Verbal reasoning: guide and free practice

True, false or cannot say

Choose True only when the passage establishes the statement. Choose False only when it establishes the opposite. Choose Cannot say when both the statement and its opposite remain possible. A statement is not false merely because the passage does not mention it.

A passage-first method

1. Find the sentence relevant to the statement.
2. Check its scope: which people, place and time does it describe?
3. Look for qualifiers such as some, all, only, may and must.
4. Try to construct two interpretations of the passage, one where the claim holds and one where it does not. If both work, choose Cannot say.

Comparisons need a baseline

If 60% of today's reservations are online, that does not establish whether total reservations increased. You need the earlier total. Similarly, a fall in absences does not prove that a work schedule caused it without evidence excluding other explanations.

A useful review habit

For every answer, underline the supporting clause. For Cannot say, write down the missing fact. This is more useful than memorising answers because a single word such as all can change the result. The four original passages below cover a workplace trial, a library, transport packaging and recruitment. Each is hypothetical.

Prerequisites and practice levels

Start by identifying who a sentence concerns, its time period, and whether it states all, some or only. Foundation practice uses short direct clauses. Intermediate practice combines attendance counts, non-response and deadlines. Advanced practice adds changing denominators, causal claims and necessary versus sufficient conditions. The two added sets each use two original fictional passages with five questions per passage.

Worked example: a survey is not a census

Of 60 invited people, 40 attend and 25 answer a survey; 20 respondents approve. “Most respondents approve” is True because 20 of 25 exceeds half. “Exactly 20 invitees approve” is Cannot say: other invitees might approve too. “Every attendee replied” is False because only 25 of 40 replied. Keep invited people, attendees and respondents in separate groups.

Worked example: only does not mean all

Only trained staff may approve a request. Jo approved one, so Jo is trained. A trained colleague need not approve anything. If the passage says a certificate is issued if and only if both checks pass, both directions are supplied; do not import that stronger rule when it merely says a certificate requires checks.

Common mistakes and next steps

• For an unsupported cause, name the missing comparison rather than choosing False automatically.
• For an all-or-every claim, search for an explicit counterexample.
• For a percentage, retain the population and time period.

After each set, record one exact clause for True or False and one missing fact for Cannot say. Move to the next level when you can justify each choice without guessing. Continue to critical thinking for assumptions and causal evidence, or deductive reasoning for formal rule chains.

Your first practice session

Use only the supplied passage. Choose True, False or Cannot say. No outside knowledge is needed. Foundation practice shares three questions per passage; intermediate and advanced sets share five.

Try 12 questions with explanations

Choose your practice difficulty

Difficulty labels describe the steps needed in these teaching sets; they are not validated ability bands. Start with foundation practice and move on after you can explain your method.

• Foundation: 12 questions — direct evidence, contradictions and missing information.
• Intermediate: 10 questions — Distinguish evidence, missing facts and population changes in two fictional passages.
• Advanced: 10 questions — Evaluate causal claims, changing denominators and eligibility conditions in two fictional passages.

Continue learning

• Critical thinking
• Deductive reasoning
• CCAT preparation

About this practice

These are independently written teaching questions. A practice score helps you review your answers; it is not a validated hiring prediction or an official employer score.