Help with this coding question please...

[PurpleDuck]

OK, I think I've got it.

The question asks: Which code matches the shape or pattern given at the end of each line? Underline the answer. (note: the correct answer is given as c)

I think this is what's in the question - please correct me if I'm wrong (H=horizontal, V=vertical, diag=diagonal):

Shape 1 ................. Shape 2 ..................... Shape 3 .................... Shape 4 .................. Shape 5
Circle diag. lines ...... H.oval diamonds ........... V. oval diag. lines ......... H. oval h. lines ......... H. oval diag. lines
AX ........................ BY ............................. CX ............................ BZ .......................... ? (answer: BX)

Answer options to chose from:
AY ...... CZ ......... BX ......... CY .......... AZ
a ....... b ............ c .......... d ........... e

You need to look at how the letters under the shapes correspond to the properties of those shapes. It looks like the first letter of each code corresponds to the outline of the shape and the second letter to the shading.

Shapes 2 and 4 are both horizontal ovals, but with different shading. The codes beneath them are BY and BZ, so they have letter B in common with the second letters being different. This would suggest that B represents the horizontal oval shape, while Y and Z represent the different patterns of shading.

Looking at shapes 1, 3 and 5: they are all different shapes, but with the same shading inside (diagonal lines). The corresponding codes are AX, CX and ? (answer: c=BX).

If we apply the same logic as with shapes 2 and 4, we could say that the first letters of the codes represent the outlines of the shapes, while the second letters represent the shading patterns. This means that A would stand for a circle, C would stand for a vertical oval and X would stand for diagonal line shading.

Shape 5 is a horizontal oval with diagonal lines inside. Based on shapes 2 and 4, we know that a horizontal oval is represented by letter B. Looking at shapes 1 and 3 we can say that diagonal lines are represented by letter X. Putting the two together, we get a code BX, which is answer c.

I hope this makes sense, but let me know if something is unclear.

[nikkidev]

OK, I think I've got it.

The question asks: Which code matches the shape or pattern given at the end of each line? Underline the answer. (note: the correct answer is given as c)

I think this is what's in the question - please correct me if I'm wrong (H=horizontal, V=vertical, diag=diagonal):

Shape 1 ................. Shape 2 ..................... Shape 3 .................... Shape 4 .................. Shape 5
Circle diag. lines ...... H.oval diamonds ........... V. oval diag. lines ......... H. oval h. lines ......... H. oval diag. lines
AX ........................ BY ............................. CX ............................ BZ .......................... ? (answer: BX)

Answer options to chose from:
AY ...... CZ ......... BX ......... CY .......... AZ
a ....... b ............ c .......... d ........... e

You need to look at how the letters under the shapes correspond to the properties of those shapes. It looks like the first letter of each code corresponds to the outline of the shape and the second letter to the shading.

Shapes 2 and 4 are both horizontal ovals, but with different shading. The codes beneath them are BY and BZ, so they have letter B in common with the second letters being different. This would suggest that B represents the horizontal oval shape, while Y and Z represent the different patterns of shading.

Looking at shapes 1, 3 and 5: they are all different shapes, but with the same shading inside (diagonal lines). The corresponding codes are AX, CX and ? (answer: c=BX).

If we apply the same logic as with shapes 2 and 4, we could say that the first letters of the codes represent the outlines of the shapes, while the second letters represent the shading patterns. This means that A would stand for a circle, C would stand for a vertical oval and X would stand for diagonal line shading.

Shape 5 is a horizontal oval with diagonal lines inside. Based on shapes 2 and 4, we know that a horizontal oval is represented by letter B. Looking at shapes 1 and 3 we can say that diagonal lines are represented by letter X. Putting the two together, we get a code BX, which is answer c.

I hope this makes sense, but let me know if something is unclear.

Wow... Thanks for this. How kind of you!

Problem is the question looks like this below. There are no answer options to choose from... The second set of double codes are what have thrown me as it's not clear whether they are the answers, or they are part of the decoding challenge?

