Layering & Combining

In Layering and Combining questions, you are given two or more shapes that are placed on top of each other (overlaid), and you must work out what the final combined image looks like. Think of it like stacking transparent sheets of paper — you can see through to the layers below.

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How Layering Works

When two shapes are layered (placed on top of each other), the result shows everything from both shapes. If Shape A has a circle on the left and Shape B has a square on the right, the combined image has both a circle on the left and a square on the right.

Simple Layering

Shape A:          Shape B:          Combined:
+--------+        +--------+        +--------+
|  O     |   +    |     □  |   =    |  O  □  |
|        |        |        |        |        |
+--------+        +--------+        +--------+

The circle and square simply appear together in the combined image because they do not overlap.

Overlapping Layering

When shapes overlap (occupy the same space), the result depends on the rules of the question: