List of 50 Mental Ability Test Questions with Answers for Class 7
Question 1. What has keys but can’t open locks?
a) A map
b) A piano
c) A code
d) A puzzle
Answer:
b) A piano – It has keys but cannot open locks.
Question 2. Find the odd one out: 3, 5, 11, 14, 17, 19
a) 3
b) 14
c) 11
d) 19
Answer:
b) 14 – All others are prime numbers.
Question 3. If ‘PENCIL’ is coded as ‘OCDMFK’, how is ‘BRUSH’ coded?
a) AQTVG
b) AQTRG
c) CQTSG
d) ASVGU
Answer:
b) AQTRG – Each letter is replaced by its previous letter in the alphabet.
Question 4. What is the next figure in the series?
a) A square inside a circle
b) A circle inside a square
c) A triangle inside a square
d) A circle inside a triangle
Answer:
Details required for a visual pattern are missing, so this question would need a series of figures to provide a valid answer.
Question 5. In a certain language, ‘MATHEMATICS’ is written as ‘TAMCIHTAME’. How is ‘COMPUTER’ written in that code?
a) RETUPMOC
b) ERTUPMOC
c) REPUTMOC
d) RUTEMPUC
Answer:
a) RETUPMOC – The word is written in reverse order.
Question 6. If ‘a’ means ‘+’, ‘b’ means ‘-‘, ‘c’ means ‘×’, and ‘d’ means ‘÷’, then what is the value of 8 c 2 b 3 a 4?
a) 13
b) 11
c) 17
d) 19
Answer:
b) 11 – Following the operations: 8 × 2 – 3 + 4 = 16 – 3 + 4 = 17.
Question 7. What comes next in the pattern: Z, X, V, T, …?
a) S
b) R
c) Q
d) P
Answer:
d) P – The sequence follows the pattern of skipping one letter backwards in the alphabet.
Question 8. A clock shows the time as 3:15. What is the angle between the hour and the minute hands?
a) 0°
b) 7.5°
c) 90°
d) 37.5°
Answer:
d) 37.5° – The hour hand moves 0.5 degrees per minute, so it has moved 7.5 degrees in 15 minutes from 3 o’clock, creating a 37.5-degree angle from the minute hand at 15 minutes.
Question 9. If ‘MOON’ is to ‘NOOM’ as ‘STAR’ is to …?
a) RATS
b) TSAR
c) ARTS
d) TARS
Answer:
a) RATS – The letters are reversed in order.
Question 10. The day before two days after the day before tomorrow is Saturday. What day is it today?
a) Friday
b) Thursday
c) Wednesday
d) Tuesday
Answer:
c) Wednesday – If “the day before tomorrow” is today, then two days after that is Saturday, meaning today is Wednesday.
Question 11. If the day after tomorrow is Sunday, what day was it yesterday?
a) Thursday
b) Friday
c) Wednesday
d) Saturday
Answer:
c) Wednesday – If the day after tomorrow is Sunday, today is Friday, making yesterday Thursday.
Question 12. How many 3s are there in the sequence that are immediately followed by a 4 but not immediately preceded by a 2: 12343534643212344321?
a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
d) 4
Answer:
b) 2 – The sequence contains two instances of 3 immediately followed by a 4 but not immediately preceded by a 2.
Question 13. If you rearrange the letters “CIFAIPC” you would have the name of a(n):
a) City
b) Animal
c) Ocean
d) River
Answer:
a) City – The letters can be rearranged to spell “PACIFIC.”
Question 14. In a class of 40 students, 18 play hockey, 17 play basketball, and 15 play both. How many students do not play either?
a) 10
b) 20
c) 25
d) 5
Answer:
d) 5 – Using the principle of inclusion-exclusion, (18+17-15) gives us 20 students who play at least one sport, so 40-20 = 20 students play at least one, meaning 20 students don’t play either.
Question 15. If two pencils cost 8 cents, then how much do five pencils cost?
a) 20 cents
b) 25 cents
c) 40 cents
d) 15 cents
Answer:
a) 20 cents – Each pencil costs 4 cents, so five pencils cost 20 cents.
Question 16. What comes next? Circle, Triangle, Rectangle, Circle, Triangle, …
a) Circle
b) Square
c) Rectangle
d) Triangle
Answer:
c) Rectangle – The pattern is repeating every three shapes.
Question 17. A book and a pen together cost $1.10. The book costs $1 more than the pen. How much does the pen cost?
a) 5 cents
b) 10 cents
c) 15 cents
d) 20 cents
Answer:
a) 5 cents – If the pen costs 5 cents, the book costs $1.05, making the total $1.10.
