Reasoning
Reasoning questions ask you to draw valid conclusions from given information. The key concepts are deduction (conclusions that must follow), induction (patterns that probably continue), and analogy (relationships that carry across). You must also recognise logical connectives: all, some, none, if…then, only if, and not.
A crucial distinction: "All A are B" does not mean "All B are A". If all roses are flowers, it does not follow that all flowers are roses. Similarly, "Some A are B" tells you nothing about whether some A are not B.
Pattern questions in sequences usually involve one or more rules operating together - alternating operations, increasing differences, or two interleaved sequences. Always check the differences between terms, then the differences of the differences.
Traps to watch: (1) Reversing a conditional - "if it rains, the ground is wet" does not mean "if the ground is wet, it rained". (2) Assuming converse relationships in category statements. (3) Jumping to a pattern after only two terms; always confirm with a third. (4) Distractor options that are true but irrelevant to the question asked.
Rule of thumb: for deduction, ask "could this conclusion possibly be false given the premises?" If yes, it is not a valid deduction.
Worked example: Sequence 2, 5, 11, 23, ? Differences are 3, 6, 12 - each doubling. Next difference is 24, so the answer is 47.