Embedded Figures
🔒 Log in to trackFinding the hidden part in a figure
🔒 Log in to trackA big figure hides one of the small option figures. The hidden figure has the same strokes, the same lengths and the same directions. Your job is to find which option it is.
You may slide the small figure around. You may not turn it or flip it.
How the pictures look here
The exam shows drawings. We draw them with text.
+is a corner point..is an empty point.-is a flat stroke.|is an upright stroke./is a rising slant.\is a falling slant.Xmeans both slants cross in that square.
Every stroke is one square long. So the size of a stroke never decides the answer.
Flips and turns are wrong answers
Most wrong options are copies of the right answer with one simple change.
| Copy | What changes | Allowed? |
|---|---|---|
| Mirror image | Left and right swap | No |
| Water image | Top and bottom swap | No |
| Turned copy | Turned by 90 or 180 degrees | No |
A / slant becomes a \ slant in a mirror image. So check the slants first.
Pick a rare stroke first
Do not compare whole figures. Pick one stroke that is rare in the small figure. A slant is the best choice.
- Find that stroke in the big figure. Match its direction.
- Check the strokes that touch it. Are they there too?
- Trace the other strokes one by one.
- If one stroke is missing, drop that place and try the next one.
Tip: A flat or upright stroke appears many times. A slant appears only a few times. Fewer places means less work.
Count strokes by type
Count the part's strokes: flat, upright, rising slant and falling slant. The big figure must have at least that many of each type.
If the part has a \ slant and the big figure has none, that option is out. You do not need to trace anything.
Watch: Two options can have the same number of strokes and still differ in direction.
A worked example
Which option is hidden in the given figure? Rotation is not allowed.
Figure
+ + +---+
| /
+ + . +
\ /
+---+---+ .
(A)
+ . . .
\
. +---+---+
(B)
. . . +
/
+---+---+ .
(C)
+ . . +
\ /
. +---+ .
Solution
- Part strokes: 2 flat and 1 rising slant (
/). - Anchor on the rising slant (
/). The figure has 2 of them. - (A) is the mirror image (left and right swapped), so it does not fit anywhere.
- (C) has one stroke changed, so it does not fit anywhere.
- Only (B) fits, in the bottom part of the figure.
Answer: (B).
Question types you will see
Each type: how to recognise it, the method step by step, and one question to try.
Hidden part in a full grid figure
A busy grid of short strokes is given. The four options are small open figures. Most options are flipped copies of one figure.
Count the part's strokes by type.
Pick the rarest stroke as the anchor. Find it in the figure.
Trace the other strokes around each anchor place.
Reject mirror, water and turned copies by direction.
A slant has only two directions, so a flipped copy fails at the first stroke.
Which option is hidden in the given figure? Rotation is not allowed.
Figure
. +---+
| X |
. + +
/ | \
+ + +
(A)
. +
/ |
+ +
|
. +
(B)
+ .
|
+ +
| /
+ .
(C)
+ .
| \
+ +
|
+ .
(D)
. + .
/
+---+---+
Show solutionHide solution
Part strokes: 2 upright and 1 falling slant (
\).Anchor on the falling slant (
\). The figure has 2 of them.(A) is the mirror image (left and right swapped), so it does not fit anywhere.
(B) is the water image (upside down), so it does not fit anywhere.
Only (C) fits, in the right side of the figure.
(C)
Hidden part in an irregular figure
The big figure is not a full grid. Some strokes are missing or stop early, so matching the whole shape does not help.
Ignore the outline of the figure.
Start at the anchor stroke of each option.
Trace stroke by stroke. Do not expect a full grid.
Keep the option that completes.
A hidden part only needs its own strokes to be present. The figure's outline does not matter.
Which option is hidden in the given figure? Rotation is not allowed.
Figure
. +---+ .
| / \
+---+ . +
(A)
+---+ .
| \
. + +
(B)
. + +
| /
+---+ .
(C)
. + +
/ | /
+ + .
Show solutionHide solution
Part strokes: 1 flat, 1 upright and 1 rising slant (
/).Anchor on the rising slant (
/). The figure has 1 of them.(A) is the water image (upside down), so it does not fit anywhere.
(C) has one stroke changed, so it does not fit anywhere.
Only (B) fits, in the left side of the figure.
(B)
Options that differ by one stroke
The options are not flips of each other. Each one differs from the part by one stroke that is changed.
Compare each option with the part, stroke by stroke.
