This page is designed for one thing: lots of realistic verbal reasoning practice questions. You will read a passage and then judge each statement as True, False, or Cannot Say. Use only the information in the passage.
How to use these questions
Treat this like a real assessment. Answer first, then open the solution. Your score improves fastest when you identify your error type, not when you simply re-read the explanation.
- Timing target: aim for about 45 to 70 seconds per statement.
- Evidence rule: if the passage does not state it, you cannot assume it.
- Review rule: for every incorrect answer, copy the exact phrase in the passage that proves the solution.
Quick rules (True, False, Cannot Say)
Before you answer, underline the claim in the statement and match it to the passage. Most mistakes come from small wording shifts such as all vs some, only vs also, and causes vs is associated with.
- True means the passage clearly supports the statement.
- False means the passage contradicts the statement.
- Cannot Say means the passage does not contain enough information to decide.
Practice question sets
Answer each statement as True, False, or Cannot Say. Do not use outside knowledge, and do not fill gaps with what seems likely.
A research team analysed 140 actively managed European equity funds over nine calendar years. For each year, it compared each fund to a benchmark selected by the fund’s own prospectus. The report noted that, before fees, the average fund outperformed its benchmark in five of the nine years, usually by a small margin. After fees, the average fund underperformed in six of the nine years. The authors also observed that funds with higher portfolio turnover typically reported higher total costs, although they did not test whether turnover caused the costs to rise. The analysis excluded funds that merged or liquidated during the period, and the report warned that this may make results look stronger than they would be in a complete universe. Finally, the report stated that a small subset of funds consistently outperformed after fees, but it did not define how large that subset was.
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1.1Statement: The report shows that most individual funds outperformed their benchmark after fees.
Show solution
Answer: Cannot Say
Explanation
The passage describes the average fund and mentions a subset, but it does not state how many funds outperformed after fees.
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1.2Statement: The average fund’s relative performance was weaker once fees were included.
Show solution
Answer: True
Explanation
Before fees, the average fund outperformed in five of nine years. After fees, it underperformed in six of nine years.
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1.3Statement: The report proves that high turnover is the main driver of high costs.
Show solution
Answer: False
Explanation
The report notes an association and explicitly says it did not test causation. It also does not state turnover is the main driver.
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1.4Statement: The results may overstate performance because funds that disappeared were not included.
Show solution
Answer: True
Explanation
The passage says funds that merged or liquidated were excluded and warns this can make results look stronger than a complete universe.
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1.5Statement: The report states the consistently outperforming subset contained fewer than ten funds.
Show solution
Answer: Cannot Say
Explanation
The report mentions a small subset but does not provide a number or percentage.
In early 2025, a mid-sized services firm introduced a guideline recommending that most teams spend at least two days per week in the office. Teams could request exceptions if their work required frequent client travel, if they were assigned to a project with restricted office access, or if an employee lived more than 220 kilometres from the nearest office. The guideline applied to employees on permanent contracts and fixed-term contracts, but it did not mention contractors. Six months later, HR reported higher average office attendance compared with the previous year. The same report stated that managers perceived fewer delays in cross-team approvals and fewer misunderstandings in project handovers. However, it did not include productivity metrics and it did not compare outcomes by department. During the same period, the firm also introduced a new internal ticketing system for approvals, which some managers said reduced waiting times.
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2.1Statement: Contractors were required to follow the two day office guideline.
Show solution
Answer: Cannot Say
Explanation
The passage does not mention contractors, so we cannot conclude whether the guideline applied to them.
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2.2Statement: The guideline mandated that all teams must be in the office exactly two days per week.
Show solution
Answer: False
Explanation
It recommends at least two days and allows exceptions. That contradicts a strict exactly two days requirement for all teams.
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2.3Statement: Higher office attendance was reported after the guideline was introduced.
Show solution
Answer: True
Explanation
HR reported higher average office attendance compared with the previous year.
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2.4Statement: The report proves the office guideline caused fewer approval delays.
Show solution
Answer: False
Explanation
The report provides perceptions but no productivity metrics, and a new ticketing system could affect approvals. Causation is not established.
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2.5Statement: The passage states that the guideline improved outcomes more in some departments than in others.