Shape 1 ................. Shape 2 ..................... Shape 3 .................... Shape 4 .................. Shape 5
Circle diag. lines ...... H.oval diamonds ........... V. oval diag. lines ......... H. oval h. lines ......... H. oval diag. lines
AX ........................ BY ............................. CX ............................ BZ .......................... ?
AY ...... ..................CZ ............................. BX ......... ...................CY .......... ................AZ
a ....... .....................b ............ ...................c .......... ..........d .................... e

With some of the other challenges on the same page, the second set of codes underneath the first set (some of which are three lettered ones) contain letters not in the first set of codes. Hence my confusion...

Nikki

[nikkidev]

If I've imagined this correctly....

Each shape has a two letter code underneath it.
From your description the first letter in each pair relates to the shape and its orientation, so:

A = circle
B = horizontal oval
C = vertical oval

As your 5th shape is a horizontal oval the first letter of its code must be B.

The second letter of each code relates to the shading inside the shape.

X = diagonal lines
Y = diamonds
Z = horizontal lines

As your 5th shape has diagonal lines inside the second part of its code is X.

Therefore the correct answer is indeed C which is below the code BX.

I think...

Thanks for taking time out to look at this. There are actually two sets of codes beneath each shape which is what's causing the problem in my head.. I can't work out what the second set of codes actually denote?

i.e shape
AX
AY
a

N

[PurpleDuck]

Nikki,

I am 100% sure that the last two sets of lines are the possible answers to choose from: two-letter codes with corresponding option letters, i.e. a, b, c, d, e. Otherwise the question would not make any sense. The answer to the question is not a letter c, but a code marked as option c, i.e. BX. I can now see how this could completely confuse you.

I am just looking at my old 10-11 NVR Bond book, at the same type of question as you described, and it has exactly the same format, other than lines 3 and 4 (second set of codes and letters a, b, c, d and e) appear to the side of lines 1 and 2, not beneath them. In other words, the text on the page is arranged in two columns, on the left-hand-side there are the shapes, four codes and a question mark, while on the right-hand-side there are five more codes and letters a, b, c, d, e.

It is just a very confusing presentation in the book, not making clear which lines are the actual question and which are the answer options. Not sure whether it is intentional or something went wrong with the formatting, but that second set of codes is definitely not the part of the question itself.

Bond books used to be well edited, but by the sounds of it, some editing errors have crept in. I found some printing errors in a couple of recent Bond's maths books, some in the questions themselves and some in the answers. It certainly is not very helpful.

I don't know whether this is still the case, but 3-4 years ago Bond 11+ Practice Test Papers contained a booklet with answers and full explanations, while the assessment papers books offer no explanations at all, just the answers. It may be worth buying the Practice Test Papers and use those instead, they make the answers very clear, explaining things step by step. At least that used to be the case...

[nikkidev]

Nikki,

I am 100% sure that the last two sets of lines are the possible answers to choose from: two-letter codes with corresponding option letters, i.e. a, b, c, d, e. Otherwise the question would not make any sense. The answer to the question is not a letter c, but a code marked as option c, i.e. BX. I can now see how this could completely confuse you.

It is just a very confusing presentation in the book, not making clear which lines are the actual question and which are the answer options. Not sure whether it is intentional or something went wrong with the formatting, but that second set of codes is definitely not the part of the question itself.

Bond books used to be well edited, but by the sounds of it, some editing errors have crept in. I found some printing errors in a couple of recent Bond's maths books, some in the questions themselves and some in the answers. It certainly is not very helpful.

I don't know whether this is still the case, but 3-4 years ago Bond 11+ Practice Test Papers contained a booklet with answers and full explanations, while the assessment papers books offer no explanations at all, just the answers. It may be worth buying the Practice Test Papers and use those instead, they make the answers very clear, explaining things step by step. At least that used to be the case...

Hi PD,

Thanks, I'm inclined to agree with you. Having done some professional editing, this does seem rather sloppy. Giving children and adults a cracking headache was probably not the intent...

Thanks for your fantastic help and advice...