11+ Verbal Reasoning: Logical Reasoning and Statement Puzzles

This is the question family parents most often describe as "not really English at all", and they're not wrong to notice something's different. Logical reasoning questions test deduction: given a set of statements, what must be true, what might be true, and what can't be true? It's closer to a maths or logic puzzle wearing a verbal reasoning costume, and it's more prominent on CEM-style papers than GL papers. Here's how to approach it methodically.

What this question family covers

• Statement-based logic puzzles: given two or more statements as facts, work out what conclusion necessarily follows
• Word-based deduction: puzzles involving ordering, comparison, or categorisation expressed in sentences rather than diagrams (e.g. "Tom is taller than Ali but shorter than Sam")

Both types share the same core skill: extract the relevant facts from the sentences, represent them simply (in your head or on paper), and reason only from what's stated, not from what seems likely or realistic.

Worked example 1: simple statement logic

All the children in the class have a pet. Some pets are dogs. Priya is a child in the class. Which of these must be true?

• a. Priya has a dog
• b. Priya has a pet
• c. Priya does not have a dog
• d. All pets in the class are dogs

Method: work through only what the statements guarantee, ignoring what's merely possible.

• "All children in the class have a pet" + "Priya is a child in the class" gives us: Priya has a pet, guaranteed
• "Some pets are dogs" doesn't tell us anything about which specific pets are dogs, so we can't conclude Priya has a dog, or that she doesn't

Answer: Priya has a pet

The trap is option (a): many children assume "some pets are dogs" plus "Priya has a pet" means Priya's pet is probably a dog. It isn't guaranteed either way: the question asks what must be true, not what's likely.

Worked example 2: ordering/comparison logic

Tom is taller than Ali. Sam is taller than Tom. Ali is taller than Ben. Who is shortest?

Method: build the order step by step from the comparisons given, rather than trying to hold all of them in your head at once.

• Tom > Ali (Tom taller than Ali)
• Sam > Tom (Sam taller than Tom)
• Ali > Ben (Ali taller than Ben)

Combining: Sam > Tom > Ali > Ben

Answer: Ben

Worked example 2b: a harder ordering puzzle (partial information)

In a race, Zara finished before Priya. Priya finished before Femi. Omar finished before Zara. Who finished first?

Method: same approach. Build the chain from the given comparisons.

• Zara before Priya
• Priya before Femi
• Omar before Zara

Combining: Omar → Zara → Priya → Femi

Answer: Omar

This variant is harder because the first name mentioned (Zara) isn't actually first in the final ranking. Children who assume introduction order matches finishing order get this wrong. The only reliable method is building the chain link by link from what's actually stated.

The mistakes we see most often

1. Confusing "must be true" with "is probably true." The correct answer is what the statements guarantee, not what seems realistic or likely.
2. Assuming the order of a statement reflects the order of a fact. As worked example 2b shows, the first name mentioned in a question is not necessarily first in the actual ranking.
3. Bringing in outside knowledge or assumptions rather than reasoning only from the facts given. It's a common instinct, but the question tests only what follows from the stated information.
4. Trying to hold multiple comparisons in their head instead of building a simple ordered chain on paper: this is where most errors creep in on multi-statement questions.
5. Stopping after finding one correct-seeming answer without checking the other options are genuinely ruled out. In "must be true" questions, more than one option can look plausible at a glance.

A practice strategy parents can use at home

Turn everyday comparisons into a quick verbal puzzle: "Your cousin is older than you, and I'm older than your cousin. Who's oldest?" Doing this out loud, a few times a week, builds the habit of constructing an ordered chain from spoken statements without needing paper, which is exactly the skill tested under exam time pressure.

For "must be true" style questions, a useful home rule is to have your child say "this is guaranteed" or "this is just possible" out loud for each answer option before choosing: voicing the distinction reinforces it far more than silent reading does.