Pickles AcademyStart for freeReasoning problems – practice for Years 5–9
Sample questions on Reasoning problems with the right answer and a worked solution, from easy to hard. In the Pickles Academy app a child gets new questions of the same kind every time, so they can't just learn the answers by heart.
- Subject
- Logic
- Year
- Years 5–9
- Curriculum area
- Reasoning word problems
Question types: Think it through
Rule: Reasoning problems
To cut something into n pieces you need n − 1 cuts. Posts from start to end of a path: one more than the gaps.
Eve is 3rd from the left and 5th from the right: the row has 3 + 5 − 1 = 7 children, because Eve is counted twice.
To be “sure” of what you draw, think of the worst case, when the ones you don’t want come out first.
Example: A 20 m path with posts every 5 m: 20 ÷ 5 = 4 gaps, so 5 posts.
Watch out: On the last day the snail does not slide back: once it reaches the top, it is out.
Sample questions
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Question 1 Easy
A log is cut into 7 pieces. One cut takes 7 minutes. How many minutes does the cutting take?
Show the solution
Answer: 42 minHow it works: 7 pieces need 6 cuts: 6 × 7 = 42 min.
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Question 2 Normal
Two numbers add up to 62 and differ by 10. What is the larger number?
Show the solution
Answer: 36How it works: (62 + 10) : 2 = 36
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Question 3 Hard
A drawer holds 9 red and 7 blue socks. In the dark we cannot tell them apart. What is the smallest number of socks we must take out to be sure of two red ones?
Show the solution
Answer: 9How it works: At worst we first take all 7 blue ones, then 2 red: 9.
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