A practice assessment.
Ten verbal reasoning questions, ten reading comprehension questions — the same house style used across every Argo assessment, marked as you go, with a full explanation behind each answer.
Answer each question, see whether you were right, and read the explanation if you want the reasoning behind it — the same detail you'd find in any assessment Argo produces.
Twenty questions is a sample, not a sitting. When you want the full thing under time, the three-pack of practice assessments runs three complete papers with worked solutions. If a particular question type is the problem rather than the pace, the scholarship guide takes each type in turn.
Happy is to sad as angry is to:
Every question, with its worked answer
The same twenty questions as above, laid out to read rather than to sit. Open one to see the answer and the reasoning behind it.
1. Happy is to sad as angry is to:
- A. Calm
- B. Awkward
- C. Troubled
- D. Upset
- E. Delighted — correct
Answer: E — Delighted
Happy and sad are antonyms — exact opposites, like hot and cold. So the answer must be the direct opposite of angry (‘a strong feeling of displeasure’). Delighted (‘highly pleased’) is that opposite. Calm is a false lead: it's the absence of both anger and delight, not the opposite of either. Awkward, troubled, and upset all still carry a feeling of displeasure, so none of them are opposite in meaning to angry.
2. These words share likeness in some way: quick, fast, hasty & rapid. From the options below, which word fits in best?
- A. Energetic
- B. Ecstatic
- C. Proud
- D. Speedy — correct
- E. Careful
Answer: D — Speedy
Quick, fast, hasty, and rapid are synonyms describing fast movement. Speedy matches this directly. Energetic and ecstatic only hint at speed without capturing it precisely. Proud describes a personal feeling, not a physical quality. Careful is close to the opposite of speedy, since being careful often implies slowing down.
3. Four of the following words are alike in some way. Which option does not fit?
- A. Joyous
- B. Blissful
- C. Jocund
- D. Frail — correct
- E. Inviting
Answer: D — Frail
Joyous, blissful, jocund (cheerful and light-hearted), and inviting are all positive words describing a happy state or an appealing quality. Frail (‘weak and delicate’) doesn't share that positive, happy character, making it the odd one out.
4. Greedy is to grabby as helpful is to:
- A. Friendly
- B. Altruistic — correct
- C. Benevolent
- D. Bothered
- E. Agreeable
Answer: B — Altruistic
Greedy and grabby are near-synonyms, so the answer should be a near-synonym of helpful (‘giving or ready to give help’). Altruistic — ‘showing a disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others’ — is the closest match. Friendly and agreeable don't specifically describe helping others. Benevolent is positive but more general (well-meaning) than specifically helpful. Bothered doesn't relate at all.
5. If all GEFS are HENS, some GEFS are DENS, some HENS are WENS, all THENS are KENS It makes sense that:
- A. No WENS are HENS
- B. Some KENS are GENS
- C. Some WENS are DENS — correct
- D. All DENS are HENS
- E. None
Answer: C — Some WENS are DENS
Write each condition as a relation: G=H (all), G~D (some), H~W (some), T=K (all). Chaining the ones that share a term: D ~ G = H ~ W, and separately T = K. Some WENS are DENS sits correctly on that first chain, linked by 'some' relations throughout. No WENS are HENS is wrong because H and W are clearly linked. Some KENS are GENS is wrong because K and G sit on separate, unconnected chains. All DENS are HENS overstates the relation — it's only ever a 'some' link, never 'all'.
6. Which of the following is most similar in meaning to quirky?
- A. Odd
- B. Eccentric — correct
- C. Abnormal
- D. Intrusive
- E. Notable
Answer: B — Eccentric
Quirky means 'unusual in an interesting or appealing way'. Eccentric ('unconventional and slightly strange in an appealing way') captures that same playful strangeness. Odd and abnormal only note that something is different, without the appealing charm quirky implies. Intrusive doesn't relate to unusualness at all. Notable just means noticed, not strange.
7. Which of the following is most similar in meaning to confer?
- A. Incite
- B. Award — correct
- C. Invite
- D. Accrue
- E. None
Answer: B — Award
Confer means 'to grant (a title, degree, benefit, or right)'. Award, as a verb, means 'to confer or bestow as being deserved' — an almost identical definition. Incite and invite are about causing or prompting something, not granting it. Accrue means to gradually gain or accumulate something, which is a different process to formally granting it.
8. Life is to oxygen as fire is to:
- A. Ember
- B. Spark
- C. Warmth
- D. Kindling — correct
- E. Light
Answer: D — Kindling
Oxygen is consumed to sustain and prolong life. Kindling — easily combustible material — is consumed to sustain and prolong a fire, making the relation match. Warmth and light are produced by fire rather than feeding it. An ember is usually what's left at the end of a fire. A spark only starts a fire; it isn't a resource that keeps it going.
