Reasoning · Grade 2-1 Attributes and Reasoning

Problem

Common and different attributes of two groups

Two groups of shapes sit side by side. They must be compared against one consistent standard: shape, size, pattern, colour. Each shape on the left pairs with a shape on the right. State what the groups share and how they differ.
Your answer
How to solve
Strategy Organize Information in More Ways — To compare two groups fairly we organize the shapes by attribute (shape, size, pattern, color) and check each attribute in turn; picturing the matched pairs makes it easy to see which attributes stay the same and which one changes.
1STEP 1

List the attributes we can compare

Fix the standard first: shape, size, pattern, colour.

2STEP 2

Match each left shape to its right partner and compare attributes

Paired up, shape and size stay the same right across.

3STEP 3

State the common points and the difference

One difference survives: the left is outline, the right is filled.

Answer
same = shape and size, different = filled or not
Comparing the groups attribute by attribute, only the color attribute changes from left to right while shape and size stay matched — a single clean difference, which is what the example (uncolored on the left, colored on the right) tells us to expect.
Takeaway

When two groups line up shape-for-shape, look for the one attribute that changes — here it is color — to explain how they are alike and how they differ!

  • List the attributes we can compare
  • Match each left shape to its right partner and compare attributes
  • State the common points and the difference