Connector-Type Problems

Learning Objectives

In this section, you will learn to:

• identify what your task is on Connector-Type problems
• apply the Kaplan Method for Assembling Objects questions to Connector-Type problems

Study the example below.

1. Which figure best shows how the objects in the left box will touch if the letters for each object are matched?

   

The instructions box of a Connector-Type problem displays two geometric shapes. Some problems have familiar shapes such as circles, squares, rectangles, and triangles, while others have more unusual shapes such as letters, clouds, or hearts. The instructions box will also display a connector line. You could think of the connector line as being a string you must tie to the two shapes in precisely the places indicated.

The two shapes and the connector line are labeled with dots and small letters to indicate points where you are to connect the shapes. You will see one dot on each shape, each labeled with a letter. Dots on the ends of the connector line will correspond to these letters. Sometimes the dots will be on the edges of shapes, and sometimes they will be inside the shapes.

You are asked to attach the two shapes to the line at the correct points, based on the diagram in the instructions box. The shapes may be rotated in the solution boxes, but the correct solution cannot be flipped. In the example above, choice (D) is correct.

Having trouble seeing it? Study the diagram below.

However, just as with Jigsaw-Puzzle-Type questions, you do not need to be able to visualize the solution in your head. The Kaplan Method works on Connector-Type problems just as it does on Jigsaw-Puzzle-Type problems. Study the example below.

Question

1. Which figure best shows how the objects in the left box will touch if the letters for each object are matched?

   

Analysis

Step 1: A good landmark here is the fact that dot a is in the middle of the straight side of the semicircle in the instructions box.

Step 2: Choices (B) and (D) don’t display the correct placement of connection a; eliminate. Only (A) and (C) remain.

Step 3: A second landmark could be the placement of connection b: it’s on a corner of the rectangle. Choice (C) places it wrongly in the middle of one side of the rectangle. (A) is correct.

---

In Step 1, your landmark in Connector-Type AO problems might be:

• whether a dot is placed in the middle of a side or on a corner of a shape
• whether a dot is placed on the edge or inside a shape
• a shape itself

With practice, you will learn to efficiently spot a useful landmark in the instructions box. If you are testing on paper and pencil, you could actually add the labels a and b to the answer choices in order to help you eliminate choices that don’t display your landmark.

When you get to Step 3, here are strategies you can use to eliminate any remaining wrong answer choices:

• Find a second landmark. If you used dot a as your first landmark, you might use dot b as your second landmark.
• If a dot is placed on the corner of a shape in the instructions box, check to see which corner is attached to the connector line in the answer choices.
• Check to see if any of the shapes have been flipped or inverted in the answer choices.

Here are some things to watch out for in wrong answer choices on Connector-Type AO questions:

• If the connection point is on the edge of a shape in the instructions box, it may appear inside the shape in some wrong answer choices (or vice versa).
• If the connection point is on the corner of a shape, expect it to either appear on other corners in some of the wrong answer choices or appear in the middle of an edge in some wrong answer choices.
• One or more of the shapes in the instructions box may be inverted left-to-right or top-to-bottom in one or more of the wrong answer choices.
• An enlarged or shrunken version of a shape in the instructions box might appear in the wrong answer choices. The correct answer will have the same shapes in the same proportions.

Try it on your own, and then review the explanations below.

Which figure best shows how the objects in the left box will touch if the letters for each object are matched?

Which figure best shows how the objects in the left box will touch if the letters for each object are matched?

Explanations

Note: Your landmarks may differ. That’s fine, as long as you were able to work through the problems efficiently and accurately.

1. Step 1: Dot b looks like a good landmark: it’s on the narrowest point of the triangle.

Step 2: Choice (C) places the connector on a different corner of the triangle, and choice (D) places it in the middle of the triangle. Eliminate. (A) and (B) remain.

Step 3: A good second landmark would be the placement of dot a: it’s in the middle of the three-lobed shape. Choice (A) wrongly places it on the edge.

Choice (B) is correct.

2. Step 1: The instructions box includes a shape that looks like a hair dryer, and dot a is at the point where the trigger of the hair dryer meets the barrel of the hair dryer. That’s a good landmark.

Step 2: Choices (A) and (B) misplace the connection point on the hair dryer; eliminate. (C) and (D) remain.

Step 3: The circle with dot b is the same in choices (C) and (D), so a different landmark needs to be used. Instead, compare the hair dryers: turns out it’s flipped in choice (C).

Choice (D) is correct.