Spatial Ability: 2D Unfolding Flashcards
7 cards from real CFAT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Spatial Ability: 2D Unfolding flashcards as text
A cube has a different color on each face. Green is opposite Red, and Blue is opposite Yellow. Which must be the third pair of opposite faces?
Answer: Orange and Purple
With Green-Red and Blue-Yellow identified, the only remaining pair of faces must be Orange and Purple.
When unfolding a convex polyhedron, if the resulting flat shape has an interior square hole (empty space completely surrounded by other squares), this means:
Answer: The net is invalid — valid nets for convex shapes have no interior holes
A valid net for a convex polyhedron is a simply-connected flat region with no holes — any interior gap makes it invalid.
A dodecahedron has 12 pentagonal faces. Its flat net contains how many pentagons?
Answer: 12
A net must include every face of the 3D shape, so a dodecahedron's net contains all 12 pentagons.
On the CFAT, a typical 2D unfolding question presents:
Answer: A 3D shape and asks you to choose the correct net from four options
CFAT unfolding questions typically show a 3D object and require selecting which of four answer choices is the correct flat net.
Which condition is necessary — but not by itself sufficient — for a hexomino (6-square shape) to be a valid cube net?
Answer: All 6 squares are connected with no isolated pieces
Connectivity is necessary for any net, but not all connected 6-square shapes fold correctly — for example, a 2×3 grid is connected but invalid.
Two cube nets are exact mirror images of each other. When both are folded into blank (unmarked) cubes, the result is:
Answer: Two identical, indistinguishable cubes
For blank cubes with identical unmarked faces, mirror-image nets produce cubes that are completely indistinguishable due to the cube's full symmetry.
Mentally rotating a 3D object to match it with its correct flat net — as required in CFAT spatial tests — is an example of:
Answer: Spatial reasoning
Matching a 3D shape to its net by mental rotation and visualization is a core spatial reasoning skill tested on aptitude exams.