ARCHED TEST 2025/2026 REVIEW
It’s been a while since my last post, and I assume most of you are well into your preparations. So, I thought it would be a good idea to review a question from each section of the last year’s Arched test.
For those who would like the full test with correction, it will be available for purchase for €50. Feel free to DM me if you’re interested.
Without further ado, let’s begin.
TEXT COMPREHENSION
Answer: E. the people actively participate in government affairs
The passage says:
“The first was that the people in the majority would take an active part in the affairs of government and that each individual sympathized with one or the other party.”
This directly matches Option E.
The European democratic party system assumed that in a democracy, most people were politically engaged. It believed citizens either participated directly or at least supported one political party or another. In other words, it assumed that democracy was based on active public involvement.
But the passage explains that totalitarian movements exposed this as an illusion. They showed that many people were actually politically neutral, indifferent, or apathetic. These masses had not been participating in party politics, but they still existed as a powerful social force.
Why the other options are wrong
A. Parliament represents only the active minority
This is something the passage says was revealed later, not what the democratic party system originally believed. The party system assumed parliament represented the politically active people as if they stood for the whole nation.
B. the minority dominates
Again, this is what totalitarian movements exposed: that democracies could exist where only a politically active minority dominated public life. It was not the belief of the European democratic party system.
C. the majority of citizens are non-partisan
The passage says the opposite of the party system’s belief. The party system assumed each individual sympathized with one party or another.
D. the apathetic masses represent a decisive weight
This is also what totalitarianism revealed. The democratic system had assumed apathetic masses “counted for nothing,” but totalitarian movements proved they could be politically decisive.
Key idea
The European democratic party system believed:
Democracy = active citizens + party affiliation + participation in government affairs
Totalitarian movements proved:
Many citizens were politically inactive, but their passivity and indifference could still shape politics.
How to answer questions like this
Pay close attention to phrases such as “held that,” “believed that,” “assumed that,” “illusion,” and “demonstrated.”
Here, the passage separates two things:
What democrats believed:
People actively participate in government affairs.
What totalitarian movements revealed:
Large apathetic masses existed and could become politically important.
A common pitfall is choosing the statement that sounds like the main argument of the passage. Options B and D are tempting because they reflect what the author ultimately argues. But the question asks what the European democratic party system held, meaning what it believed before that illusion was shattered.
KNOWLEDGE ACQUIRED IN STUDIES? HISTORY AND GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
Answer: B. Antonello da Messina
The painting shown is The Annunciation, more commonly called The Annunciate Virgin or Annunciata, housed in the Palazzo Abatellis in Palermo. It was painted around 1475 by Antonello da Messina, one of the most important Sicilian painters of the early Renaissance.
Why B is correct
Antonello da Messina is famous for combining Italian Renaissance composition with the detailed realism and oil-painting technique associated with Northern European art. This painting is especially famous because it shows only the Virgin Mary, without the angel Gabriel visible in the scene. Mary’s raised hand and calm expression suggest the moment of the Annunciation.
The blue veil, dark background, quiet psychological intensity, and realistic face are all strongly associated with Antonello da Messina’s style.
Why the other options are wrong
A. Antonello da Palermo, also known as Panormita
This is misleading. “Panormita” usually refers to Antonio Beccadelli, a humanist from Palermo, not the painter of this work. The painter is Antonello da Messina, not Antonello da Palermo.
C. Andrea del Sarto
Andrea del Sarto was a later Florentine painter of the High Renaissance, active mainly in the early 1500s. He did not paint this work.
D. Carlo del Mantegna
This is not the painter of the Palermo Annunciation. The famous Mantegna was Andrea Mantegna, not Carlo del Mantegna.
E. Iacopo Carucci, also known as Pontormo
Pontormo was a Mannerist painter of the 1500s. His style is much later and more dramatic, very different from the calm Renaissance realism of this painting.
Tip for answering art-history image questions
Look for clues in three places:
- Location: Palermo and Palazzo Abatellis are strongly linked to Antonello da Messina’s Annunciata.
- Date: Around 1475 fits Antonello da Messina, not Andrea del Sarto or Pontormo.
- Style: The dark background, realistic face, blue veil, and psychological stillness are characteristic of Antonello.
Pitfall to avoid
Do not choose an answer just because the name sounds geographically close. “Antonello da Palermo” sounds plausible because the painting is in Palermo, but the correct artist is Antonello da Messina.
LOGICAL REASONING
Answer: A. no guest of the Al Lago hotel loves the spa
The statements are:
- Every guest of the Al Lago hotel loves surfing and swimming. So, if someone is a guest, then they love swimming.
- Every person who loves swimming does not love the spa. So, if someone loves swimming, they do not love the spa.
Put them together:
Guest of Al Lago hotel → loves swimming → does not love the spa
Therefore:
Every guest of the Al Lago hotel does not love the spa.
So the correct answer is:
A. no guest of the Al Lago hotel loves the spa
Why the other options are wrong
B. those who love the spa do not love surfing
This is too broad. We only know that people who love swimming do not love the spa. We do not know that all surfers love swimming.
C. some guests of the Al Lago hotel love the spa
This directly contradicts the conclusion. All guests love swimming, and all swimmers do not love the spa.
D. every person who loves surfing does not love the spa
This is also too broad. The passage only tells us about hotel guests who love surfing and swimming. It does not say every surfer loves swimming.
E. every person who loves surfing loves the spa
This is unsupported and also conflicts with what we know about Al Lago guests.
Tip for solving these questions
Turn the statements into arrows:
Guest → Surfing + Swimming
Swimming → Not Spa
Then connect the shared term:
Guest → Swimming → Not Spa
The safest conclusion is only about guests of the Al Lago hotel, not about all surfers or all people in general.
Pitfall to avoid
Do not overgeneralize. Just because all hotel guests love surfing and swimming, it does not mean all surfers are hotel guests or all surfers love swimming. That is why options B and D are traps
DRAWING AND REPRESENTATION
Evaluate the Models:
- Models 1, 2, & 5: These represent a shed roof, a pyramid, and an asymmetrical truncated block, none of which match the twisted, folded geometry of the cabin.
- Model 4: This model represents a curved, saddle-like surface (a hyperbolic paraboloid). While similar in concept, it lacks the sharp, straight fold line (ridge) that is clearly visible as the top horizontal edge of the dark triangle in the photograph.
- Model 3: This model perfectly captures the structure's "crystal-like" geometry. It features a square base where two diagonally opposite corners are raised to form a straight, diagonal ridge. The roof is made of planar triangular faces that slope down from this ridge to the remaining two corners on the ground. This creates the exact downward-pointing triangular faces with a horizontal-appearing top edge seen in the photo.
Therefore, Model 3 is the correct volumetric representation.
Correct Answer: E. 3
MATHEMATICS AND PHYSICS
Answer: C. 24V
There are two 6Ω resistors in series.
In a series circuit, resistances add:
The current is:
Using Ohm’s law:
So the voltage of the source is:
Why the correct answer is C
The total resistance is not 6Ω, because there are two resistors. Since they are placed in series, the current passes through one resistor and then the other, so their resistances combine:
Then:
Pitfall to avoid
Do not use only one resistor’s resistance. If you calculate:
you get E. 12V, but that would be the voltage drop across one resistor only, not the total source voltage
Here it is. Sorry it was quite lengthy, but I wanted to be as clear as possible in my solutions.
Anyway, we’ve got the general idea that the test isn’t hard. It tests your basics, as I said in my previous post and replied to comments and DMs.
I hope it was helpful, and good luck with your preparation.