Ace Coaching Thinking skills

1 Most train stations have digital clocks that show the time in 24-hour format. When I
took a train from Sydney to Melbourne the clock on the platform showed:

During the journey, I fell asleep and lost track of time. When I woke up, the train was
coming to rest at Albury station. I tried to look at the time on the platform, but
because the view was obstructed, I could only see the following:

Approximately what time was it when the train stopped at Albury?

A 1pm
B 2pm
C 3pm
D 4pm

2 A non-transparent bag contains several objects that can be of circular or triangular

shape, made up of plastic or metal, and either of black or white colour.

All black objects are triangular. All metal objects are circular. A white object can be
circular or triangular. A plastic object can either be circular or triangular.

If the statements above are true, which of the following must be true?

A A black metal object will be triangular.

B All metal objects which are triangular are black.
C All circular objects are definitely made up of metal.
D All white triangular objects are definitely made up of plastic.

3 The state government is considering fining parents who take their children out of
school during term time to go on holiday.

Susan: “I took my son out of primary school for a two-week holiday each year.
The principal had no problems with it as he was learning at an accelerated
pace. He was able to learn a foreign language and experience new
cultures. My son is now studying medicine in university, so obviously it
did not affect him. This law is unnecessary.”

Which of the following sentences shows the mistake that Susan has made?

A She is suggesting that taking children on holiday in term time used to be allowed.
B She assumes that her son’s achievements were the result of the holidays.
C She is basing her argument on one example of the son and generalises from that.
D She is using the principal’s lack of objection to support her argument.

©Copyright – H.Peng Year 6 term 4 holiday TS 1

 Ace Coaching Thinking skills

4 At the end of each season, a football club awards one prize to the player who has
given the best all-round performance. Five players have been nominated for the prize.
No player who has missed two consecutive training sessions more than twice or failed
to score a penalty kick more than twice is eligible for the prize. The prize will go to
the eligible player who has scored the highest number of goals.

Using the table above as a guide, who will be awarded the prize?

A David
B John
C Graham
D Mike

5 The decline in voting by younger people is the main reason there is a decline in voter
turnout during elections. Older people are more likely than young people to vote. At
this rate, the number of voters will be too small to indicate the wishes of the majority.
An alternative to conventional elections must be found so that the wishes of the
people can be heard.

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

A Many other countries have seen a decline in voter turnout.

B Elections are used in all democratic countries as a way of choosing a government.
C People who are young now might be more likely to vote as they get older.
D There may be problems using alternatives such as postal and internet voting.

6 All birds have wings, but some cannot fly. All bats can fly, and all have wings. This
animal cannot fly but does have wings.

Jeffrey: “This animal is either a bird, or not a bat.”

Annie: “This animal is either a bat or a bird.”

If the information above is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A Jeffrey only
B Annie only
C Both Jeffrey and Annie
D Neither Jeffrey nor Annie

©Copyright – H.Peng Year 6 term 4 holiday TS 1

 Ace Coaching Thinking skills

7 The diagram below shows the method of a book with four folded sheets in each block,
and three blocks in total. Page one is the first page of the first block of four sheets. At
the centre of each block, you can see the stitching that binds the book together.

A book is to be made using the same method but with eight sheets of paper in each of
the three blocks.

Which of the following pairs of pages could be in the centre of a block?

A 47 and 48
B 48 and 49
C 63 and 64
D 64 and 65

8 In a family with seven children, there are four girls and three boys.

Ross is the youngest at 7-years-old, while Monica is the eldest at 18. Joey is the
second child and is 2 years younger than the eldest. Phoebe is the 6th child and is 2
years older than the youngest. The 4th and 5th child, Chandler and Janice respectively,
are twins and born 1 year earlier than Phoebe. The third child, Rachel, is exactly in
the middle between the second and the fourth.

How old is Rachel?

A 11
B 13
C 14
D 15

9 Some Olympic sprinters are very fast. Some Olympic sprinters can jump very high.
Some athletes that can jump very high are very fast.

Iris: “If you are very fast that means you can jump very high.”

Alicia: “To be a high jumper you must be able to jump very high.”

If the information above is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A Iris only
B Alicia only
C Both Iris and Alicia
D Neither Iris nor Alicia

©Copyright – H.Peng Year 6 term 4 holiday TS 1

 Ace Coaching Thinking skills

10 A shopkeeper makes 50 sausage rolls and 50 corndogs for sale during the day. The
sausage rolls are $2 each while the corndogs were $1 each. By lunchtime, there are 10
sausage rolls and 15 corndogs unsold, so the price of each is halved for the afternoon.
At the end of the day there are still 2 sausage rolls and 1 corndog left unsold.

