

Left
Up
Right
Down (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Down

A 180° rotation reverses direction, so an upward arrow now points down.

Question 46: A square has 4 sides. A triangle has 3 sides. How many sides do 3 squares and 2 triangles have in total?

20
14
18 (Correct answer)
16

Correct answer: 18

3 squares × 4 sides = 12, plus 2 triangles × 3 sides = 6, for a total of 18 sides.

Question 47: There is a pattern to the numbers in the box. What number should the question mark be replaced with?

20
17
19 (Correct answer)
18
16

Correct answer: 19

The right response is 19. (28, -4) is the pattern that goes across the first row. 21 is 13 plus 8, while 17 is 21 – 4. The pattern is the same in the second row: 24 – 4 equals 20, and 16 + 8 equals 24. The bottom row needs to adhere to the same guidelines as well. The pattern will function if we enter 19: 19 + 8 equals 27, and 27 – 4 equals 3. 19 is therefore the right response.

Question 48: Redundant : Necessary :: Superfluous : ___

Unneeded
Extra
Excessive
Essential (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Essential

Redundant and superfluous are synonyms meaning unnecessary; their antonym is necessary or essential.

Question 49: Which of these is NOT a prime number: 11, 13, 17, 21?

11
21 (Correct answer)
17
13

Correct answer: 21

21 = 3 × 7, so it is not prime; 11, 13, and 17 are all prime.

Question 50: Which word does NOT belong: joyful, elated, miserable, gleeful?

Joyful
Miserable (Correct answer)
Elated
Gleeful

Correct answer: Miserable

Joyful, elated, and gleeful all mean happy; miserable means very unhappy.

Question 51: A rectangle has a length of 8 and a width of 5. What is its perimeter?

40
26 (Correct answer)
65
13

Correct answer: 26

Perimeter = 2(length + width) = 2(8 + 5) = 2 × 13 = 26.

Question 52: Which shape has the most lines of symmetry: equilateral triangle, square, regular pentagon, regular hexagon?

Regular pentagon
Equilateral triangle
Square
Regular hexagon (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Regular hexagon

A regular hexagon has 6 lines of symmetry, more than a triangle (3), square (4), or pentagon (5).

Question 53: The following terms make sense when combined. There is one among them that is not one of them. Which one is out of place?

brisk
swift
hasty
sluggish (Correct answer)
rapid

Correct answer: sluggish

Sluggish is the right response; it refers to a slow-moving object. The remaining response options are all synonyms for "quick" or "fast."

Question 54: Pencil is to writing as scissors is to ___.

Folding
Drawing
Cutting (Correct answer)
Painting

Correct answer: Cutting

A pencil is used for writing just as scissors are used for cutting.

Question 55: Which answer best describes: 'All mammals are warm-blooded; dolphins are mammals; therefore ___'?

Some dolphins are warm-blooded
Dolphins might be warm-blooded
Dolphins are cold-blooded
Dolphins are warm-blooded (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Dolphins are warm-blooded

By deductive logic, if all mammals are warm-blooded and dolphins are mammals, dolphins must be warm-blooded.

Question 56: A square piece of paper is folded in half diagonally, then folded in half again. How many layers thick is the result?

2
8
6
4 (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 4

Each fold doubles the layers: 1 → 2 → 4 layers after two folds.

Question 57: A pilot flies a plane. A captain ___.

Sails a ship (Correct answer)
Rides a horse
Builds a rocket
Drives a bus

Correct answer: Sails a ship

A captain is in charge of sailing a ship.

Question 58: A grid pattern has a dot moving one cell right and one cell down each step. If it starts at position (1,1), where is it after 3 steps?

(4,4) (Correct answer)
(4,3)
(3,3)
(2,4)

Correct answer: (4,4)

Starting at (1,1) and moving +1,+1 each step: (2,2), (3,3), (4,4) after 3 steps.

Question 59: Novel : Fiction :: Sonnet : ___

Essay
Story
Poem (Correct answer)
Drama

Correct answer: Poem

A novel is a type of fiction just as a sonnet is a type of poem.

Question 60: Choose the word that best completes the analogy: Hot is to Cold as Happy is to ___.

Glad
Sad (Correct answer)
Warm
Excited

Correct answer: Sad

Hot and cold are opposites, so the word that is opposite to happy is sad.

Question 61: Sort the following words to create the best possible statement. What letter would the last word start with once the sentence has been rearranged?

H (Correct answer)
G
F
V
I

Correct answer: H

The right response is H. The final word, health, starts with the letter H. Rearranged, the line reads, "Eating fruits and vegetables every day is good for your health."

