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

Question 1: 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 cannot form a cube
It forms a rectangular prism

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 2: What a hotel needs is _____

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

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 3: Look at the sequence: ★ ★ ☆ ★ ★ ☆. What comes next?

★ ★
☆ ☆
☆
★ (Correct answer)

Correct answer: ★

The pattern repeats ★ ★ ☆, so after ☆ comes ★.

Question 4: 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.

Question 5: Which word correctly completes: 'He was ___ about his personal life, rarely sharing details.'?

Verbose
Forthcoming
Reticent (Correct answer)
Garrulous

Correct answer: Reticent

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

Question 6: A square has 4 sides. A triangle has 3 sides. How many sides do 3 squares and 2 triangles have in total?

20
18 (Correct answer)
16
14

Correct answer: 18

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

Question 7: Biologist : Cell :: Astronomer : ___

Galaxy (Correct answer)
Atom
Telescope
Microscope

Correct answer: Galaxy

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

Question 8: A tree is to forest as a star is to ___.

Moon
Night
Sky
Galaxy (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Galaxy

Many trees make a forest, and many stars make a galaxy.

Question 9: 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 10: Which number is between 7 and 9?

10
6
7
8 (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 8

8 is the number that falls between 7 and 9.

Question 11: Which of these is a season: cold, March, winter, snow?

March
Winter (Correct answer)
Snow
Cold

Correct answer: Winter

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

Question 12: Which word does NOT belong: comedy, tragedy, sonnet, drama?

Sonnet (Correct answer)
Tragedy
Comedy
Drama

Correct answer: Sonnet

A sonnet is a form of poetry, while comedy, tragedy, and drama are forms of theater.

Question 13: 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 14: Which number completes the matrix? Row 1: 4, 8, 12 | Row 2: 5, 10, 15 | Row 3: 6, 12, ___

20
17
16
18 (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 18

Each row multiplies the first number by 1, 2, and 3; 6×3=18.

Question 15: If a train travels 240 miles in 4 hours, how far will it travel in 7 hours at the same speed?

400 miles
480 miles
360 miles
420 miles (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 420 miles

Speed = 240÷4 = 60 mph; distance in 7 hours = 60×7 = 420 miles.

Question 16: Provident : Wasteful :: Prudent : ___

Reckless (Correct answer)
Wise
Thrifty
Careful

Correct answer: Reckless

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

Question 17: Which sentence uses the word 'pernicious' correctly?

The pernicious rumor damaged her reputation. (Correct answer)
He gave a pernicious smile of welcome.
Her pernicious kindness helped many.
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 18: A regular hexagon is divided into 6 equilateral triangles. If 4 triangles are shaded, what fraction is unshaded?

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

Correct answer: 1/3

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

Question 19: If all roses are flowers and some flowers fade quickly, which conclusion must be true?

Roses never fade
No roses fade quickly
Some roses might fade quickly (Correct answer)
All roses fade quickly

Correct answer: Some roses might fade quickly

Since only some flowers fade quickly, roses may or may not be among them.

Question 20: A number is multiplied by 4 and then 8 is subtracted. The result is 28. What is the original number?

9 (Correct answer)
8
5
7

Correct answer: 9

Work backwards: 28+8=36, 36÷4=9, so the original number is 9.

Question 21: 41, 45.6, 38.6, 43.2, and 36.2?

40.8 (Correct answer)
42.8
29.2
41.4
39.8

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 22: A store has 56 cans arranged in 8 equal rows. How many cans are in each row?

9
8
6
7 (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 7

56 ÷ 8 = 7 cans per row.

Question 23: Sycophant is to flattery as bully is to ___.

Respect
Leadership
Intimidation (Correct answer)
Kindness

Correct answer: Intimidation

A sycophant uses flattery; a bully uses intimidation.

Question 24: Choose the best word: The diplomat tried to ___ the tensions between the two nations.

Provoke
Defuse (Correct answer)
Inflame
Escalate

Correct answer: Defuse

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

Question 25: If today is Monday, what day comes two days later?

Wednesday (Correct answer)
Tuesday
Friday
Thursday

Correct answer: Wednesday

Two days after Monday is Wednesday.