If the sausage rolls and corndogs had a combined production cost of $30, how much
profit did the shopkeeper make?

A $100
B $102
C $115
D $120

11 There are four animals: a frog, a cat, a large dog, and a horse. Their names are Peter,
Elvia, Tony, and Ben.

Peter is older than the cat.

Elvia is the largest animal.
Ben is smaller than the dog.
Tony is less hairy than the cat and slower than the dog.

What is the dog’s name?

A Peter
B Elvia
C Tony
D Ben

12 The net below is folded to make a cube.

At how many corners of the cube do exactly two of the diagonal lines meet?

A 2
B 3
C 4
D 5

©Copyright – H.Peng Year 6 term 4 holiday TS 1

 Ace Coaching Thinking skills

13 A new supermarket campaign awards discount vouchers to customers to spend $100 a

week on their grocery shopping.

Darius: “My shopping only costs $50, so I will definitely not be eligible for
discount vouchers.”

Which of the following sentences shows the mistake that Darius has made?

A There may be other ways to get discount vouchers.

B Darius could do more shopping during the week.
C The number of discount vouchers may be limited to one per customer.
D The discount vouchers may only be redeemed at the new supermarket.

14 Traditional ways of reporting meant that news could be censored, but this is no longer
the case. We don’t have to wait for journalists and photographers to report news to us.
People can talk about or take photos of important events and share them immediately
on social media.

However, this encourages the spread of incorrect information which cannot be

removed from the public domain without great difficulty. The government and
traditional media need to find new ways to deal with and adapt to new technologies.

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

A Some governments have successfully restricted the information available on the

internet in their countries.
B Information can be posted anonymously on the internet without consequence.
C In the past, people often took photos that they then sold to the press.
D People who publish false and incriminating material on the internet are often sued.

15 It is in the interest of almost all commuters to travel to work by public transport.

However, no commuter should travel to work by public transport if they own a bike.

Kevin: “Most commuters should travel to work by public transport unless they
own a bike.”

Rhys: “Commuters who own bikes should never use public transport.”

If the information above is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A Kevin only
B Rhys only
C Both Kevin and Rhys
D Neither Kevin nor Rhys

©Copyright – H.Peng Year 6 term 4 holiday TS 1

 Ace Coaching Thinking skills

16 Carl, Roger, John, Kirsten, and Libby are contestants on a gameshow. There are 5
doors with different prizes – a laptop, television, car, holiday, and cash – behind them.
They each get to pick a door then win the prize behind that door.

None of the males win the car. Roger and John did not win the television. Kirsten won
a holiday to the Maldives. Carl and Roger did not win the cash.

What prize did Carl win?

A Laptop
B Television
C Holiday
D Car

17 Each word in a game is scored by adding up the values of its letters. Each letter has the
same value whenever it appears, but different letters have different values.

I know the word values for TEAR, RITE, TREE, and RAT, but none of the letter
values.

How many of the letter values can I now calculate?

A 1
B 2
C 3
D 4

18 Of the clothing in the winter collection, more than half were outdoor wear and the rest
indoor wear. None of the indoor wear was made from leather, but some of it was made
from suede. All items in the winter collection were hand-stitched.

David: “This item of clothing from the winter collection is indoor wear, so it must
be made from suede.”

Macy: “This garment from the winter collection is made from leather, so it must
be outdoor wear.”

If the information above is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A David only
B Macy only
C Both David and Macy
D Neither David nor Macy

©Copyright – H.Peng Year 6 term 4 holiday TS 1

 Ace Coaching Thinking skills

19 Amy and Ben are about to load several identical boxes that are piled up into a van. The
top view of the boxes and the positions of Amy and Ben are shown below.

The figure below is Amy’s view of the pile.

Which of the answer figures could not be Ben’s view of the pile?

A B C D

20 Emily and Derek want to buy 5 chocolate bars. The shop they go to sells three
different brands of chocolate. They don’t want to buy more than 3 of the same brand.

How many different combinations can they buy?

A 9
B 12
C 24
D 25

©Copyright – H.Peng Year 6 term 4 holiday TS 1

 Ace Coaching Thinking skills

21 It is illegal for people to lend money to others without a licence in Australia.

Wilson: “This law protects the poor and vulnerable from being exploited because
some unlicensed money lenders charge excessive rates of interest, and
many use threats of violent to ensure payment. Anyone convicted of this
offence should be sent to prison.”

