Abstract question I fail to solve

[zoki85]

I definitely see B as inside: normal, outside: bold. In that regard, it's as good a choice as E. If E is correct, there has to be some other reason for rejecting B, because they're both inside: normal, outside: bold.

Post #14 :)
E must be correct answer. Case closed

 

[Intrastellar]

I definitely see B as inside: normal, outside: bold. In that regard, it's as good a choice as E. If E is correct, there has to be some other reason for rejecting B, because they're both inside: normal, outside: bold.

Ahh, I knew I wasn't clear, my apologies.

For each one of the 3x3 boxes, the figure with the more sides is the bold ones, but if they both have the same number of sides they are both not bold.
For each column, there is one with a bold figure on the outside, one with a bold figure on the inside, and one with both not bold.

I hope that this is clearer.

 

[TumblingDice]

Post #14 :)
E must be correct answer. Case closed

O.K. for you if you feel that confident. My comment is, if "E" is the correct answer and the quiz doesn't allow for one to explain their reasoning, then the question is very poor. That's because most replies with an answer in this thread say "E", yet there's a variety of reasons given why. If most people choose "E" for various reasons, I don't see what the testers could expect to glean from the testee's answers (guesses).

 

[zoobyshoe]

Post #14 :)
E must be correct answer. Case closed

Ahh, I knew I wasn't clear, my apologies.

For each one of the 3x3 boxes, the figure with the more sides is the bold ones, but if they both have the same number of sides they are both not bold.
For each column, there is one with a bold figure on the outside, one with a bold figure on the inside, and one with both not bold.

I hope that this is clearer.

I see now. B is rejected based on the fact it has the same # of sides in both inner and outer figure. Other figures like that are not bolded.

However, observe 1,1. The inner figure shares no axis with the outer figure. 1,1 is unique and anomalous for that. Given 1,1, how do we ever know what other anomalies aren't allowed?

That doubt aside, your reason for rejecting B is pretty good. The existence of 1,1 prevents me, however, from saying, "case closed."

 

[zoki85]

Well then, maybe you two should write P&G company they have some bad questions in their professionally made reasoning tests :p
I don't know what else to say...

 

[Resistor]

FYI, the question is example from one of Procter & Gamble's global reasoning tests :
https://www.wikijob.co.uk/wiki/procter-gamble-application-process

 

[Resistor]

There are nine abstracts within the squares. These can be divided into three groups of three. Six can clearly be seen. ( two groups of three; and can be eliminated. the first group of three being being the most obvious are the lowest abstract in the first row together with the middle and lowest abstract in the second row ( reading left to right). the second group of three are now easy to see and therefore, once you see the second group, the answer must be D.

 

[Intrastellar]

However, observe 1,1. The inner figure shares no axis with the outer figure.

Sorry, I don't understand what that means, you mean that they don't point the same way ?

 

[Resistor]

The first group referred to relate to the loaf of bread / crown shape getting larger, the first row lowest being the smallest then the second row middle is the next largest with the lowest middle row being the largest. Note that the cominality of their particular shape is that all of the shapes have the same orientation; even though two are inside the outer lines and one is outside. This is just to confuse the issue. the clue for the next three is nothing to do with the shapes and will be easy to find.

 

[TumblingDice]

Well then, maybe you two should write P&G company they have some bad questions in their professionally made reasoning tests :p
I don't know what else to say...

Was the answer published, or is "E" what you think is correct?

Frankly, I could care less about the viabilty of P&G's interview process.

 

[Medicol]

I think it is C, shapes should be all different. I have tried using papers of the same shapes then fold and cut its extra pieces of the outer shape while overlapping it with that of the second and use both of the inners to expand it until it reach the third shape's outer layer.

Sighing... people of prestigious colleges or large companies seem to always think big and say big words and their problems are just hard to solve. This is a good problem because I can pick any of the choices if I am the test taker.

 

[zoki85]

This is a good problem because I can pick any of the choices if I am the test taker.

You can pick any of the choices, yes. But only one choice will be scored as the correct one. You'll not get a chance to explain why do you think two or more choices can be correct. If you mark more than one choice in your answer sheet, you automatically get 0 points for the question. That's how this works. I know, It's cruel world and such testing kills creativity. Somebody will score 99 points and somebody else 149 points.

 

[TumblingDice]

Post #14 :)
E must be correct answer. Case closed

Still waiting to hear: Your post indicates "must be". Was the answer published as "E", or are you stating "I'm satisfied that E must be correct"?

 

[zoobyshoe]

There are nine abstracts within the squares. These can be divided into three groups of three. Six can clearly be seen. ( two groups of three; and can be eliminated. the first group of three being being the most obvious are the lowest abstract in the first row together with the middle and lowest abstract in the second row ( reading left to right). the second group of three are now easy to see and therefore, once you see the second group, the answer must be D.

Define "abstract," please, and it will help me know exactly what figures you're referring to if you designate each one you refer to with two numbers: row number, then column number.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Sorry, I don't understand what that means, you mean that they don't point the same way ?

