Overview

This set of 20 advanced verbal reasoning questions focuses on deductive reasoning puzzles, designed specifically for students preparing for the 11+ exam. These puzzles require logical thinking, deduction, and the ability to process multiple pieces of information to draw conclusions. They challenge students to use clues to find the correct answers based on elimination, sequencing, and logical relationships.

Example Question:

Example 1

Four friends—Amelia, Ben, Clara, and David—are each holding a different fruit: apple, banana, orange, and pear. The following clues apply:

  • Amelia is not holding an orange.
  • Ben is holding the fruit that starts with the same letter as his name.
  • Clara does not have a pear.
  • David is not holding the apple.

Question: Which fruit is each person holding?

Solution:
By using the clues:

  • Ben must be holding the banana (same letter as his name).
  • Clara, not holding the pear, must have the orange.
  • David is not holding the apple, so he must have the pear.
  • That leaves Amelia with the apple.

The final answer is: Amelia – Apple, Ben – Banana, Clara – Orange, David – Pear.

Questions

Basic Deductive Reasoning Puzzles

Question 1

Three friends—Jack, Sarah, and Lily—are going to three different activities: swimming, cycling, and running. The following clues apply:

  • Jack is not swimming.
  • Sarah is cycling.
  • Lily is not running.

Question: What activity is each friend doing?

Question 2

Four animals—dog, cat, rabbit, and bird—belong to four children: Alfie, Bella, Chloe, and Dylan. The following clues apply:

  • Alfie does not own the cat.
  • Bella owns the dog.
  • Chloe’s pet is not the rabbit.
  • Dylan has the cat.

Question: Which pet does each child have?

Question 3

Four different colours—red, blue, green, and yellow—are chosen by four friends: Oliver, Emma, Katie, and Noah. The following clues apply:

  • Oliver did not choose blue or yellow.
  • Emma chose green.
  • Katie did not choose red.
  • Noah chose yellow.

Question: What colour did each friend choose?

Question 4

Three children—Sam, Max, and Lucy—each brought a different item to school: a book, a pencil, and a lunchbox. The following clues apply:

  • Sam did not bring a pencil.
  • Lucy brought the lunchbox.
  • Max did not bring a book.

Question: What item did each child bring?

Question 5

Four people—Daniel, Hannah, Olivia, and William—are each wearing a different type of clothing: a hat, scarf, gloves, and jacket. The following clues apply:

  • Daniel is not wearing gloves.
  • Hannah is wearing a hat.
  • Olivia is not wearing a scarf.
  • William is wearing gloves.

Question: What is each person wearing?

Intermediate Deductive Reasoning Puzzles

Question 6

Five students—Aiden, Bella, Charlie, Danielle, and Ethan—are sitting in a row from left to right. The following clues apply:

  • Aiden is sitting to the left of Bella.
  • Charlie is not next to Ethan.
  • Danielle is sitting between Bella and Ethan.

Question: What is the order of the students from left to right?

Question 7

Three teachers—Mr. Green, Mrs. Blue, and Ms. White—teach English, Maths, and Science. The following clues apply:

  • Mr. Green does not teach Science.
  • Mrs. Blue teaches Maths.
  • Ms. White does not teach English.

Question: Which subject does each teacher teach?

Question 8

Four different animals—lion, tiger, bear, and wolf—live in four separate enclosures numbered 1 to 4. The following clues apply:

  • The lion is not in enclosure 1.
  • The bear is in enclosure 3.
  • The wolf is not in enclosure 2.

Question: Which animal is in each enclosure?

Question 9

Five friends—Alice, Bob, Claire, David, and Eva—are each wearing a different colour shirt: purple, white, black, green, and red. The following clues apply:

  • Alice is not wearing black.
  • Bob is wearing red.
  • Claire is wearing white.
  • David is not wearing green.

Question: What colour shirt is each person wearing?

Question 10

Three fruits—apple, banana, and cherry—are placed in three bowls labelled A, B, and C. The following clues apply:

  • The apple is not in bowl A.
  • The banana is in bowl B.
  • The cherry is not in bowl C.

Question: Which fruit is in each bowl?

Advanced Deductive Reasoning Puzzles

Question 11

Four children—Ella, Jack, Mia, and Tom—are going to four different places: the zoo, park, cinema, and museum. The following clues apply:

  • Ella did not go to the park.
  • Jack went to the zoo.
  • Mia went to the cinema.
  • Tom did not go to the museum.

Question: Where did each child go?

Question 12

Four books—History, Science, Art, and Maths—are placed on a shelf from left to right. The following clues apply:

  • The Science book is not next to the History book.
  • The Art book is to the left of the Maths book.
  • The History book is not at either end.

