Eleven Plus Wit

A quick wit and a ready tongue may be essential tools as your children prepare for the eleven plus examinations.


Three girls were sitting on a wall today. The eleven plus girls were attending a holiday course. They came from different schools – but landed up as friends because they were sitting on the same table. We were in the middle of a break.

Two of the girls, by chance, were wearing purple.

I told them the story of the marine mollusks – and explained why the colour often purple denoted royalty. The sheer number of mollusks that were needed to dye cloth meant that only the very wealthy could afford to wear purple.

“You two are wearing purple, you must be of royal blood. You must be princesses.”

The two agreed.

“What about me?” asked the third girl. “Why aren’t I a princess?”

“You are not wearing anything purple,” remarked one of the `princesses’.

“What about my knickers?”