9. What two statements together prove: Anna received the highest mark on the test 1. Ian almost beat Anna and got the third highest mark 2. Emma got the second highest mark 3. Anna studies frequently, and scores mostly at the top of her class 4. Anna's score on this test was similar to her previous results 5. Ian's score was beaten by two people
- A. 1 & 5
- B. 3 & 4
- C. 2 & 5
- D. 1 & 4
- E. None — correct
Answer: E — None
Statements 1 & 5 only place Ian third, with Anna ahead of him — likely second, not confirmed first. 3 & 4 tell us Anna usually scores near the top, but not that this test was first place specifically. 2 & 5 establish Emma second and Ian third, leaving only an unknown person in first. 1 & 4 confirm Anna's consistency but not that this particular result was the highest. No pair actually proves Anna was first, so the answer is none.
10. In a nest there are a number of eggs, either blue or green. At most three are blue. There are more uncracked green than cracked blue. Of the three cracked, one is green. What is the smallest number of eggs that could be in the nest?
- A. 5
- B. 6 — correct
- C. 7
- D. 8
- E. None
Answer: B — 6
Work with the smallest possible values at each step. Since of the three cracked eggs one is green, two must be blue — that's 2 cracked blue + 1 cracked green. Since uncracked green eggs must outnumber cracked blue eggs (2), at least 3 uncracked green eggs are needed. Total: 2 cracked blue + 1 cracked green + 3 uncracked green = 6 eggs.
11. There was almost nothing in the room, just a lonely, gleaming lamp. The word 'gleaming' in this sentence means:
- A. Shining — correct
- B. Bright
- C. Isolated
- D. Intuitive
- E. Angry
Answer: A — Shining
Gleaming means 'shining brightly, especially with reflected light' — shining is the closest match. Bright is close but less precise, since gleaming specifically implies a reflected shine rather than general brightness. Isolated is a trap: it repeats the idea already given by 'lonely' rather than describing the lamp's light. Intuitive and angry don't sensibly describe a lamp at all.
12. Rearrange the following sentence so it keeps its meaning when starting with the new beginning. Once he had heard it would be cold tomorrow, he walked out the door. He walked out the door …
- A. heard that it would be tomorrow cold.
- B. hearing that it would be tomorrow cold.
- C. because he had heard it would be cold tomorrow. — correct
- D. because hearing it would be cold tomorrow.
- E. None
Answer: C — because he had heard it would be cold tomorrow.
Options A and B both end with the ungrammatical order 'tomorrow cold' instead of 'cold tomorrow'. Option D mixes past and present ('walked … hearing'), which doesn't hold together as a tense. Option C correctly uses the past perfect 'had heard' and preserves the original cause-and-effect meaning.
13. What is meant by the following sentence: You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar
- A. Just like bees, flies are more attracted to sweet things
- B. If you are hunting something, it's better to lure it with something yummy
- C. Having a warm personality will find you more friends than being cold — correct
- D. Being friends with the flies is like honey
- E. More people will be entertained by you if you are pretty
Answer: C — Having a warm personality will find you more friends than being cold
A proverb states a general truth beyond its literal, physical image — so any option that stays literal about flies, bees, or honey (A, B, D) misreads the form entirely. Honey stands for warmth and kindness, vinegar for bitterness; the saying means a warm personality wins people over more than a cold one. Option E assumes Option C's reading is already established and narrows it incorrectly to physical attractiveness.
14. How many students take part in extracurricular activities?
Most schoolkids play at least one sport. Some examples are football, soccer, volleyball, netball, and basketball. More often than not, children who don't play a sport enjoy other extracurricular activities, usually an academic pursuit or a musical instrument. Some students partake in both physical and non-physical extracurricular activities. These forms of entertainment are beneficial, not only for being happy and healthy, but for learning important skills.
Argo Academics
- A. Only some, not a lot
- B. Every single student
- C. Lots, but less than half
- D. Precisely half
- E. Equal to or more than three quarters of students — correct
Answer: E — Equal to or more than three quarters of students
The passage opens with 'most schoolkids play at least one sport', which already rules out any option below half (A, C, D). If at least half play sport, and at least half of the remainder also take on a non-physical activity, the combined total comfortably exceeds three quarters. Nothing states literally every student takes part, so 'every single student' overstates it.
15. Are only physical activities good?
Most schoolkids play at least one sport. Some examples are football, soccer, volleyball, netball, and basketball. More often than not, children who don't play a sport enjoy other extracurricular activities, usually an academic pursuit or a musical instrument. Some students partake in both physical and non-physical extracurricular activities. These forms of entertainment are beneficial, not only for being happy and healthy, but for learning important skills.
