SIFT Simple Drawings and Figures 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A figure shows a star with one point aimed directly upward. After two successive 90° clockwise rotations, where does that point aim?
- Left
- Right
- Down (Correct answer)
- Up
Correct answer: Down
Two 90° clockwise rotations total 180°, sending the top point directly downward.
Question 2: Which transformation changes the size of a figure?
- Translation
- Rotation
- Reflection
- Dilation (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Dilation
Dilation scales a figure by a factor, enlarging or reducing it, while the other three are rigid motions that preserve size.
Question 3: A right-pointing arrow is reflected across a horizontal axis. The result is:
- A left-pointing arrow
- A downward-pointing arrow
- A right-pointing arrow (unchanged) (Correct answer)
- An upward-pointing arrow
Correct answer: A right-pointing arrow (unchanged)
Reflecting a horizontal arrow across a horizontal axis flips it top-to-bottom but leaves its left-right direction unchanged.
Question 4: A simple closed figure has 0 lines of symmetry and rotational symmetry of order 1 only. This describes a:
- Circle
- Square
- Scalene triangle (Correct answer)
- Equilateral triangle
Correct answer: Scalene triangle
A scalene triangle has no equal sides, no lines of symmetry, and only trivial (360°) rotational symmetry.
Question 5: When comparing a target figure to answer choices on the SIFT, one choice appears to be the target flipped, not rotated. You should:
- Select it, since flips and rotations are equivalent
- Eliminate it, because it is a reflection and not a rotation (Correct answer)
- Select it only if no rotated match exists
- Ignore orientation entirely
Correct answer: Eliminate it, because it is a reflection and not a rotation
On the SIFT Simple Drawings subtest, reflections (mirror images) are distractors—only the correctly rotated figure is the right answer.
Question 6: A figure consists of a circle with a single dot in the upper-left quadrant. After a 270° clockwise rotation, the dot is in the:
- Upper-right quadrant (Correct answer)
- Lower-left quadrant
- Lower-right quadrant
- Upper-left quadrant
Correct answer: Upper-right quadrant
270° clockwise equals 90° counter-clockwise, moving the dot from upper-left to upper-right.
Question 7: Two figures are congruent if and only if one can be mapped to the other by:
- A dilation
- A rigid motion (translation, rotation, or reflection) (Correct answer)
- A horizontal stretch
- A shear
Correct answer: A rigid motion (translation, rotation, or reflection)
Congruence is defined by the existence of a rigid motion (isometry) mapping one figure exactly onto the other.
SIFT Simple Drawings and Figures 4
A figure shows a star with one point aimed directly upward.
After two successive 90° clockwise rotations, where does that point aim?