Raven's Progressive Matrices Test Raven's Progressive Matrices 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which matrix set in the Standard Progressive Matrices is considered the most difficult?
- Set A
- Set B
- Set D
- Set E (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Set E
Set E contains the most complex analogy and spatial reasoning problems in the SPM.
Question 2: A matrix row shows: large star, medium star, small star. The next row shows: large hexagon, medium hexagon, ___. What completes it?
- Large hexagon
- Small circle
- Small hexagon (Correct answer)
- Medium star
Correct answer: Small hexagon
The size decreases left to right (large → medium → small), so the pattern requires a small hexagon.
Question 3: When two overlapping shapes appear in a matrix cell, the overlap region is sometimes shown as white (XOR rule). If a black circle overlaps a black square, what color is the overlapping region under this rule?
- Black
- Gray
- White (Correct answer)
- Striped
Correct answer: White
The XOR rule makes the overlap white when two filled regions intersect.
Question 4: A matrix shows each row containing shapes whose sides sum to 12. A row has a triangle (3 sides) and a pentagon (5 sides). What shape is missing?
- Quadrilateral (Correct answer)
- Hexagon
- Heptagon
- Octagon
Correct answer: Quadrilateral
3 + 5 + ? = 12, so the missing shape has 4 sides, which is a quadrilateral (square or rectangle).
Question 5: In Raven's matrices, which reasoning process is primarily engaged when a test-taker identifies a rule that applies across all rows AND all columns?
- Deductive reasoning only
- Inductive reasoning to extract an abstract rule (Correct answer)
- Semantic memory retrieval
- Procedural memory recall
Correct answer: Inductive reasoning to extract an abstract rule
Identifying a pattern from multiple examples is inductive reasoning — inferring a general rule from specific instances.
Question 6: A matrix has shapes where each row shows a reflection across a vertical axis. If row 2, column 1 shows an arrow pointing upper-left, column 2 shows it pointing upper-right. What does column 3 show?
- Arrow pointing upper-left (Correct answer)
- Arrow pointing lower-right
- Arrow pointing upper-right
- Arrow pointing lower-left
Correct answer: Arrow pointing upper-left
Reflecting upper-right back across the vertical axis returns the arrow to upper-left.
Question 7: Which property of Raven's matrices makes scores most sensitive to working memory capacity?
- The use of color gradients
- The need to hold multiple rules in mind simultaneously (Correct answer)
- The timed format of the test
- The requirement to write explanations
Correct answer: The need to hold multiple rules in mind simultaneously
Tracking several simultaneous rules (size, shape, shading, rotation) taxes working memory directly.
Raven's Progressive Matrices Test Raven's Progressive Matrices 4
Which matrix set in the Standard Progressive Matrices is considered the most difficult?