11+ Non-verbal reasoning · Topic explained
Cube nets
Which faces end up opposite when you fold this net?
The big idea
Faces in a line with one face between them end up opposite. Faces that touch on the net touch on the cube.
Picture it
Folding a box: each flap folds up to become a side, and the net closes into a cube.
Key words
- net
- a flat shape that folds up into a 3D shape
- face
- one flat side of the cube (a cube has 6)
- opposite
- faces that never touch: like the top and bottom
Worked examples
- 1Warm-up
Which face is opposite the black circle?
- Go down the column: black circle, black square, four dots.
- One face between them: the four dots are opposite.
- 211+ standard
Which faces are opposite in this staircase net?
- Follow the staircase: faces three steps apart are opposite.
- Matching colours show the three pairs.
- The cube shows three faces that all touch.
- 311+ standard
In a row of four, which faces are opposite?
- First and third are opposite; second and fourth are opposite.
- The two flaps, one above and one below, are opposite each other.
- 411+ standard
Can the black circle and the white square be opposite?
- They touch on the net…
- …so they touch on the cube: no.
The common mistake
The mistake
Faces next to each other on the net could end up opposite.
Instead
Faces that touch on the net always touch on the cube.
Why: Every edge they share on the net stays an edge on the cube.
Where it comes up in the 11+
Cube nets are a GL NVR favourite: which cube a net makes, or which net makes a cube. Find opposite faces first.
The video
Video coming soon
We're making a short video that explains cube nets step by step. Until then, everything it covers is on this page.
Free printable
Cube nets worksheet
Practice questions on this topic to print and try on paper, at home or on the way to school.
Download the worksheet (PDF)Free account needed: it takes a minute.
Quick quiz
Have a go first, then tap to see the answer.
1. How many faces does a cube have?
- 6
- 4
- 8
- 12
Show the answerHide the answer
6
Top, bottom and four sides.
2. In a straight row of three faces, which two are opposite?
- the first and the third
- the first and the second
- the second and the third
- none of them
Show the answerHide the answer
the first and the third
One face between them.
3. Two faces share an edge on the net. Can they be opposite on the cube?
- No
- Yes
- Only sometimes
- Only on a big cube
Show the answerHide the answer
No
Faces that touch on the net touch on the cube.