Which of the following sentences shows the mistake that Wilson has made?

A He is appealing to pity by calling people poor and vulnerable.

B He is drawing a conclusion about unlicensed money lenders based on some of
them.
C He is assuming that licensed money lenders don’t charge excessive interest rates.
D He is making a personal attack on unlicensed money lenders.

22 A picture 40cm by 30cm is to be framed. There will be a mount between the edge of
the picture and the frame. This mount will be 6cm wide at the top and sides, and 9cm
wide at the bottom. The width of the wood used from the frame is 2cm.

What is the overall height of the framed picture?

A 46cm
B 49cm
C 56cm
D 59cm

23 If the Prime Minister of Australia does not get reelected, then his political party will
not maintain power. If the unemployment rate continues to rise, the Prime Minister
will not get reelected. Several experts have predicted that the unemployment rate will
continue to rise. Therefore, the Prime Minister of Australia’s political party will not
maintain power.

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

A The unemployment rate will remain stable.

B Expert predictions tend to be reliable.
C The Prime Minister of Australia’s party is likely to promise new jobs.
D Australia is currently experiencing economic problems.

©Copyright – H.Peng Year 6 term 4 holiday TS 1

 Ace Coaching Thinking skills

24 A farmer owns both sheep and cows. Some of the cows have horns. Apart from the
horned cows, all the animals are white.

Louis: “None of the animals that are white are cows.”

Ryan: “An animal on the farm that is white and has horns must be a sheep.”

If the information above is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A Louis only
B Ryan only
C Both Louis and Ryan
D Neither Louis nor Ryan

25 The drawing below shows an L-shaped box.

Which of the answer figures cannot be folded up to form the L-shaped box?

A B

C D

©Copyright – H.Peng Year 6 term 4 holiday TS 1

 Ace Coaching Thinking skills

26 Six children – Jayden, Charles, Shawn, Terrence, Daniel, and Leighton – gather in a
circle and play a game in which they toss a ball to each other. One child starts the
game by tossing the ball to one of the other five children, who then tosses it to
another child, who tosses it to another child, who is declared the winner. No child can
toss the ball to themselves, but they can handle the ball more than once during a
game.

• Jayden can only toss the ball to Leighton.

• Leighton can only toss the ball to Daniel.
• Terrence can only receive a toss from Shawn.
• Charles can only toss a ball to Shawn or Leighton, but Shawn can only receive
a toss from Charles.
• Terrence can only toss a ball to Jayden, who can only receive a toss from
Terrence.

If the statements above are true, which of the following is not possible?

A Terrence starts and Terrence wins.

B Jayden starts and Charles wins.
C Charles starts and Charles wins.
D Jayden starts and Leighton wins.

27 All the current teachers at schools in Kogarah were born in Hurstville. Some of the
previous teachers at schools in Hurstville were born in Kogarah.

Jason: “None of the current teachers at schools in Kogarah were born in

Kogarah.”

Carolyn: “Some of the current teachers at schools in Hurstville were not born in
Hurstville.”

If the information above is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A Jason only
B Carolyn only
C Both Jason and Carolyn
D Neither Jason nor Carolyn

©Copyright – H.Peng Year 6 term 4 holiday TS 1

 Ace Coaching Thinking skills

28 Jessica is planning to put five shelves up in her living room. The shelves must be
1.80m long each and have a depth of at least 40cm. The different prices for wood are
shown in the table below.

Jessica can cut pieces of wood to make more than one piece of the correct size, but
she wants each of the shelves to be made of one complete piece of wood.

What is the cheapest total cost for which Jessica can make her shelves?

A $23.25
B $23.55
C $24.75
D $25.50

29 Cells are the basic unit of life for all animals. Cells contain water. All dogs are made
up of cells. All cats are made up of cells. Water is made up of oxygen and hydrogen.

If the statements above are true, which of the following must be true?

A All that is made up of hydrogen and oxygen are definitely cells.

B All cells are animals but not all animals are cells.
C Some dogs contain oxygen and hydrogen.
D Not all that contain hydrogen and oxygen are cells.

30 Maddie: “Have you heard of the Loch Ness monster from Scotland?”

Chris: “There is no evidence that the Loch Ness monster is not real. So it
probably exists.”

Which of the following shows the mistake that Chris has made?

A There is no proof the Loch Ness monster does exist.

