Mensa IQ Test Verbal Reasoning 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which word is the odd one out? LIBRARY, MUSEUM, GALLERY, HOSPITAL, ARCHIVE
- LIBRARY
- MUSEUM
- GALLERY
- HOSPITAL (Correct answer)
Correct answer: HOSPITAL
Library, Museum, Gallery, and Archive all preserve and store artifacts, books, or records. A hospital is a medical facility.
Library (stores books), Museum (stores historical/scientific artifacts), Gallery (exhibits art), and Archive (stores historical documents) all serve as preservation and knowledge repositories. Hospital is a place of medical treatment — the odd one out.
Question 2: Complete the analogy: AUTHOR is to BOOK as COMPOSER is to ?
- PIANO
- ORCHESTRA
- SYMPHONY (Correct answer)
- CONDUCTOR
Correct answer: SYMPHONY
An author creates a book; a composer creates a symphony or other musical composition.
The relationship is creator → creation. An author creates a book. A composer creates a symphony (or concerto, sonata). Piano and orchestra are instruments/ensembles, and a conductor performs music rather than creates it.
Question 3: If all Bloops are Razzles and all Razzles are Lazzles, which statement must be true?
- All Lazzles are Bloops
- All Bloops are Lazzles (Correct answer)
- No Bloops are Lazzles
- Some Lazzles are not Bloops
Correct answer: All Bloops are Lazzles
By transitivity: all Bloops are Razzles and all Razzles are Lazzles, therefore all Bloops are Lazzles.
Syllogism chain: All Bloops → Razzles, All Razzles → Lazzles. By transitivity, All Bloops → Lazzles. It does NOT follow that all Lazzles are Bloops (there may be Lazzles that are not Razzles or Bloops).
Question 4: Which word best completes: 'The scientist's theory was so ______ that even experts struggled to understand it.'
- SIMPLE
- ABSTRUSE (Correct answer)
- OBVIOUS
- POPULAR
Correct answer: ABSTRUSE
ABSTRUSE means difficult to understand — perfectly describes something that even experts struggle with.
ABSTRUSE means difficult to understand, especially due to being obscure or complex. This matches the phrase 'even experts struggled to understand it.' SIMPLE and OBVIOUS are antonyms. POPULAR refers to widespread appeal, not difficulty.
Question 5: Which word pair shares the closest relationship? A) TORCH : ILLUMINATE B) HAMMER : DESTROY C) KNIFE : SLICE D) BRUSH : PAINT
- TORCH : ILLUMINATE
- HAMMER : DESTROY
- KNIFE : SLICE (Correct answer)
- BRUSH : PAINT
Correct answer: KNIFE : SLICE
KNIFE is specifically designed to SLICE. This is the closest tool-to-function relationship.
A knife's primary purpose is to slice/cut. A torch can illuminate but can also burn. A hammer can destroy but its primary purpose is to drive/strike. A brush can paint but also sweep. The knife-slice pairing is the most direct and specific tool-purpose relationship.
Question 6: What is the next word in the pattern? CAT : KITTEN :: DOG : PUPPY :: SHEEP : ?
- LAMB (Correct answer)
- CUB
- FOAL
- CALF
Correct answer: LAMB
The pattern is adult animal : young animal. The young of a sheep is a lamb.
Adult : Young pairs — Cat:Kitten, Dog:Puppy, Sheep:Lamb. The other options: Cub is the young of bears/lions, Foal is the young of horses, Calf is the young of cows. The correct answer is Lamb.
Mensa IQ Test Verbal Reasoning 2
Which word is the odd one out? LIBRARY, MUSEUM, GALLERY, HOSPITAL, ARCHIVE