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

Question 1: Novel : Fiction :: Sonnet : ___

Drama
Essay
Story
Poem (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Poem

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

Question 2: If 5 workers can complete a job in 12 days, how many days would 10 workers take?

3
8
6 (Correct answer)
24

Correct answer: 6

Doubling the workers halves the time: 12 ÷ 2 = 6 days.

Question 3: Penultimate means second to last. What position is the penultimate item in a list of 8?

7th (Correct answer)
6th
8th
5th

Correct answer: 7th

The penultimate position in a list of 8 is the 7th position.

Question 4: Which word is most similar in meaning to 'enormous'?

Huge (Correct answer)
Narrow
Tiny
Average

Correct answer: Huge

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

Question 5: Choose the word that best fills the blank: The scientist's hypothesis was ___; it had no support from experimental data.

Unfounded (Correct answer)
Verified
Substantiated
Conclusive

Correct answer: Unfounded

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

Question 6: Look at the pattern: A1, B2, C3, D4, ___. What comes next?

D5
E4
F6
E5 (Correct answer)

Correct answer: E5

The pattern increases the letter and number by one each time, so after D4 comes E5.

Question 7: 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 cube (Correct answer)
It forms a pyramid
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 8: Which of these number sentences is TRUE?

20 ÷ 4 = 5 (Correct answer)
9 - 4 > 6
3 × 4 > 15
6 + 8 = 15

Correct answer: 20 ÷ 4 = 5

20 ÷ 4 = 5 is correct; the others — 3×4=12, 6+8=14, 9-4=5 — are all false.

Question 9: Complete the analogy: Timid is to Bold as Frugal is to ___.

Careful
Thrifty
Wasteful (Correct answer)
Wealthy

Correct answer: Wasteful

Timid and bold are opposites; frugal (spending little) and wasteful (spending recklessly) are also opposites.

Question 10: Architect is to blueprint as chef is to ___.

Ingredient
Recipe (Correct answer)
Apron
Kitchen

Correct answer: Recipe

An architect uses a blueprint to guide construction, just as a chef uses a recipe to guide cooking.

Question 11: Provident : Wasteful :: Prudent : ___

Wise
Careful
Reckless (Correct answer)
Thrifty

Correct answer: Reckless

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

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

20 (Correct answer)
15
30
25

Correct answer: 20

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

Question 13: 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 ___.

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

Correct answer: Same as before

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

Question 14: If FROG is coded as GSJH, what is the code for BIRD?

CJSE (Correct answer)
CJRE
CISE
AJPC

Correct answer: CJSE

Each letter advances by one position: B→C, I→J, R→S, D→E = CJSE.

Question 15: Which word means 'to make something less severe'?

Aggravate
Mitigate (Correct answer)
Intensify
Exacerbate

Correct answer: Mitigate

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

Question 16: 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)
3
2

Correct answer: 4

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

Question 17: 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?

(4,3)
(4,4) (Correct answer)
(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 18: Which pair of words are antonyms?

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

Correct answer: Talkative / Reserved

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

Question 19: What number comes next in the series? 3, 6, 12, 24, ___

30
48 (Correct answer)
42
36

Correct answer: 48

Each number is doubled: 3×2=6, 6×2=12, 12×2=24, 24×2=48.

Question 20: Which word is a synonym for 'candid'?

Honest (Correct answer)
Cautious
Deceptive
Secretive

Correct answer: Honest

Candid means frank and honest.

Question 21: Each figure in a series gains one extra side: triangle, square, pentagon, ___.

Pentagon
Heptagon
Octagon
Hexagon (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Hexagon

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

Question 22: Which number sentence is TRUE?

5 + 3 > 4 + 5
7 + 1 = 4 + 4 (Correct answer)
6 + 2 < 3 + 4
9 - 2 < 5 + 1

Correct answer: 7 + 1 = 4 + 4

7 + 1 = 8 and 4 + 4 = 8, so both sides are equal, making the statement true.

Question 23: Complete the analogy: Arid is to desert as frigid is to ___.

Meadow
Jungle
Tundra (Correct answer)
Beach

Correct answer: Tundra

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

Question 24: Which word is a type of animal: run, jump, rabbit, fast?

Rabbit (Correct answer)
Fast
Jump
Run

Correct answer: Rabbit

A rabbit is an animal; the other words are actions or descriptions.

Question 25: Which word does NOT belong with the others? Dog, Cat, Rose, Hamster

Cat
Rose (Correct answer)
Dog
Hamster

Correct answer: Rose

Rose is a plant, while dog, cat, and hamster are all animals that can be kept as pets.

Question 26: Logical selection: Which animal would most logically complete this group? Robin, Bluebird, Cardinal, ___

Goldfinch (Correct answer)
Penguin
Ostrich
Bat

Correct answer: Goldfinch

Robins, bluebirds, cardinals, and goldfinches are all small, colorful songbirds commonly found in North American backyards.

Question 27: 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?

Medium triangle
Small triangle
Large triangle (Correct answer)
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 28: Which piece completes the puzzle if the missing segment is the top-right of a 4-piece square divided diagonally?

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

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 29: In a series of shapes, each square is rotated 90° clockwise. If the first square has a dot in the top-left corner, where is the dot after 3 rotations?

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

Correct answer: Bottom-left

90° clockwise: top-left → top-right → bottom-right → bottom-left after 3 rotations.

Question 30: Which number is missing? 2, 4, ___, 8, 10

7
5
6 (Correct answer)
9

Correct answer: 6

The series counts by 2s (even numbers), so the missing number between 4 and 8 is 6.

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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