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Practice Verbal Classification questions for the Cognitive Abilities Test — Grade 3 (Level 9). Every question includes a full explanation of why the correct answer is right and why the tempting distractors are wrong.
26 questions available · medium difficulty · CogAT Grade 3 · Free, no registration required
Three words are given that belong together and the child picks a fourth that belongs with them. As with the figure version nothing states what the three have in common, and working out the category at the right level of generality is the task.
Three words on one line, then four or five choices. The category is concrete at this level - kinds of animal, things found in a kitchen, words describing weather - and exactly one choice is a member of it.
At level 9 — grade 3
Level 9 categories are concrete and nameable - animals, foods, things with wheels. The characteristic third-grade error is choosing an associated word rather than a member of the class, and it responds quickly to being asked what the three words are all examples of.
If the three words are apple, banana and pear, the category 'things you can eat' admits bread as readily as orange. The right category is the narrowest one covering all three, because that is the only one leaving a single answer.
Given three kinds of fruit a child may choose knife or juice - both connected, neither a member. Belonging with and going with are different relations, and this subtest tests the first.
Two words often suggest a category the third does not fit, and a child who has stopped reading will find an option matching the wrong category. All three words constrain the answer, and skipping one is enough to lose it.
Do it aloud in the car: name three things and ask what they are all examples of, then offer a fourth and ask whether it belongs. Push for the narrowest description covering all three - if your child says 'things in a house', ask whether they can be more exact. That single push is most of the skill, and it transfers directly to the figure classification items too.
As specific as it can be while still covering all three words. A category that also admits one of the other choices is too broad, and narrowing it is usually what finds the answer.
Because association is the more natural way to connect words, and this subtest asks for membership instead. The distinction is learnable, and stating the category aloud is what teaches it.
The reasoning is the same - find what unites three things, then find the fourth that shares it. One works in words and one in shapes, which is why a child can be strong at one and weak at the other.
10 example questions with full explanations. Use the interactive practice above to work through the complete set.
Correct answer: A
A robin, an eagle and a sparrow are all birds, so the answer must also be a bird. An owl is a bird, making A correct. The other three are the tempting wrong answers because they all fly, and it is easy to decide the group is 'things that fly'.Bbat is a mammal, and a butterfly and a bee are insects, so none of them belong to the group of birds.
Correct answer: B
A hammer, a saw and a screwdriver are all tools that someone holds and uses to do a job, so the answer must be another tool. A wrench is a tool, making B correct. A nail is a thing a tool is used on, not a tool itself. Wood is a material. A box might hold tools but is not one.
Correct answer: D
Oak, pine and maple are all kinds of tree, so the answer must be another kind of tree. Birch is a tree, making D correct. 'Grass' is a plant but not a tree. 'Leaf' is a part of a tree rather than a kind of one. 'Forest' is what many trees make together, which is a group rather than a member.
Correct answer: A
A cup, a bowl and a glass are all containers that hold food or drink, so the answer must be another container.Bmug holds drink, making A correct.B'spoon' is used with food but holds almost nothing, so it is a utensil instead.B'table' is furniture the containers sit on, and 'water' is something you would put inside them.
Correct answer: B
Red, blue and green are all colours, so the answer must also name a colour. Yellow is a colour, making B correct. 'Bright' describes how a colour looks rather than naming one. 'Paint' is a thing that has colour, and a 'rainbow' is made of many colours rather than being one.
Correct answer: C
Running, jumping and hopping are all ways of moving your body using your legs, so the answer must be another one. Skipping uses the legs to move, making C correct. 'Sit' and 'sleep' are things you do while staying still. 'Throw' is an action but it uses the arms and does not move you anywhere.
Correct answer: B
A window, a bottle and a mirror are all made of glass, so the answer must also be made of glass.Bjar is glass, making B correct. The trap here is deciding the group is 'things in a house', which would let 'door', 'wall' and 'curtain' in. Those are made of wood, brick and cloth, so none of them share the material.
Correct answer: C
A stove, a sink and a refrigerator are all things found in a kitchen, so the answer must belong there too. An oven is a kitchen appliance, making C correct. A 'bathtub' belongs in a bathroom, a 'pillow' in a bedroom and a 'sofa' in a living room, so none of them share the same room.
Correct answer: D
A root, a trunk and a branch are all parts of one tree, so the answer must be another part of a tree.Aleaf is part of a tree, making D correct.A'forest' is many trees together rather than a part of one. 'Shade' is something a tree makes, and a 'seed' is what a tree grows from, so neither is a part of the tree itself.
Correct answer: A
A dog, a tree and a fish are all living things that grow, so the answer must also be alive.Bbird is living, making A correct.B'rock' and a 'cloud' both exist in nature but neither one is alive, which is the trap if you decide the group is simply 'things in nature'.B'chair' is made by people and is not alive either.