Mark the changed stroke in each wrong option.
Confirm that the option left really appears in the figure.
A wrong option that has one stroke changed cannot be found in the figure, however close it looks.
Which option is hidden in the given figure? Rotation is not allowed.
Figure
+---+ + .
| / |
+---+---+ +
|
. . . +
(A)
+---+ +
\ / |
. + +
(B)
. + +
/ / |
+---+ +
(C)
+---+ +
/ |
+---+ +
Show solutionHide solution
Part strokes: 2 flat, 1 upright and 1 rising slant (
/).Anchor on the rising slant (
/). The figure has 1 of them.(A) has one stroke changed, so it does not fit anywhere.
(B) has one stroke changed, so it does not fit anywhere.
Only (C) fits, in the top-left of the figure.
(C)
Parts with two or more slants
The part has two or more slanting strokes. Direction mistakes are easy to make.
Write the lean of each slant:
/rises to the right,\falls to the right.Match both slants in the figure.
Then check the flat and upright strokes that touch them.
Flipped copies reverse at least one slant, so they fail as soon as you match the leans.
Which option is hidden in the given figure? Rotation is not allowed.
Figure
+ + +---+
| / \
+ +---+ .
\
. + . .
(A)
+ + .
| / \
+ . +
(B)
+ . +
| \ /
+ + .
(C)
. + .
/ \
+---+ +
Show solutionHide solution
Part strokes: 1 upright, 1 rising slant (
/) and 1 falling slant (\).Anchor on the rising slant (
/). The figure has 1 of them.(B) is the water image (upside down), so it does not fit anywhere.
(C) has one stroke changed, so it does not fit anywhere.
Only (A) fits, in the top-left of the figure.
(A)
A direction the figure does not have
Look at the big figure. It has no falling slant (or no rising slant). At least one option needs that slant.
List the stroke types in the big figure.
Cross out every option that needs a type the figure lacks.
Trace only the options that are left.
Sliding cannot change the direction of a stroke, so a missing direction ends the check at once.
Which option is hidden in the given figure? Rotation is not allowed.
Figure
. + + .
/ | /
+---+ +---+
| /
+---+ . .
(A)
+ + .
\ |
. +---+
(B)
. + +
| /
+---+ .
(C)
+ .
\
+---+
|
. +
Show solutionHide solution
Part strokes: 1 flat, 1 upright and 1 rising slant (
/).The figure has no falling slant (
\).Options with a
\slant are out: (A), (C).Only (B) is left, and it fits in the top-left of the figure.
(B)
Shortcuts that save time
Look at which slants the big figure has. An option with a slant the figure lacks cannot be hidden in it.
The big figure has only rising slants (/). An option has one falling slant (\). Can that option be hidden in it?
Show solutionHide solution
The figure has no
\stroke anywhere.Sliding cannot change a
\into a/.So the option cannot fit.
No. Reject it at once.
Count the flat, upright and slanting strokes in the part. The big figure must have at least as many of each type.
An option has 3 flat strokes in a row. The big figure has only 2 flat strokes in each row. Can it be hidden?
Show solutionHide solution
A row of 3 flat strokes needs 3 flat strokes in one line.
No line in the figure has 3.
So the option cannot fit.
No.
If two options look alike, compare only the strokes that touch the anchor. The wrong one usually breaks there.
Mistakes to avoid
Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.
Choosing an option because the overall shape looks right.
Check every stroke and its direction. Shape alone hides flips and turns.
Accepting a turned or mirrored copy.
Rotation is not allowed. A / slant in the figure never matches a \ slant in the option.
Accepting an option that misses one stroke, or has one stroke in another direction.
Every stroke of the option must be present. One missing or re-angled stroke means reject.
Checking only the first place where the anchor stroke appears.
Try every place where the anchor appears before you reject an option.
Comparing stroke sizes.
All strokes are one square long here. Size never decides. Direction does.
Quick revision
Read this the night before the exam.
Hidden = same strokes, same lengths, same directions, anywhere in the figure.
Rotation is not allowed. Mirror and water images are wrong answers.
Anchor on the rarest stroke, usually a slant. Then trace the other strokes around it.
Count strokes by type first. A type missing from the figure kills the option at once.
Reject flipped and turned options by direction. Trace only the ones that are left.
One missing or re-angled stroke means the option is not hidden there.
Practice: 21 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Every answer has a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 10 questions
Suggested time 9 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.