Question 18. In a race, you passed the person in 2nd place. What place are you in now?
a) 1st
b) 2nd
c) 3rd
d) 4th
Answer:
b) 2nd – You take the place of the person you passed.
Question 19. If all Boops are Toops and some Toops are Loops, which statement must be true?
a) All Boops are Loops
b) Some Boops are Loops
c) No Boops are Loops
d) Some Loops are not Boops
Answer:
b) Some Boops are Loops – Given the overlapping categories, it’s possible some Boops are also Loops.
Question 20. Which number should come next in the pattern? 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, …
a) 40
b) 42
c) 44
d) 48
Answer:
b) 42 – The pattern increases by consecutive even numbers (4, 6, 8, 10, 12).
Question 21. If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you haven’t got me. What am I?
a) Money
b) Love
c) A secret
d) Happiness
Answer:
c) A secret – Once a secret is shared, it is no longer a secret to those you’ve told.
Question 22. It takes 5 workers 5 minutes to make 5 widgets. How long would it take 100 workers to make 100 widgets?
a) 5 minutes
b) 100 minutes
c) 20 minutes
d) 1 minute
Answer:
a) 5 minutes – The rate of widget production per worker remains constant.
Question 23. If you throw a red stone into the blue sea what will it become?
a) It becomes wet
b) It sinks
c) It changes color
d) It disappears
Answer:
a) It becomes wet – The color of the stone or the sea doesn’t change the fact that the stone gets wet.
Question 24. How many months have 28 days?
a) 1
b) 2
c) 6
d) All of them
Answer:
d) All of them – Every month has at least 28 days.
Question 25. If a peacock lays an egg on a hilltop, where would the egg roll?
a) North
b) South
c) It wouldn’t roll
d) Peacocks don’t lay eggs
Answer:
d) Peacocks don’t lay eggs – Peahens lay eggs, not peacocks.
Question 26. What comes next in the sequence: JFMAMJJASON_?
a) D
b) J
c) M
d) F
Answer:
a) D – The sequence represents the first letter of each month.
Question 27. What can travel around the world while staying in a corner?
a) A stamp
b) A plane
c) A boat
d) A cloud
Answer:
a) A stamp – It travels on mail around the world but stays in the corner of the envelope.
Question 28. I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have nobody, but I come alive with wind. What am I?
a) Echo
b) Leaf
c) Shadow
d) Flame
Answer:
a) Echo – It reflects sound without physical form and “comes alive” when sound waves are present.
Question 29. You see a boat filled with people. It has not sunk, but when you look again you don’t see a single person on the boat. Why?
a) They went below deck
b) The boat is far away
c) It’s night and too dark to see
d) They are all married
Answer:
d) They are all married – The question plays on the word “single” meaning unmarried.
Question 30. What is the missing number in the sequence: 1, 1, 2, 6, 24, …?
a) 120
b) 100
c) 72
d) 150
Answer:
a) 120 – This is a factorial series, where each number is the product of all positive integers up to that number. Thus, the next number is 5! (5 factorial), which is 120.
Question 31. What comes next in the sequence: JFMAMJJASON_?
a) D
b) J
c) M
d) F
Answer:
a) D – The sequence represents the first letter of each month, so D for December comes next.
Question 32. A man is looking at a photograph of someone. His friend asks who it is. The man replies, “Brothers and sisters, I have none. But that man’s father is my father’s son.” Who is the man in the photograph?
a) The man’s son
b) The man himself
c) The man’s father
d) The man’s brother
Answer:
a) The man’s son – “My father’s son” is the man himself, so the man in the photograph is his son.
Question 33. Which number should replace the question mark in the following series: 9, 16, 25, ?, 49.
a) 34
b) 36
c) 40
d) 45
Answer:
b) 36 – The series consists of squares of consecutive numbers: 3^2, 4^2, 5^2, 6^2, 7^2. Therefore, the missing number is 6^2 = 36.
Question 34. If you throw a red stone into the blue sea what it will become?
a) It sinks
b) It floats
c) It disappears
d) Wet
Answer:
d) Wet – Regardless of whether the stone sinks or floats, it will become wet.
Question 35. If it takes 5 machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, how long would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets?
a) 5 minutes
b) 100 minutes
c) 20 minutes
d) 1 minute
Answer:
a) 5 minutes – Each machine takes 5 minutes to make one widget, so 100 machines would also take 5 minutes to make 100 widgets, as each works simultaneously.
Question 36. You have 3 stoves: a gas stove, a wood stove, and a coal stove, but only one match. Which do you light first?
a) Gas stove
b) Wood stove
c) Coal stove
d) The match
Answer:
d) The match – Before lighting any stove, you must light the match first.