All of the figures except 1,1 can be bisected on some axis so that both the inner and outer figure have bilateral symmetry about that axis. Some can be bisected on many axes and have that symmetry, but some on only one axis. Figure 1,1 can't be bisected on any axis where both inner and outer figure have bilateral symmetry on that axis.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Well then, maybe you two should write P&G company they have some bad questions in their professionally made reasoning tests :p
I don't know what else to say...

I don't know if it's a "bad" question. It might, for example, be a very well designed question to test applicants for OCD tendencies. How long do you spend on it looking for a 'perfect' solution before you just move on and guess with your gut?

It's very common in studies to pretend you're testing for one thing (say, intelligence) when you're actually testing for another (say, OCD tendencies). A job application might use the same sort of misdirection.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Is the question "pick the best answer"? If so, I think that's an argument for E. How many shapes have the same inner and outer figures? One of 8. How many have more than 8 sides? None? How many have quadrilaterals (in or out)? Four. Triangles? Two.

Instead of arguing E is the only choice, instead argue that it is "most like" the other 8.

 

[TumblingDice]

I don't know if it's a "bad" question. It might, for example, be a very well designed question to test applicants for OCD tendencies. How long do you spend on it looking for a 'perfect' solution before you just move on and guess with your gut?

It's very common in studies to pretend you're testing for one thing (say, intelligence) when you're actually testing for another (say, OCD tendencies). A job application might use the same sort of misdirection.

@zoobyshoe - Liking your post and the fresh perspective! There've been a few moments when I thought of 'considering the source' or better, considering the target audience. All of my experience with these types of interview testing have been in computing/programming. If the test was targeted for information technology applicants, I would expect questions to have wrong answers, average answers, and exceptional answers. That's just me - I like to measure as much as possible.

Now then, Proctor and Gamble... If the test was focused on abstract programming insight, my comments above apply. But if the test is instead, perhaps, designed for employees watching conveyor belts or vats of mixtures for quality control, this could be a great question to identify potential employees that can make a decision and are willing to go with their gut response. (Shutting down an assembly line is something you only want to do when it's absolutely, positively required.)

Sorry for the long post. I haven't given up on finding an exact solution, and I think it was cool that zoobyshoe responded with this perspective!

 

[zoki85]

Still waiting to hear: Your post indicates "must be". Was the answer published as "E", or are you stating "I'm satisfied that E must be correct"?

Nothing was published, and I can't prove my claim, but I'm very sure E is the correct answer . When I saw the pattern and that choice E fits so nicely, I didn't even have to think about ways how to eliminate other choices. In my mind, in a fraction of second, I experienced "A-ha, that's it!-moment". You should ask psychologists and other experts how they explain that phenomenon .

It might, for example, be a very well designed question to test applicants for OCD tendencies. How long do you spend on it looking for a 'perfect' solution before you just move on and guess with your gut?

The question belongs to the part of test which probes applicants' cognitive skills, power of reasoning and pattern recognition. Undoubtedly, tested is form of intelligence. Given time to think isn't long (less than 2 min per question on average). You either quickly see or don't see what is going on. If you don't see it, you're allowed to guess with gut feeling and move on.

 

[Resistor]

I have not seen a previously published answer. E is what I think is correct by utilising logical elimination. If you look hard enough you will also be able to see multiples of odd and even numbers 3-5-7 and 4-6-8 after eliminating the three already described. This puzzle has been presumably put up on this site by you because you were unable to solve it. These types of puzzles can be analysed in many ways. I believe that it would be a good test for the chimpanzee that beats any human in cognitive tests, he could probably get it right in .3 of a second!

 

[zoki85]

This puzzle has been presumably put up on this site by you because you were unable to solve it.

True, I couldn't solve it at first becouse I didn't pay any attention to bold and thin sides of the figures.

 

[Resistor]

CHEERS, From your photo it looks like you have an idilic setting to sit and think.

 

[Medicol]

...If you mark more than one choice in your answer sheet, you automatically get 0 points for the question. That's how this works. I know, It's cruel world and such testing kills creativity. Somebody will score 99 points and somebody else 149 points.

That only means the latter is good at the test. Yes, bring this up to clarify what values to obtain or omit.
I'm afraid to get a job test prepared by those unqualified.

 

[zoobyshoe]

It's very common in studies to pretend you're testing for one thing (say, intelligence) when you're actually testing for another (say, OCD tendencies). A job application might use the same sort of misdirection.

The question belongs to the part of test which probes applicants' cognitive skills, power of reasoning and pattern recognition. Undoubtedly, tested is form of intelligence.

Your logic is something like: 'a surreptitious test for something would clearly have been labeled as such and not as an intelligence test'? I don't find that argument persuasive.

 

[zoki85]

I'm afraid to get a job test prepared by those unqualified.

Wait a minute.
We are talking about part of evaluation process prepared by teams of psychologists and proffessionals whose specialization is testing people.
To say they are unqualified is like saying experts who make SATs are unqalified.

 

[Medicol]

Wait a minute.
We are talking about part of evaluation process prepared by teams of psychologists and proffessionals whose specialization is testing people.
To say they are unqualified is like saying experts who make SATs are unqalified.

You put your trust tooo much on people's degrees or certified areas of expertise.