Show solution
Answer: False
Explanation
The report did not compare outcomes by department, so the statement adds information not provided.
A placebo-controlled trial evaluated a new migraine medication in 720 adults across 18 clinics. Participants recorded headache frequency for twelve weeks before treatment and for twelve weeks during treatment. The treatment group reported an average reduction of 1.6 migraine days per month from baseline, compared with 1.0 in the placebo group. The authors reported that the between-group difference was statistically significant. They also stated that the average reduction was larger among participants who started with more frequent migraines, although this subgroup analysis was not the primary endpoint. Mild nausea and fatigue were reported more often in the treatment group. The trial excluded participants with severe cardiovascular disease and did not compare the medication against existing standard treatments. Finally, the paper noted that adherence, measured by returned pill counts, was slightly lower in the treatment group.
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3.1Statement: On average, the treatment group experienced a larger reduction in migraine days than the placebo group.
Show solution
Answer: True
Explanation
The treatment group reduction is 1.6 days and the placebo group reduction is 1.0 days.
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3.2Statement: The study demonstrates the medication is more effective than standard migraine treatments.
Show solution
Answer: False
Explanation
The passage says the trial did not compare the medication against standard treatments, so the claim is unsupported.
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3.3Statement: The subgroup result suggests the benefit may differ depending on baseline migraine frequency.
Show solution
Answer: True
Explanation
The paper states the average reduction was larger among participants who started with more frequent migraines.
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3.4Statement: The trial results can be assumed to apply to adults with severe cardiovascular disease.
Show solution
Answer: False
Explanation
The trial excluded participants with severe cardiovascular disease, so the passage does not support applying results to that group.
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3.5Statement: The passage shows that most participants in the treatment group experienced nausea.
Show solution
Answer: Cannot Say
Explanation
We only know nausea was reported more often in the treatment group. The passage does not state how many experienced it.
A consumer goods company published a packaging roadmap covering 2023 to 2028. It committed to reduce virgin plastic use by 30 percent per unit sold and to increase the share of recycled content to 50 percent across its plastic packaging portfolio. In its 2024 update, the company reported that recycled content reached 36 percent, up from 28 percent in 2023. It also stated that it had expanded lightweighting in three product categories and launched refill pilots in five cities. The company did not publish adoption rates for refill pilots and did not specify how adoption would be measured. An external auditor reviewed and verified the recycled content calculation methodology, while the virgin plastic reduction metric was described as management reported and not yet assured. The report also noted that changes in product mix can affect per unit figures, and that comparisons across years should be interpreted carefully.
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4.1Statement: The company has already reached its 2028 target for recycled content.
Show solution
Answer: False
Explanation
The target is 50 percent and the reported figure is 36 percent in 2024.
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4.2Statement: The auditor verified both the recycled content methodology and the virgin plastic reduction metric.
Show solution
Answer: False
Explanation
The auditor verified recycled content methodology, but the virgin plastic reduction metric was not yet assured.
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4.3Statement: The passage indicates recycled content increased between 2023 and 2024.
Show solution
Answer: True
Explanation
It rose from 28 percent in 2023 to 36 percent in 2024.
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4.4Statement: The passage provides evidence that consumers adopted refill pilots at a high rate.
Show solution
Answer: False
Explanation
The company did not publish adoption rates and did not specify measurement, so the statement is unsupported.
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4.5Statement: The report suggests that changes in product mix can influence per unit virgin plastic figures, even if processes stay the same.
Show solution
Answer: True
Explanation
The report explicitly notes product mix can affect per unit figures and urges careful year to year interpretation.
An aviation analytics report reviewed departure punctuality for three airlines operating similar European routes over a twelve month period. Airline A departed on time in 73 percent of flights, Airline B in 70 percent, and Airline C in 67 percent. The report stated that airport congestion was the most frequently recorded delay code across all three airlines. It added that delay codes are assigned by ground staff under time pressure, which can lead to inconsistent coding across airports. The report also noted that a single delay event can have multiple contributing factors, but the dataset recorded only one primary delay code per flight. Airline A introduced a revised boarding sequence mid-year and hired additional gate staff, while Airline B changed its route mix and reduced tight turnaround schedules. The report did not isolate the effect of any single change on punctuality.