Question 26: Which best describes the relationship: 'Prologue : Story :: Preface : ___'?

Appendix
Book (Correct answer)
Index
Chapter

Correct answer: Book

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

Question 27: A figural series shows squares that gain one additional inner square each step: □, □□, □□□. If this pattern continues, how many inner squares does the 6th figure have?

4
5
6 (Correct answer)
7

Correct answer: 6

The pattern adds one inner square per step, so the 6th figure has 6 inner squares.

Question 28: Sentence completion: The teacher praised Maya's ___ answer because it was thorough and showed deep understanding.

comprehensive (Correct answer)
hasty
brief
vague

Correct answer: comprehensive

Comprehensive means covering all aspects thoroughly, matching 'thorough and showing deep understanding.'

Question 29: There is a pattern to the numbers in the box. What number should the question mark be replaced with?

27
49
43
39 (Correct answer)
53

Correct answer: 39

39 is the right response. The pattern is (x3, -12) across the first row of stitches. 31 x 3 equals 93, and 93 – 12 equals 81. The pattern is the same in the second row: 24 x 3 equals 72, and 72 minus 12 equals 60. The bottom row needs to adhere to the same guidelines as well. Since 17 x 3 equals 51 and 51 – 12 equals 39, 39 is the right response.

Question 30: Which pair of words are antonyms?

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

Correct answer: Talkative / Reserved

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

Question 31: What is the next number in the pattern: 1, 4, 9, 16, ___?

25 (Correct answer)
36
20
49

Correct answer: 25

The pattern is perfect squares (1², 2², 3², 4², 5²), so the next number is 5² = 25.

Question 32: 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)
7
9
6

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 33: 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 ___.

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

Correct answer: Same as before

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

Question 34: 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 35: Alex and Mitch made twenty cookies. Alex ate four of them, while Mitch consumed half. How much of the cookies remained?

7
10
6 (Correct answer)
9
8

Correct answer: 6

The correct answer is 6 cookies. There were 20 cookies to start, and if Mitch ate half of them, that means we must divide 20 by 2 to find out how many he ate: 20 ÷ 2 = 10 cookies If we then subtract the 10 cookies Mitch ate, we get 10 cookies remaining: 20 – 10 = 10 cookies Alex then ate 4 cookies, which means we must subtract 4 from the 10 remaining cookies to find out how many were left: 10 – 4 = 6 cookies

Question 36: If 5 workers can complete a job in 12 days, how many days would 10 workers take?

8
3
24
6 (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 6

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

Question 37: Maria has 24 stickers. She gives away 1/3 of them. How many does she have left?

16 (Correct answer)
12
18
8

Correct answer: 16

1/3 of 24 is 8, so Maria has 24 − 8 = 16 stickers left.

Question 38: Which shape has the most lines of symmetry: equilateral triangle, square, regular pentagon, regular hexagon?

Regular hexagon (Correct answer)
Regular pentagon
Equilateral triangle
Square

Correct answer: Regular hexagon

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

Question 39: Which of these is a color: happy, blue, run, large?

Blue (Correct answer)
Large
Happy
Run

Correct answer: Blue

Blue is a color; the other words are a feeling, an action, and a size.

Question 40: A square piece of paper is folded in half diagonally, then folded in half again. How many layers thick is the result?

6
8
4 (Correct answer)
2

Correct answer: 4

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

Question 41: Architect is to blueprint as chef is to ___.

Recipe (Correct answer)
Kitchen
Ingredient
Apron

Correct answer: Recipe

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

Question 42: Which of these number sentences is TRUE?

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

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 43: Nocturnal is to daytime as carnivore is to ___.

Animal
Herbivore (Correct answer)
Predator
Hunter

Correct answer: Herbivore

Nocturnal is the opposite of daytime activity; a carnivore eats meat, opposite to an herbivore that eats plants.

Question 44: Which shape has exactly 6 faces?

Cube (Correct answer)
Cylinder
Pyramid
Sphere

Correct answer: Cube

A cube has 6 equal square faces.

Question 45: Novel : Fiction :: Sonnet : ___

Story
Drama
Essay
Poem (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Poem

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

Question 46: Which word does NOT belong: joyful, elated, miserable, gleeful?

