Final 11+ countdown: free taster
12 questions, 3 from each 11+ subject, pitched for age 10–11. Each one starts with a worked example, and every answer comes with a step-by-step solution.
First, a worked example. Here's a question of the same type, already answered, with the method. Then you'll try a real one.
📘Comprehension: inferenceSee an example
How to tackle it: The answer isn't written directly. Look for clues in what characters do and say, then pick the answer the text supports best.
Example (already answered for you)
The Storm at Gull Point
1Mara had lived at Gull Point lighthouse for all eleven years of her life, and she had never seen the sea so furious. From the lamp room at the top of the tower, she watched waves the size of houses hurl themselves against the rocks, flinging white spray halfway up the walls. The wind howled around the glass like a wolf that had lost its pack.
2Her father had rowed to the mainland that morning to fetch supplies. "Back by four," he had promised, tapping the old brass clock above the stove. It was now half past six, and the sky had turned the colour of a bruise.
3Mara knew what she had to do. The great lamp was due to be lit at sunset, and sunset had come and gone. Somewhere out in that grey chaos, ships would be searching for the beam that told them where the rocks were hidden. Her hands trembled as she struck the match, but the flame caught at the first attempt.
4Slowly, the lens began to turn. A blade of golden light swept across the water, and then another, and another. Mara pressed her forehead against the cold glass and searched the waves. For a long time she saw nothing. Then, far out beyond the reef, a small light blinked back — once, twice, three times.
5She let out a breath she had not known she was holding. Whoever was out there had seen her. And, she told herself firmly, whoever was out there would find their way home.
Comprehension: inference
How does Mara feel as she lights the lamp?
Step-by-step solution
- 1Look for clues in paragraph 3.
- 2'Her hands trembled' shows she is nervous.
- 3'Mara knew what she had to do' shows she is determined.
- 4So she is nervous but determined. Nothing suggests she is angry or relaxed.