Question 37. A snail climbs a 30-foot pole. During the day, it climbs 3 feet, and at night it slides back 2 feet. How many days does it take for the snail to reach the top of the pole?
a) 28 days
b) 27 days
c) 29 days
d) 30 days
Answer:
b) 27 days – On the 27th day, the snail climbs 3 feet and reaches the top before sliding back, thus not needing the night to slide.
Question 38. Two fathers and two sons go fishing. Each of them catches one fish. So why do they bring home only three fish?
a) One fish got away
b) They shared one fish
c) There are actually only three people
d) One of the fish was too small to keep
Answer:
c) There are actually only three people – A grandfather, his son, and his grandson; thus, two fathers and two sons, but only three people.
Question 39. If ‘PENCIL’ is coded as ‘OCDMHK’, how is ‘ERASER’ coded?
a) DQZQDQ
b) DSBRDS
c) DQZRDQ
d) FSBTFS
Answer:
a) DQZQDQ – Each letter in ‘PENCIL’ is moved one step back to get ‘OCDMHK’, so ‘ERASER’ becomes ‘DQZQDQ’.
Question 40. Find the odd one out: Oxygen, Hydrogen, Gold, Nitrogen
a) Oxygen
b) Hydrogen
c) Gold
d) Nitrogen
Answer:
c) Gold – It is a metal, while all the others are gases at room temperature.
Question 41. Tree is to Forest as Star is to:
a) Sky
b) Galaxy
c) Moon
d) Sun
Answer:
b) Galaxy – Just as a tree is a part of a forest, a star is part of a galaxy.
Question 42. If ‘SCHOOL’ is coded as ‘SXPNNLD’, how is ‘HOME’ coded?
a) HPNLD
b) HNQMF
c) HPNLF
d) HPLNE
Answer:
c) HPNLF – Each consonant letter is moved one step forward, and each vowel is moved one step back in the alphabet in ‘SCHOOL’ to get ‘SXPNNLD’, so ‘HOME’ becomes ‘HPNLF’.
Question 43. Choose the odd one out: Algebra, Geometry, Calculus, Dictionary
a) Algebra
b) Geometry
c) Calculus
d) Dictionary
Answer:
d) Dictionary – All the others are branches of mathematics, while a dictionary is related to language.
Question 44. If ‘BIRD’ is to ‘DBRI’ and ‘FISH’ is to ‘HSIF’, how is ‘FROG’ coded?
a) OGRF
b) GORF
c) GFOR
d) ORGF
Answer:
b) GORF – The pattern is to reverse the order of letters.
Question 45. Water is to Liquid as Ice is to:
a) Cold
b) Solid
c) Freeze
d) Crystal
Answer:
b) Solid – Water is a liquid, and ice is water in its solid state.
Question 46. If ‘JANUARY’ is coded as ‘1234516’, how is ‘JUNE’ coded?
a) 1565
b) 1265
c) 1235
d) 1526
Answer:
b) 1265 – Each letter is assigned a number based on its position in the word ‘JANUARY’; ‘JUNE’ follows the same pattern.
Question 47. Choose the odd one out: Circle, Rectangle, Triangle, Cylinder
a) Circle
b) Rectangle
c) Triangle
d) Cylinder
Answer:
d) Cylinder – All others are 2-dimensional shapes, while a cylinder is a 3-dimensional shape.
Question 48. If ‘CLOCK’ is to ‘TIME’ as ‘COMPASS’ is to:
a) Direction
b) Magnetism
c) Navigation
d) Sea
Answer:
a) Direction – A clock is used to measure time, similarly, a compass is used to determine direction.
Question 49. ‘Heart’ is to ‘Circulation’ as ‘Lungs’ are to:
a) Breathing
b) Oxygen
c) Carbon dioxide
d) Respiration
Answer:
d) Respiration – The heart is central to the circulatory system, just as lungs are crucial for the respiratory system.
Question 50. If ‘POETRY’ is related to ‘VERSE’ in the same way ‘DRAMA’ is related to:
a) Scene
b) Act
c) Script
d) Performance
Answer:
b) Act – Poetry is composed of verses, and a drama is divided into acts.
Question 51. ‘Atom’ is to ‘Element’ as ‘Cell’ is to:
a) Organism
b) Tissue
c) Organ
d) Life
Answer:
b) Tissue – Atoms make up elements in the same way that cells come together to form tissues.
Question 52. If ‘Historian’ is to ‘Past’ as ‘Futurist’ is to:
a) Present
b) Future
c) Prediction
d) Science
Answer:
b) Future – A historian studies the past, whereas a futurist focuses on understanding and predicting the future.