SCAT - School and College Ability Logical Reasoning Puzzles Questions and Answers

Question 1

Five friends ran a race. Alice finished before Ben, but after Chloe. David finished before Eric, but after Ben. Who finished in fourth place?

Accepted Answer

David

Answer

The first clue, 'Alice finished before Ben, but after Chloe,' gives the order: Chloe, Alice, Ben. The second clue, 'David finished before Eric, but after Ben,' gives the order: Ben, David, Eric. Combining these two sequences gives the complete finishing order: Chloe (1st), Alice (2nd), Ben (3rd), David (4th), and Eric (5th). Therefore, David finished in fourth place.

Question 2

Four children—Mark, Nina, Omar, and Pam—each own exactly one pet: a cat, a dog, a fish, or a bird. Use the following clues to determine who owns the dog:
1. Pam's pet can fly.
2. Mark's pet does not have fur.
3. Nina is allergic to cats.

Accepted Answer

Nina

Answer

From clue 1, Pam owns the bird. From clue 2, Mark's pet does not have fur; since the bird is taken, Mark must own the fish. From clue 3, Nina is allergic to cats, so she cannot own the cat. The only pets left are the dog and the cat. Since Nina cannot have the cat, she must own the dog. This leaves Omar with the cat.

Question 3

On a strange planet, the following statements are true: All wimbles are zoodles. Some zoodles are flurgs. No flurgs are glonks. Which of the following statements must also be true?

Accepted Answer

Some zoodles are not glonks.

Answer

We know that some zoodles are flurgs, and we know that no flurgs are glonks. This means there is a specific group of zoodles (the ones that are also flurgs) that are definitely not glonks. Therefore, the statement 'Some zoodles are not glonks' must be true. We cannot be sure if the wimbles are part of the zoodles that are flurgs, so the other options are not guaranteed.

Question 4

You meet two islanders, Alex and Ben. One always tells the truth, and the other always lies. Alex says, 'Ben and I are both liars.' Which of the following statements must be true?

Accepted Answer

Alex is the liar and Ben is the truth-teller.

Answer

Consider the possibilities for Alex. If Alex were the truth-teller, his statement ('Ben and I are both liars') would have to be true. But this is a contradiction, as the truth-teller cannot be a liar. Therefore, Alex must be the liar. If Alex is the liar, his statement must be false. The opposite of 'Ben and I are both liars' is 'at least one of us is not a liar.' Since we've established Alex is the liar, Ben must be the one who is not a liar, making him the truth-teller.

Question 5

Five houses stand in a row, painted Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, and White. The Green house is to the right of the Yellow house. The Blue house is not at either end of the row. The Red house is exactly between the Green and the White houses. If the Yellow house is at the far left end, which house is in the middle?

Accepted Answer

White

Answer

Given the Yellow house is first (Position 1). The Blue house cannot be at an end (so not in 1 or 5). The Red house is between Green and White, forming a G-R-W or W-R-G block. The only arrangement that fits all rules is: Yellow, Blue, White, Red, Green. This places Yellow at the far left, Blue is not at an end, the G-R-W block is intact (with Blue in between), and Green is to the right of Yellow. In this order, the house in the middle (Position 3) is the White house.

(SCAT) School and College Ability Test Practice Test

(SCAT) School and College Ability Test Practice Test

SCAT - School and College Ability Logical Reasoning Puzzles Questions and Answers