Question: What is the order of the books from left to right?

Question 13

Five pets—dog, cat, bird, fish, and hamster—belong to five owners: Amy, Ben, Chris, Diane, and Ella. The following clues apply:

  • Amy does not own the cat.
  • Ben has the fish.
  • Chris does not have a dog.
  • Diane has a hamster.
  • Ella does not have the bird.

Question: Which pet does each person have?

Question 14

Three cars—red, blue, and yellow—are parked in three different spots: 1, 2, and 3. The following clues apply:

  • The red car is not in spot 1.
  • The blue car is not in spot 3.
  • The yellow car is in spot 2.

Question: Where is each car parked?

Question 15

Four siblings—Lily, Ryan, Sophie, and James—are eating different desserts: ice cream, cake, pudding, and fruit salad. The following clues apply:

  • Lily did not have cake.
  • Ryan had pudding.
  • Sophie did not have ice cream.
  • James did not have fruit salad.

Question: What dessert did each sibling have?

Expert-Level Deductive Reasoning Puzzles

Question 16

Four players—Ava, Blake, Chloe, and Dylan—are each playing a different sport: football, tennis, rugby, and cricket. The following clues apply:

  • Ava is not playing rugby.
  • Blake is playing tennis.
  • Chloe is not playing football.
  • Dylan is not playing cricket.

Question: Which sport is each player playing?

Question 17

Five people—Nick, Olivia, Paul, Quinn, and Rachel—are seated around a circular table. The following clues apply:

  • Nick is sitting next to Olivia.
  • Paul is sitting directly opposite Rachel.
  • Quinn is to the immediate right of Olivia.

Question: What is the seating arrangement?

Question 18

Three boxes—red, green, and blue—contain different objects: a ball, a book, and a toy. The following clues apply:

  • The red box does not contain the ball.
  • The blue box contains the toy.
  • The green box does not contain the book.

Question: Which object is in each box?

Question 19

Four friends—Anna, Brian, Charlie, and Daisy—are arranging their books on a shelf. The books are numbered 1 to 4. The following clues apply:

  • Anna’s book is not in position 1.
  • Brian’s book is in position 3.
  • Charlie’s book is not in position 2.
  • Daisy’s book is in position 4.

Question: In what order are the books arranged?

Question 20

Five children—Oliver, Emily, Harry, Grace, and Jack—each have a different type of sandwich: ham, cheese, tuna, chicken, and egg. The following clues apply:

  • Oliver has a cheese sandwich.
  • Emily does not have a ham sandwich.
  • Harry has the tuna sandwich.
  • Grace does not have the chicken sandwich.

Question: Which sandwich does each child have?

Answers

Basic Deductive Reasoning Puzzles

  1. Jack – Running, Sarah – Cycling, Lily – Swimming
  2. Alfie – Bird, Bella – Dog, Chloe – Cat, Dylan – Rabbit
  3. Oliver – Red, Emma – Green, Katie – Blue, Noah – Yellow
  4. Sam – Book, Max – Pencil, Lucy – Lunchbox
  5. Daniel – Jacket, Hannah – Hat, Olivia – Gloves, William – Scarf

Intermediate Deductive Reasoning Puzzles

  1. Aiden, Bella, Danielle, Charlie, Ethan
  2. Mr. Green – English, Mrs. Blue – Maths, Ms. White – Science
  3. Lion – 2, Tiger – 1, Bear – 3, Wolf – 4
  4. Alice – Purple, Bob – Red, Claire – White, David – Black, Eva – Green
  5. Apple – C, Banana – B, Cherry – A

Advanced Deductive Reasoning Puzzles

  1. Ella – Cinema, Jack – Zoo, Mia – Cinema, Tom – Park
  2. Art, History, Maths, Science
  3. Amy – Dog, Ben – Fish, Chris – Bird, Diane – Hamster, Ella – Cat
  4. Red – 2, Blue – 1, Yellow – 3
  5. Lily – Ice cream, Ryan – Pudding, Sophie – Cake, James – Fruit salad

Expert-Level Deductive Reasoning Puzzles

  1. Ava – Cricket, Blake – Tennis, Chloe – Football, Dylan – Rugby
  2. Nick, Olivia, Quinn, Paul, Rachel
  3. Red – Book, Green – Ball, Blue – Toy
  4. Charlie – 1, Anna – 2, Brian – 3, Daisy – 4
  5. Oliver – Cheese, Emily – Egg, Harry – Tuna, Grace – Ham, Jack – Chicken

This set of advanced deductive reasoning puzzles tests students’ ability to process multiple clues and logically deduce answers, a critical skill for success in the 11+ exam. These puzzles encourage logical thinking, attention to detail, and strong reasoning skills.