Day 1 Year 6 Thinking Skills Trial Test

Six student friends were discussing their favourite scientists. Two chose Newton, two chose Einstein, and two chose Curie. Emily, who chose Curie, was surprised that none of Alex, Rachel, and Lucas chose Curie. Equally, Lucas was surprised that Emily, Jordan, and Alex did not choose the same as him.

Which of the following sets of information, on its own, would be sufficient to enable one to be certain of all six students’ favourite scientists?

In a subway station, there’s a moving walkway I use on my way to the office. Typically, I walk along the walkway at a rate of 1 stride per second, covering 1 panel of the walkway with each stride. This method requires 15 strides to reach the end. On occasions when I’m rushing, I still stride at 1 stride per second but cover 2 panels of the walkway with each stride. This approach takes 12 strides to reach the end.

One day, the walkway is out of service, and I walk over it, covering 1 panel at a time. How many panels are there on the walkway?

During a weekend family brunch, the conversation shifts to the recent trend of online learning. The mother, Mrs. Anderson, a teacher with traditional views on education, expresses her scepticism. Her son, Mark, a high school student, advocates for the benefits of online classes.

Mark: “Mom, online classes are really flexible and accessible. They can be a great way to learn.”

Mrs. Anderson: “Online classes? In the teaching community, ‘online’ often means less rigorous and lacking in quality interaction. Are you sure that’s the kind of education you want?”

What is the flaw in Mrs. Anderson’s argument?

Which of the following is the unfolded version of the figure below?

In eastern Australia, the Christmas beetle, known for its iridescent appearance during the holiday season, has been a topic of concern regarding its declining numbers. Many people recall seeing more of these beetles in the past, but there is no conclusive long-term population data to support this observation. To address this, the Christmas Beetle Count, a community science project, was initiated, encouraging public reporting of sightings through iNaturalist. This project has yielded significant data, including rare sightings and expanded habitat ranges for certain species. However, it’s still too early to confirm if the Christmas beetle population is truly declining or making a comeback. The increase in sightings could be attributed to heightened public awareness and participation in the project, therefore, the perceived decline in Christmas beetle numbers may not accurately reflect the actual population trends.

Which of the following, if true, best weakens the argument above?

A photographer is hanging six portraits on the wall in a straight line. The portraits are of six family members: Lily, Milly, Nancy, Owen, Peter and Quentin.

• Milly’s portrait is either first or last.
• There is one portrait between Nancy and Quentin.
• From left to right, Nancy’s portrait comes after Lily’s but before Quentin’s

Which of the following is a possible order from left to right?

A gym teacher wants his 6 students, Candice, Thea, Ben, Jonathan, Will and Dan to line up in height order, from shortest to tallest.

• Will is neither the tallest nor the shortest.
• No girl is taller than Jonathan.
• Dan is shorter than Candice but taller than Thea.
• Ben is the tallest.

If Jonathan is the second tallest, what must be true?

A museum must choose five stuffed birds to be shown in their newest exhibit. Their choices include an Albatross, a Bluebird, a Condor, a Diver, an Eagle, a Flamingo, a Gull and a Hummingbird.

• If the Diver is chosen, then the Albatross is not.
• The Eagle is chosen only if the Flamingo is not.
• If the Flamingo is chosen, so is the Albatross and the Hummingbird.
• If the Gull is chosen, either the Hummingbird or the Bluebird is chosen as well.

Which of the following is a possible complete list of the birds shown in the exhibit?

During a family game night, the topic of implementing a new city-wide policy to promote cycling over car usage comes up. The daughter, Denise, a high school student, supports the policy for its environmental benefits. Her uncle, Mr. Turner, a car salesman, quickly counters.

Denise: “Encouraging cycling can reduce traffic and pollution. It’s a good policy for the environment.”

Mr. Turner: “So, you think we should just get rid of all cars and make everyone ride bikes? That’s impractical. Not everyone can or wants to cycle everywhere. We can’t just abandon cars; the whole city would come to a standstill.”

What is the flaw in Mr. Turner’s argument?

Fill in the gaps of the given figure below with one of the following options.

Electrical impulses that move through the heart along a certain channel cause the heartbeat to occur. Doctors say that the heart beats about 70 times each minute.

Which is the best estimate of how many times the heart beats in 2 whole days?

Hannah builds a stack of golf balls. She makes the first layer on flat ground. Figure 1 shows the top view of her first layer. She then builds the second layer, placing the first three balls as shown in Figure 2. Each ball rests in the hollow between four balls in the layer below it. Hannah continues building the stack in the same way, making as many layers as possible.

How many golf balls are needed to make the third layer?

