Which figure comes next in the series of boxes shown? Four boxes in a row, then a fifth box marked with a question mark. Box 1: a shaded triangle. Box 2: an unshaded square. Box 3: a shaded pentagon. Box 4: an unshaded hexagon.

Figure 1 (A box containing a shaded heptagon.)

Which figure comes next in the series of boxes…

Which figure comes next in the series of boxes shown?

EasyOriginal question

Which figure comes next in the series of boxes shown?

Figure 1

Correct answerYour answerFigure 2 A box containing a shaded hexagon.

Correct answerYour answerFigure 3 A box containing an unshaded heptagon.

Correct answerYour answerFigure 4 A box containing a shaded octagon.

Correct answerYour answer

Show the answer and explanation

CorrectNot quiteAnswer A

Correct answer: A

The shape gains one side each time: triangle, square, pentagon, hexagon, so next comes a heptagon.
Shaded and unshaded shapes alternate, starting shaded, so the fifth shape is shaded.
Figure 1 shows a shaded heptagon.

Worth noting

Track one element at a time across all four boxes, and check each option against every rule; each wrong figure here breaks exactly one of them.

Ten questions from Non-verbal Reasoning, at your own pace.

Ten questions from Non-verbal Reasoning, at your own pace.