B Just because it hasn’t been disproved, it may not be real.
C Most of the sightings of the Loch Ness monster are fake.
D The Loch Ness monster only exists in legends.

©Copyright – H.Peng Year 6 term 4 holiday TS 1

 Ace Coaching Thinking skills

31 Instructions were given to shade 5 particular squares on a grid of 16 squares. One

student shaded in the squares as instructed, but the other four got exactly 1 square
wrong. Below is one of the wrong shadings.

Which of the answer figures shows the correct shading?

A B

C D

32 Studies of fossils show that life on Earth experiences a sudden and mass extinction of
most or all its dominant species every 20 to 30 million years. This is not necessarily a
bad thing, as it allows more minority species to flourish. This shows that life in the
long term will not only survive but increase in richness and diversity despite any
disasters we may wreak on the planet.

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

A Some species have become extinct due to dramatic changes in climate.

B Human technology will soon be advanced enough to prevent most disasters.
C The consequences of a global nuclear holocaust are not known.
D It is difficult to draw conclusions from studies of fossils.

©Copyright – H.Peng Year 6 term 4 holiday TS 1

 Ace Coaching Thinking skills

33 A shop only sells soda or juice. All sparkling drinks are soda. All drinks can be sold
by the bottle or in a pack of six, which offers a 30% discount. Sparkling drinks can
only be sold by the bottle.

Nicole: “A bottle of drink from a pack of six will not be soda.”

Natalie: “A pack of six juices will cost less than five bottles of the same juice.”

If the information above is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A Nicole only
B Natalie only
C Both Nicole and Natalie
D Neither Nicole nor Natalie

34 A particular video game involves the capturing of three types of mythical creatures:
Chocobos, Cactuars, and Moogles.

Chocobos have 6 legs, 3 horns, and a tail.

Cactuars have 4 legs, 2 horns, but no tail.
Moogles have 3 legs, 1 tail, but no horns.

Michael played the game and captured 45 creatures with a total of 222 legs, 99 horns,
and 33 tails.

How many of the 45 creatures that Michael caught were Moogles?

A 8
B 12
C 15
D 20

35 Amy takes part in a board game competition, where she will face 2 different
opponents. Her first opponent is an amateur and the probability of her winning is 0.6.
Her second opponent is a professional and the probability of her winning is 0.2. Both
games are independent.

If the statements above are true, which of the following is not possible?

A The probability of losing at least one game is 0.56.

B The probability of losing both games is 0.32.
C The probability of winning at least one game is 0.88.
D The probability of winning both games is 0.12.

©Copyright – H.Peng Year 6 term 4 holiday TS 1

 Ace Coaching Thinking skills

36 Irene earns more than Ricky, who earns more than Patrick. Henry earns less than
Irene and Ricky but more than Patrick. Brett earns the least out of the group. Terry
and Dylan earn the same, but less than Patrick.

If the statements above are true, which of the following must be true?

A Terry and Dylan earn the second lowest out of the group.
B Patrick earns the third highest out of the group.
C Ricky earns the third highest out of the group.
D Irene earns less than Terry.

37 The numbers in the boxes below go together following the same rule.

What number will best replace the question mark?

A 2
B 5
C 6
D 7

38 Two friends are looking at each other’s stamp collection. None of Aaron’s stamps are
red. None of Joe’s stamps are overprints, but some are blue.

Aaron: “If there is a blue stamp in our collection, it must be yours!”

Joe: “And if there is a yellow overprint stamp, it must be yours!”

If the information above is true, whose reasoning is correct?

A Aaron only
B Joe only
C Both Aaron and Joe
D Neither Aaron nor Joe

©Copyright – H.Peng Year 6 term 4 holiday TS 1

 Ace Coaching Thinking skills

39 The teams in a tournament come from five different Australian states: New South
Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia. Each team
wore uniforms and shoes of different colours: white, black, blue, purple, and red. No
teams wore matching uniforms and shoes of the same colour.

The team from South Australia wore red uniforms. Their shoes were neither white nor
purple. The Victorian team wore purple uniforms, and their shoes were not red. The
Queensland team wore blue shoes, and their uniforms were the same colour as the
South Australian team’s shoes. The team from New South Wales did not wear blue
uniform or purple shoes.

If the statements above are true, which of the following must be true?

A The team from New South Wales wore white shoes.

B The Victorian team wore black shoes.
C The South Australian team wore red shoes.
D The Western Australian team wore purple shoes.

40 Which of the answer figures is the odd one out?

A B C D

©Copyright – H.Peng Year 6 term 4 holiday TS 1