The visitors of Boracay beach resort, a tourist spot in the Philippines, were studied by the marketing and advertising department. They had the following findings:

• All visitors from the Southern part of the resort will visit the Eastern part of the beach.
• No visitors who come from the Southern part of the resort will visit the Northern part.
• All visitors who came from the bar house did not come from the Western part.
• Most visitors who come to the bar house come from either Southern or Eastern parts.

Which of the following statements is most likely true?

Marco has a dental floss that was given to him by his dentist and is now held on each end in a straight line. A mark is made in the middle of the dental floss. The floss is then folded in half and the new ends again pulled tight. A mark is made in the middle of the strands of folded floss. This process is then repeated a third time. The floss is then unfolded and its ends pulled so that it is once again in its initial straight line. The distance between marks on the floss is found to be 5cm.

How long is the piece of floss?

Jackson, Murphy, Airah, and Malcolm are seated at a table in a restaurant. Two of them are facing forwards (in the direction of the main door) and two are facing backwards. Two have window seats where cars and trucks can be seen and the other two have aisle seats where people pass by.

I know that:

• Jackson is sitting diagonally opposite Airah;
• Malcolm is facing forwards;
• Murphy is next to Jackson;

Which one of the following do I also know?

Customs officers at Contrabandville’s main seaport operate two inspection stations. At the first station, they inspect 1 out of every 4 containers in the queue. At a second station, they inspect 1 in 5 of all those not inspected at the first station. Of 400 containers arriving, 5% contain illicit items.

How many of these are likely to pass through without being inspected?

Stormwater is often seen as a nuisance due to flooding, but it’s actually a valuable resource for cities, especially with the challenges of climate change and urban growth. In Australia, nature-based solutions like biofiltration systems and constructed wetlands are being explored to treat and utilise stormwater. These methods can provide sustainable clean water and help prevent pollution. Accurately measuring and treating pollutants in stormwater is crucial, and the success of these initiatives relies on government support and public awareness. Therefore, the effective use of stormwater could play a significant role in sustainable urban water management.

Which of the following, if true, best strengthens the argument above?

How many unique square tiles are required to create the pattern below? (Tiles can be rotated)

If the information in the box is true, whose reasoning is not correct?

Lucas: “If a painting has a gold ribbon, it’s the best painting in the Sunflower Art Competition.”

Emily: “A painting without a gold ribbon wasn’t in the Sunflower Art Competition.”

Five professionals, Alice, Sophia, Oliver, Liam, and Emma  are waiting in line outside a doctor’s clinic. Each of them are either an Astronaut, a Historian, or a Scientist. Some of them may be professionals in 1 or more fields but it is found that there are only 2 astronauts, 3 historians, and 2 scientists among the group. After all of them were done with their appointments, the doctor found out that:

Oliver and Alice are not scientists.

Liam and Emma are astronauts.

Both Liam and Oliver are historians.

Sophia is neither an astronaut nor a historian.

Based on these statements, which of the following is true?

“Every employee at TechCorp who works more than 40 hours a week receives overtime pay.”

Statement A: “If Emily receives overtime pay, she must work at TechCorp.”

Statement B: “If James does not receive overtime pay, he does not work more than 40 hours a week at TechCorp.”

Which of the following options must be true?

During a weekend family picnic, the conversation shifts to the city’s new policy of banning plastic bags. The mother, Mrs. Thompson, supports the ban for environmental reasons. Her brother, Uncle Joe, a local shop owner, opposes it.

Uncle Joe: “This ban on plastic bags is just the start. Next, they’ll ban all plastic products, and then they’ll move on to restricting other materials. Before we know it, they’ll control every aspect of what we can use in our daily lives.”

What is the flaw in Uncle Joe’s argument?

A piece of puzzle is shown below:

Air New Zealand’s purchase of an electric aircraft and Christchurch Airport’s decarbonization claim represent efforts in the aviation industry towards sustainability. However, these initiatives face scrutiny over their actual impact on emissions, especially considering the challenges of long-haul flights and the industry’s reliance on carbon offsetting. The United Nations High-Level Expert Group emphasises comprehensive, science-based targets for true sustainability, including full value chain emissions. The contradiction between the aviation industry’s growth ambitions and its sustainability claims raises questions about the effectiveness of these efforts. Therefore, the credibility of the aviation industry’s sustainability initiatives is under significant scrutiny.

Which of the following, if true, best strengthens the argument above?

Given the information above, whose reasoning is correct?

Liam: “I won a game against a club member and attended two meetings, so I can join the chess club.”

Emily: “Mia is part of the chess club, so she must have won a game against a member and attended two meetings.”

