Mensa IQ Test Mensa IQ Matrix Reasoning 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In a 2x3 matrix, shapes transform across columns: Column 1 has a small circle and a large circle. Column 2 has a small square and a large square. What should Column 3 contain?
- Small triangle and large triangle (Correct answer)
- Small circle and large circle
- Large triangle and small triangle
- Small pentagon and large pentagon
Correct answer: Small triangle and large triangle
The pattern introduces a new shape in each column while maintaining the size relationship (small on top, large on bottom). Following circle and square, the next logical shape is a triangle. The size ordering remains consistent.
Question 2: A 3x3 matrix has lines in each cell. Row 1: 1 horizontal, 1 vertical, 1 diagonal. Row 2: 2 horizontal, 2 vertical, 2 diagonal. How many diagonal lines should appear in the last cell of Row 3?
- 3 (Correct answer)
- 2
- 4
- 1
Correct answer: 3
The number of lines increases by one per row (Row 1 has 1 of each type, Row 2 has 2 of each type). Row 3 should have 3 of each line type, so the last cell has 3 diagonal lines.
Question 3: In a matrix, each row contains three shapes with different fill patterns. If Row 1 has: solid circle, striped square, empty triangle, and Row 2 has: striped circle, empty square, solid triangle, what fill does the circle in Row 3 have?
- Empty (Correct answer)
- Solid
- Striped
- Dotted
Correct answer: Empty
Each shape cycles through fills: circle goes solid→striped→empty, square goes striped→empty→solid, triangle goes empty→solid→striped. The circle in Row 3 is empty. Each shape independently rotates through the three fill types.
Question 4: A 3x3 matrix shows geometric figures where the number of sides increases along each row by 1 and down each column by 1. If cell (1,1) is a triangle (3 sides), what shape is in cell (3,3)?
- Heptagon (7 sides) (Correct answer)
- Hexagon (6 sides)
- Octagon (8 sides)
- Pentagon (5 sides)
Correct answer: Heptagon (7 sides)
Starting from 3 sides at (1,1), moving right adds 1 side and moving down adds 1 side. Cell (3,3) = 3 + 2 (right) + 2 (down) = 7 sides, which is a heptagon. The matrix creates a systematic grid of increasing polygon complexity.
Question 5: In a matrix puzzle, each cell contains a shape that is the XOR (symmetric difference) of the shapes in the same row's first two cells. Row 1: circle, square → circle-with-square-cutout. Row 2: triangle, circle → triangle-with-circle-cutout. Row 3: square, triangle → ?
- Square with triangle cutout (Correct answer)
- Triangle with square cutout
- Circle with triangle cutout
- Square with circle cutout
Correct answer: Square with triangle cutout
The third cell in each row combines the two shapes from that row using a symmetric difference operation: the first shape with the second shape cut out of it. Row 3 gives a square with a triangle-shaped cutout.
Question 6: A matrix uses color mixing rules. Row 1: Red, Blue, Purple. Row 2: Blue, Yellow, Green. Row 3: Red, Yellow, ?. What color completes the matrix?
- Orange (Correct answer)
- Green
- Purple
- Brown
Correct answer: Orange
The third column shows the result of mixing the colors from the first two columns: red+blue=purple, blue+yellow=green, red+yellow=orange. This uses standard color mixing theory as the logical rule.
In a 2x3 matrix, shapes transform across columns: Column 1 has a small circle and a large circle.
Column 2 has a small square and a large square.
What should Column 3 contain?