Miserable (Correct answer)
Joyful
Elated
Gleeful

Correct answer: Miserable

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

Question 47: Which conclusion follows logically: 'All athletes train hard. Maria trains hard.' Therefore ___.

Maria might be an athlete (Correct answer)
Maria is an athlete
Maria is not 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 48: modest → haughty :: → antiquated

classical
modern (Correct answer)
pompous
modest
antique

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

Jungle
Meadow
Beach
Tundra (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Tundra

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

Question 50: A clock shows 3:00. After 90 minutes, what time will it show?

4:00
4:30 (Correct answer)
3:90
5:00

Correct answer: 4:30

90 minutes is 1 hour and 30 minutes, so 3:00 plus 90 minutes equals 4:30.

Question 51: What is the next term in the series? 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, ___

35
49
36 (Correct answer)
30

Correct answer: 36

These are perfect squares: 1²=1, 2²=4, 3²=9, 4²=16, 5²=25, 6²=36.

Question 52: Choose the word that best completes the analogy: Hot is to Cold as Happy is to ___.

Glad
Warm
Sad (Correct answer)
Excited

Correct answer: Sad

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

Question 53: 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)
(3,3)
(4,3)
(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 54: Which word means 'to make something less severe'?

Intensify
Mitigate (Correct answer)
Exacerbate
Aggravate

Correct answer: Mitigate

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

Question 55: Choose the word that best fills the blank: The scientist's hypothesis was ___; it had no support from experimental data.

Conclusive
Substantiated
Unfounded (Correct answer)
Verified

Correct answer: Unfounded

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

Question 56: 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 up-right (Correct answer)
A rectangle
A triangle pointing down-left

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 57: 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)
Small triangle
Medium 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 58: 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 ___.

Filled circle, black background
Empty square, black background (Correct answer)
Empty square, white background
Filled square, black 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 59: In a pattern, each square is shaded one additional quadrant clockwise per step. After 4 steps, how many quadrants are shaded?

4 (Correct answer)
3
1
2

Correct answer: 4

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

Question 60: Solve: 2(x − 3) = 4x − 10. What is x?

2 (Correct answer)
1
3
4

Correct answer: 2

2x − 6 = 4x − 10; −6 + 10 = 4x − 2x; 4 = 2x; x = 2.

Question 61: A baker bakes bread. A teacher ___.

Teaches students (Correct answer)
Builds houses
Flies planes
Sells cars

Correct answer: Teaches students

A teacher's primary role is to teach students.

Question 62: Penultimate means second to last. What position is the penultimate item in a list of 8?

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

Correct answer: 7th

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

Question 63: 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
15
20 (Correct answer)
25

Correct answer: 20

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

Question 64: A shape is reflected across a vertical axis. If the original has a star in the top-right, where is the star after reflection?

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

Correct answer: Top-left

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

Question 65: A figure is rotated 180°. An arrow originally pointing up now points ___.

Up
Left
Down (Correct answer)
Right

Correct answer: Down

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

Question 66: A triangle has angles of 45°, 90°, and ___?

35°
60°
55°
45° (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 45°

Angles in a triangle sum to 180°; 180° − 45° − 90° = 45°.

Question 67: Which word is a synonym for 'candid'?

Honest (Correct answer)
Cautious
Deceptive
Secretive

Correct answer: Honest

Candid means frank and honest.

Question 68: A student reads 5 chapters in 2 hours. At this rate, how long to read 12 chapters?

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

Correct answer: 4.8 hours

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

Question 69: If no cats are reptiles and all reptiles are cold-blooded, which must be true?

All cats are cold-blooded
None of the above must be true (Correct answer)
Some 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 70: If all Blips are Blops, and all Blops are Blunks, then which must be true?

Some Blops are not Blunks
All Blips are Blunks (Correct answer)
All Blunks are Blips
No Blips are Blunks

Correct answer: All Blips are Blunks

If Blips are Blops and Blops are Blunks, then Blips must also be Blunks.

Question 71: 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?

10
8 (Correct answer)
9
7

Correct answer: 8

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

Question 72: Redundant : Necessary :: Superfluous : ___

Essential (Correct answer)
Excessive
Unneeded
Extra

Correct answer: Essential

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

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%

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