Four types of logic questions

Most logic forms are one of four jobs: count, turn, complete a grid, or match a relation.

[Series] → [Rotation] → [Matrix] → [Analogy]
    count      turn         grid        relation

Series and rotation

A number series asks for the next term. Try 2, 4, 8, 16. The step doubles, so a calm next term is 32. Another series can add 3, then 4, then 5. Say the rule aloud before you commit. Two rules can fit a short list, so a longer list is safer.

A rotation item turns a shape. A flag pointing up, then right, then down, is turning a quarter turn clockwise. The next calm step points left. Reflection is the cousin of rotation. A shape and its mirror are not the same move as a spin.

Mark the corner you are watching. If you watch the wrong corner, a correct turn looks wrong.

Matrices and analogies

A geometric matrix is a small grid with one empty cell. Each row and each column obeys one rule. Count, shading, or the number of sides may change. Do not stare at all four options first. Name one change in the first row, then test the last row.

A word analogy has the shape A is to B as C is to D. Hot is to cold as day is to night, if the relation is opposite. Analogies punish a shift of relation. Hot is to summer is a different link from hot is to cold.

These four jobs appear inside many published batteries. The tiny examples here are original teaching sketches, not items from a live form.

[2] → [4] → [8] → [16] → [?]
 rule: double
 next calm term: 32

Worked sketches you can say aloud

Series example: 5, 8, 11, 14. The gap is plus 3. The next calm term is 17. If the gap had grown, you would say so before choosing.

A second series: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5. Each term adds the one before it. The next calm term is 8. Name that rule instead of saying it looks famous.

Rotation example: an arrow east, then south, then west. The turn is a quarter turn clockwise. North is the next calm direction.

If the arrow also grows a notch longer each step, you have two rules. Track length and direction on two fingers.

Mirror example: a shape with a dot on its left becomes a shape with a dot on its right, and the outline stays. That is a flip, not a spin.

Matrix example: row one holds one dot, two dots, three dots. Row two holds the same count with squares instead of dots. The missing cell continues the count in the new shape.

Do not import a rule from a different puzzle book. The grid in front of you is the only evidence that counts.

Analogy example: glove is to hand as hat is to head, if the relation is worn on. Glove is to wool is a material relation and answers a different question.

A bad option repeats a word without keeping the relation. Reject it even if the word is familiar.

Spatial folding is a cousin of rotation. A paper with a hole, folded once, punches through layers. Count the layers before you pick the hole pattern.

People lose these items by rushing the first plausible picture. A five-second check of the rejected options saves the miss.

Write the rule in six words. If the sentence needs a comma and a second verb, you may be stacking two rules without noticing.

Published tests balance item difficulty. A teaching sketch does not. Getting a sketch right is not a scaled score.

Getting a sketch wrong is also not a band. It is a note about which rule you skipped.

Use elimination as a timer. Drop options that break the first rule you proved, then spend the leftover seconds on the last two.

Keep a small notebook of rules you missed. The notebook becomes a personal syllabus. It is more useful than a screenshot of a percent.

When you move to Trio cards, the four jobs shrink toward the matrix job. Count, shape, color, and fill are the attributes you audit one by one.

The sketches above are free to repeat aloud. They are not copies of a protected form, and they should stay that ordinary.

Before you leave the four jobs, try one mixed item of your own. Write a three-term series, rotate the last term a quarter turn in your sketch, and say which job you just used.

Then build a two-word analogy from objects on your desk. Pen is to line as lamp is to light, if the relation is produces. If you cannot name the relation, throw the analogy out.

These homemade items will not match a published difficulty ladder. They will tell you whether you can name the job. Naming is the skill the rest of the article keeps returning to.

Trio IQ in this story

Trio cards are closest to the matrix job. You still look for a rule that repeats. The game scores the round, not an IQ band.

Takeaway

[Read the rule] → [Try one example] → [Play one round]

Step	Do this
Name the idea	Say it in one sentence before you trust a chart.
Check the source	Prefer a published test manual over a nameless quiz.
Practice a rule	Open Play and use the rule on cards.