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5.1Statement: Airline A achieved the highest on time departure rate among the three airlines.
Show solution
Answer: True
Explanation
Airline A is 73 percent, which is higher than 70 percent and 67 percent.
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5.2Statement: The report confirms that airport congestion was the sole cause of most delays.
Show solution
Answer: False
Explanation
The report notes multi factor delays and one-code recording, so it does not confirm congestion as the sole cause of most delays.
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5.3Statement: The passage challenges how precisely the dataset can capture complex delay events.
Show solution
Answer: True
Explanation
It says coding can be inconsistent and that only one primary delay code is recorded even when multiple factors contribute.
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5.4Statement: The report demonstrates that Airline A’s revised boarding sequence improved punctuality.
Show solution
Answer: False
Explanation
The report did not isolate any single change, so it does not demonstrate the boarding sequence improved punctuality.
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5.5Statement: Based on the passage, Airline B reduced congestion related delays compared with Airline C.
Show solution
Answer: Cannot Say
Explanation
The passage does not give congestion delay counts by airline. It only gives punctuality percentages and general coding notes.
Extra mixed format questions
Some employers add multiple choice comprehension or critical reasoning prompts. Use the same approach: find the claim, match it to the passage, and avoid assumptions.
A regional bank launched a financial literacy campaign for first year university students. Participation was voluntary and promoted through student societies, with sessions delivered both online and in person. Within three months, workshop attendees were more likely to open a savings account than non-attendees. The bank also observed that attendees were more likely to report having used a budgeting app before university and more likely to have held a part-time job. The report states that marketing spend increased during the campaign period, particularly for campus search ads. The bank plans to test a mandatory version next year across several campuses to compare outcomes under a standardised rollout.
M1Question: Which conclusion is best supported by the passage?
- A. The workshops caused students to open savings accounts.
- B. Attendees opened savings accounts more often, but the passage does not establish causation.
- C. Non-attendees did not have access to the workshops.
- D. The mandatory version will reduce savings account openings.
Show solution
Answer: B
Explanation
The passage reports differences plus baseline differences and higher marketing spend, so causation is not established.
M2Question: Which detail most directly weakens the bank’s claim that the workshops drove account openings?
- A. Sessions were delivered both online and in person.
- B. Participation was voluntary and promoted through student societies.
- C. Outcomes were measured within three months.
- D. The campaign targeted first year students.
Show solution
Answer: B
Explanation
Voluntary participation creates selection effects, supported by the passage through baseline differences.
M3Question: Which information would most help isolate the effect of the workshops?
- A. The average length of each workshop.
- B. A comparison after randomly assigning students to attend or not attend.
- C. The number of student societies that promoted the campaign.
- D. Student satisfaction scores for workshop content.
Show solution
Answer: B
Explanation
Random assignment reduces selection effects and better isolates the workshop’s impact on outcomes.
How to improve fast
- Do two rounds: first round timed, second round untimed with full review.
- Label your mistakes: assumption, quantifier, scope, time shift, cause vs correlation, or wording swap.
- Practise under constraints: short daily sets are more effective than one long session without review.
- Mirror the full battery: add numerical and logical reasoning to match real assessment invitations.
FAQ
Choose False only when the passage contradicts the statement. Choose Cannot Say when the passage does not contain enough information either way. For examples and traps, see How to Pass Verbal Reasoning Tests .
Usually, start with the statement, then scan the passage for the exact claim and keywords. Full passage reading can help when passages are longer or when the provider uses multiple choice comprehension.
A practical target is about 45 to 70 seconds per statement in True, False, Cannot Say format. If your assessment is SHL style, review pacing guidance in SHL Tests Explained (2026) .
Common traps are absolute wording (all, only, never), confusing association with causation, and assuming missing details. Another frequent trap is scope, where the passage discusses a subset but the statement generalises to everyone.
Many candidates also see numerical and logical reasoning. Use Free Numerical Reasoning Questions and Free Logical Reasoning Test Practice to mirror real assessment batteries.
They measure how accurately you can interpret written information under time pressure. This matters in roles where you make decisions based on policies, reports, emails, or client documents.
Many processes continue with a video interview or competency interview. Use What Is HireVue? Complete Guide (2026) and 10 Competency Questions You Must Prepare For .