Question 62: If a train travels 60 mph for 2.5 hours, how far does it travel?

160 miles
140 miles
120 miles
150 miles (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 150 miles

Distance = speed × time = 60 × 2.5 = 150 miles.

Question 63: 41, 45.6, 38.6, 43.2, and 36.2?

41.4
40.8 (Correct answer)
39.8
29.2
42.8

Correct answer: 40.8

The right response is 40.8. This question follows two patterns. The first step is to add 4.6 from the first to the second number (41 + 4.6 = 45.6). 7 is then deducted (45.6 – 7 = 38.6). And so on, repeating this cycle (38.6 + 4.6 = 43.2). Following this pattern, 40.8, or 36.2 + 4.6, is the correct response.

Question 64: There is a bookstore with one hundred picture books. Monday saw the sale of 25% of the books, followed by Tuesday's sales of 31% and Wednesday's sales of 7%. Five books are returned on Thursday. How many picture books is the bookstore still carrying?

39
42 (Correct answer)
37
51
22

Correct answer: 42

The right response is 42. This problem requires several stages to solve. Let's examine each day in detail. On Monday, there are one hundred books. 25 out of 100 are sold, meaning that 25% of them are sold. To calculate the remaining number of books, we now deduct 25 from 100: 100 - 25 = 75. Tuesday: There are 75 books to begin with. Now that 31 of them have been sold, we deduct 31 from 75 to determine the remaining number of books: 75 – 31 = 44. Wednesday: Let's begin with 44 immediately. After 7 of them are sold, we deduct 7 from 44 to determine the remaining number: 44 – 7 = 37. Thursday: There are 37 books to begin with. Since five books were returned, the number of volumes remaining is now 42 (37 + 5). Thus, 42 books is the right response.

Question 65: Which of these is a season: cold, March, winter, snow?

Cold
March
Winter (Correct answer)
Snow

Correct answer: Winter

Winter is one of the four seasons; the others describe weather or a month.

Question 66: A 4×4 grid must have each symbol (★, ●, ▲, ■) appear exactly once per row and column. The top row is [★, ●, ▲, ■]. What is the missing symbol in row 2 = [●, ___, ■, ★]?

●
★
■
▲ (Correct answer)

Correct answer: ▲

Row 2 already has ●, ■, ★; the missing symbol must be ▲.

Question 67: Which word is most similar in meaning to 'enormous'?

Huge (Correct answer)
Average
Tiny
Narrow

Correct answer: Huge

Enormous means very large, which is closest in meaning to huge.

Question 68: What would make the displayed picture complete?

Acting
Famous (Correct answer)
Actor
Fame

Correct answer: Famous

"Famous" is the correct word because it is an adjective meaning widely recognized and well-known, which completes the phrase implying prominence. "Actor" and "Fame" are nouns and "Acting" is a verb/gerund, so none of them function as a describing word in the same way.

Question 69: Which pair of words are antonyms?

Talkative / Reserved (Correct answer)
Swift / Rapid
Enormous / Massive
Brave / Courageous

Correct answer: Talkative / Reserved

Talkative means very communicative; reserved means quiet and restrained — these are antonyms.

Question 70: A shape is reflected across a vertical axis. If the original has a star in the top-right, where is the star after reflection?

Bottom-left
Top-left (Correct answer)
Bottom-right
Top-right

Correct answer: Top-left

Reflecting across a vertical axis swaps left and right, moving the star from top-right to top-left.

Question 71: In a pattern matrix, the number of sides increases by 1 across each row and by 2 down each column. If position (1,1) is a triangle (3 sides), how many sides does position (2,3) have?

8 (Correct answer)
6
7
9

Correct answer: 8

From (1,1): moving to row 2 adds 2 sides → 5; moving to column 3 adds 2 more sides → 7. Wait: col goes +1 per step so col 3 is +2 from col 1. Row 2 is +2 from row 1. So (2,3) = 3 + 2 (row) + 2 (col) = 7. Re-checking: +2 down (row 2 from row 1) and +1 per column step (col 3 is 2 steps from col 1, so +2). Total = 3+2+2 = 7.

Question 72: Two identical shapes overlap. The overlap region has 4 square units; each shape is 10 square units. What is the combined visible area?

24
18
20
16 (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 16

Total visible area = 10 + 10 − 4 = 16 square units.

OLSAT (Otis-Lennon School Ability Test)

The OLSAT (Otis-Lennon School Ability Test) is a K-12 school ability assessment published by Pearson that measures abstract thinking and reasoning skills across verbal and nonverbal domains, commonly used for gifted program placement.

Questions

60 min

Time Limit

70%

To Pass

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