Which task best assesses spatial reasoning in the cognitive battery?

• A. Reading comprehension
• B. Arithmetic word problems
• C. Mental rotation
• D. Word pairing

Answer: (C)

Spatial reasoning is about imagining and manipulating objects in space. Mental rotation directly tests this by asking you to rotate a shape in your mind and decide if two views show the same object in different orientations. It requires transforming a mental representation, adjusting its orientation, and judging whether the shapes match, which is exactly what spatial reasoning measures. Reading comprehension relies on understanding language, not on moving shapes in space. Arithmetic word problems mix language with math steps, so they assess numerical and verbal skills more than spatial transformation. Word pairing taps memory and associations between words, not spatial manipulation. So, mental rotation best captures the ability to mentally manipulate spatial relations, making it the right choice.