Logic questions are one of the five question types in the Verbal Skills section of the HSPT, and they're one that students tend to find intimidating at first. But like most things on the HSPT, they follow a predictable structure, and once you have a strategy for each type, they become much more manageable. Here's what you need to know.
How Logic Questions Work
Every logic question on the HSPT follows the same format: you're given three statements. The first two are true, and your job is to determine whether the third statement is true, false, or uncertain based on the first two.
There are two main types of logic questions that show up on the HSPT, and each one calls for a slightly different approach.
Logic Type 1: Order
Order questions ask you to compare things — height, age, price, speed, and so on. The best strategy here is to visually stack the information as you read through the statements.
Example: Sonia is taller than Ben but shorter than David. Ben is taller than Marissa. Sonia is shorter than Marissa. If the first two statements are true, the third statement is:
- a) true
- b) false
- c) uncertain
When approaching order logic questions, you’ll want to write down the information they’ve given you in a stacking manner. Let’s take a look at how to do this with our example.
Step 1: Start with the first statement: "Sonia is taller than Ben but shorter than David." Stack them by height, tallest at the top:
David
Sonia
Ben
Important: leave space between each person in case you need to fit someone in between when you get to the next statement.
Step 2: The second statement says "Ben is taller than Marissa," so Marissa goes below Ben:
David
Sonia
Ben
Marissa
Step 3: Now check the third statement: "Sonia is shorter than Marissa." Looking at the stack, Sonia is actually above Marissa — meaning Sonia is taller, not shorter. The third statement is false.
Correct Answer: B
Logic Type 2: Non-Order
Non-order questions deal with group membership rather than comparisons — things like "everyone in Group A also belongs to Group B." These can't be solved with a stack, but a simple diagram works well. The idea is to draw two ovals, one inside the other, to represent the relationship between the two groups.
Example: Every student at Mill's Middle School lives in Greensville. Brenda lives in Greensville. Brenda is a student at Mill's Middle School. If the first two statements are true, the third statement is:
- a) true
- b) false
- c) uncertain
When approaching non-order logic questions, we can’t stack the information. Instead, we can use a different type of diagram.
Step 1: The first statement tells us that every Mill's Middle School student lives in Greensville. Draw a large oval representing everyone who lives in Greensville, and a smaller oval inside it representing Mill's Middle School students. Every student in the smaller oval is also in the larger oval, but not everyone in the larger oval is necessarily in the smaller one.
Step 2: The second statement tells us Brenda lives in Greensville, so she belongs somewhere in the large oval. But does she belong in the smaller oval — the Mill's Middle School students? We don't know. She could be a Mill's student, or she could be a Greensville resident who doesn't attend Mill's.
Step 3: Because Brenda could be inside or outside the smaller oval, the third statement — "Brenda is a student at Mill's Middle School" — is uncertain.
Correct Answer: C
The key insight with non-order questions is that just because Brenda is in the larger group doesn't mean she's in the smaller one. That's the trap these questions are designed to set, so watch for it.
So there you have it! Now you know how to approach logic questions on the HSPT. If you have questions about the HSPT or aren't sure where to start with prep, feel free to reach out at info@elevateprep.com — I'm always happy to help.