Argo Academics
- A. Neither physical activities nor non-physical activities are good
- B. Yes, because non-physical activities do not work the body
- C. Yes, because school is already a non-physical activity
- D. No, only a combination of the physical and non-physical is good
- E. No, both types of activities are good — correct
Answer: E — No, both types of activities are good
The final sentence says 'these forms of entertainment are beneficial' — the plural 'forms' refers back to both physical and non-physical activities named just before it, meaning both are good in their own right, not only together. That rules out D (which wrongly requires combination) and A (which wrongly denies any benefit). B and C both incorrectly answer 'yes' to a question the passage answers 'no' to.
16. What is the meaning of the word 'abash' in this poem?
“Hope” is the thing with feathers - That perches in the soul - And sings the tune without the words - And never stops - at all - And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard - And sore must be the storm - That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm - I've heard it in the chillest land - And on the strangest Sea - Yet - never - in Extremity, It asked a crumb - of me.
Hope Is the Thing with Feathers, Emily Dickinson
- A. Attack
- B. Confront
- C. Confound — correct
- D. Bathe
- E. Clean
Answer: C — Confound
Substituting each option into the line shows which one holds: 'that could bathe/clean the little Bird' makes no sense after 'sore must be the storm' — a storm severe enough to bathe or clean something isn't threatening. Attack and confront are close but too general. Confound ('to throw into confusion or perplexity') precisely matches abash's meaning of 'to destroy the self-possession or confidence of someone'.
17. In which way does Dickinson find “Hope” to be best like a feathered thing?
“Hope” is the thing with feathers - That perches in the soul - And sings the tune without the words - And never stops - at all - And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard - And sore must be the storm - That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm - I've heard it in the chillest land - And on the strangest Sea - Yet - never - in Extremity, It asked a crumb - of me.
Hope Is the Thing with Feathers, Emily Dickinson
- A. It sings a sweet song
- B. Since it is a creature of nature it embraces life
- C. It is never needy, eating its food in its warmth
- D. It is unfailing — correct
- E. It flies to all distant and dangerous lands
Answer: D — It is unfailing
'Unfailing' best gathers the poem's repeated proof of constancy: it 'never stops – at all', it 'kept so many warm', and it is heard 'in the chillest land – and on the strangest Sea'. Options A and C are true in isolated lines but don't capture the poem's larger point. Option B has no textual support. Option E is only one example among several, not the defining characteristic.
18. 'Sings the tune without words' most probably refers to:
“Hope” is the thing with feathers - That perches in the soul - And sings the tune without the words - And never stops - at all - And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard - And sore must be the storm - That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm - I've heard it in the chillest land - And on the strangest Sea - Yet - never - in Extremity, It asked a crumb - of me.
Hope Is the Thing with Feathers, Emily Dickinson
- A. Playing a pretty song that's delightful to hear
- B. Hope, as a guiding reassurance — correct
- C. An inability to properly speak
- D. Hope as an impulse
- E. None
Answer: B — Hope, as a guiding reassurance
Since the Bird symbolises Hope (as the title makes explicit), the 'tune without words' is best read as hope's wordless, guiding reassurance rather than literal music. Option A takes the image too literally, as an actual song. Option C misreads it as a deficiency rather than a symbol. Option D contradicts the poem's emphasis that hope 'never stops' — it isn't a fleeting impulse.
19. What does 'and sweetest - in the gale - is heard' most probably refer to?
“Hope” is the thing with feathers - That perches in the soul - And sings the tune without the words - And never stops - at all - And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard - And sore must be the storm - That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm - I've heard it in the chillest land - And on the strangest Sea - Yet - never - in Extremity, It asked a crumb - of me.
Hope Is the Thing with Feathers, Emily Dickinson
- A. Hope sounds best in dire circumstances — correct
- B. Hope is made stronger when it is tried
- C. Hope occurs everywhere, in any condition, and endures
- D. Hope is the best virtue to possess
- E. Meaning is incomplete
Answer: A — Hope sounds best in dire circumstances
Poetic word order is a feature, not an error: 'the sweetest – in the gale – is heard' reorders to 'is heard best in the storm'. A gale (a harsh wind) stands for a dire or difficult situation, so the line means hope sounds best precisely when circumstances are hardest. Options B, C, and D are each plausible ideas elsewhere in the poem, but none of them is what this specific line states.
20. He could never match his intrepid brother's sense of adventure. The word 'intrepid' in this sentence means:
- A. Outgoing
- B. Active
- C. Energetic
- D. Dauntless — correct
- E. Determined
Answer: D — Dauntless
Intrepid means 'fearless; adventurous'. Dauntless — 'incapable of being intimidated or subdued' — points precisely at that fearlessness in the face of adventure's unknown danger. Outgoing describes social confidence, not fearlessness. Active and energetic describe a general inclination to do things physically, without the specific sense of facing danger head-on.
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