In a high school science fair:

If Jason’s project wins the Best Innovation Award, he will receive a scholarship.

If Emma’s project is disqualified, she will not be able to participate in next year’s fair.

All projects must adhere to ethical guidelines.

Given the statements above, which of the following must also be true?

Statements:

I. Every student in the chess club has won at least one chess match.

II. Some students in the maths club are also in the chess club.

III. No student in the art club has won a chess match.

Conclusions:

I. Some students in the maths club have won a chess match.

II. No student in the art club is in the chess club.

III. All chess club members are also in the maths club.

Which of the following conclusions follow/s from the given statements?

I am travelling on a train when another train passes on a parallel track. I note the time taken between the front and the rear of the other train passing my window.

Which one of these pieces of information is irrelevant when working out the speed of my train?

Volunteers are needed to prepare for a charity book sale. The community hall is available for 3 hours, and 20 large and 700 small posters are needed for advertising. One volunteer can create either 2 large or 35 small posters in each hour.

How many volunteers are required?

China, the world’s largest emitter due to its energy-intensive economy and reliance on coal, is also leading in green energy, with massive installations of solar, wind, hydro, and nuclear power. This year, China’s renewable energy capacity could cover France’s entire electricity consumption, and next year might see a drop in emissions from its power sector. At COP28, China and the US showed alignment in their climate goals, focusing on renewable energy and moving away from fossil fuels. However, China faces criticism for its ongoing coal expansion, despite its significant renewable energy achievements. Therefore, China’s role in global climate action is complex, balancing rapid renewable energy growth with its existing coal reliance.

Which of the following, if true, best strengthens the argument above?

Alex takes 15 minutes to cycle to school, and their sibling Jordan walks there, taking 30 minutes. Normally, Alex leaves home 6 minutes after Jordan.

For how long does Alex cycle until they catch up with Jordan?

Mr. Clark: “We’ve already put so much money into this renovation; we can’t stop now. It doesn’t matter if we’re not happy with it so far. We need to finish what we started to justify the expense.”

What is the flaw in Mr. Clark’s argument?

The electronics megastore is selling the headphones I want at “3 pairs for the price of 2”. This weekend I can get a further 10% off with my membership card.

What will be the overall reduction from the full price if I buy three pairs of headphones this weekend?

To be eligible for the school’s science fair, a student must submit a project proposal and receive approval from a science teacher.

Given the information above, whose reasoning is correct?

Noah: “I submitted my project proposal and got approval from my science teacher, so I am eligible for the science fair.”

Ava: “Jacob is participating in the science fair, so he must have submitted a project proposal and received approval from a science teacher.”

The office Secret Santa tradition, when analysed through the lens of mathematics, reveals a fascinating complexity. In a typical office setting, the number of possible gift pairings among colleagues can be astonishingly high, especially as the number of participants increases. This complexity is further compounded when considering the concept of derangements, where no one ends up buying a gift for themselves. Such mathematical considerations suggest that the Secret Santa process is highly unpredictable and random. Therefore, it can be argued that the Secret Santa tradition is an exercise in randomness, with little to no chance of participants receiving gifts that align well with their personal preferences.

Which of the following, if true, best weakens the argument above?

Emma and Alex both started online tutoring services. They observed that:

– The more students who know about our tutoring, the more likely they are to enrol.

– If no students know about it, then no one will enrol.

– Advertising on social media increases student awareness of our services.

Jordan: “I’ve seen a lot of new students signing up for Emma’s tutoring classes. She must be advertising a lot on social media.”

Mia: “Alex’s classes don’t have any new students, so he must not be doing any social media advertising.”

Based on the information provided, whose reasoning is correct?

In a history class, the teacher explains that medieval castles were primarily built for defence. After the lesson, Jenny comments, “That means if you lived in a medieval castle, you’d be safe from any kind of attack!”

Which one of the following sentences shows that Jenny has made a mistake?

The girls’ 5-a-side soccer team includes two pairs of sisters. Whenever they have a photo taken, they always make sure that no girl is standing next to her sister. The order of the players on one photo is: Emily, Zoe, Hannah, Olivia, Mia. In another photo, the order of the players is: Zoe, Mia, Emily, Hannah, Olivia.

Which pair of players on the team must be sisters?

In Dr. Green’s botanical garden, the following rule applies to plant labelling:

Every plant labelled as ‘tropical’ by Dr. Green requires high humidity.

Which of the following statements must be true?

Mother: “You need to study maths because understanding mathematics is essential. It’s important because it’s a fundamental part of education.”

What is the flaw in the mother’s argument?