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MTEL General Curriculum Mathematics Practice
Question 1 |
The expression \( \large {{7}^{-4}}\cdot {{8}^{-6}}\) is equal to which of the following?
\( \large \dfrac{8}{{{\left( 56 \right)}^{4}}}\) Hint: The bases are whole numbers, and the exponents are negative. How can the numerator be 8? | |
\( \large \dfrac{64}{{{\left( 56 \right)}^{4}}}\) Hint: The bases are whole numbers, and the exponents are negative. How can the numerator be 64? | |
\( \large \dfrac{1}{8\cdot {{\left( 56 \right)}^{4}}}\) Hint: \(8^{-6}=8^{-4} \times 8^{-2}\) | |
\( \large \dfrac{1}{64\cdot {{\left( 56 \right)}^{4}}}\) |
Question 2 |
What is the perimeter of a right triangle with legs of lengths x and 2x?
\( \large 6x\) Hint: Use the Pythagorean Theorem. | |
\( \large 3x+5{{x}^{2}}\) Hint: Don't forget to take square roots when you use the Pythagorean Theorem. | |
\( \large 3x+\sqrt{5}{{x}^{2}}\) Hint: \(\sqrt {5 x^2}\) is not \(\sqrt {5}x^2\). | |
\( \large 3x+\sqrt{5}{{x}^{{}}}\) Hint: To find the hypotenuse, h, use the Pythagorean Theorem: \(x^2+(2x)^2=h^2.\) \(5x^2=h^2,h=\sqrt{5}x\). The perimeter is this plus x plus 2x. |
Question 3 |
How many lines of reflective symmetry and how many centers of rotational symmetry does the parallelogram depicted below have?
4 lines of reflective symmetry, 1 center of rotational symmetry.Hint: Try cutting out a shape like this one from paper, and fold where you think the lines of reflective symmetry are (or put a mirror there). Do things line up as you thought they would? | |
2 lines of reflective symmetry, 1 center of rotational symmetry.Hint: Try cutting out a shape like this one from paper, and fold where you think the lines of reflective symmetry are (or put a mirror there). Do things line up as you thought they would? | |
0 lines of reflective symmetry, 1 center of rotational symmetry.Hint: The intersection of the diagonals is a center of rotational symmetry. There are no lines of reflective symmetry, although many people get confused about this fact (best to play with hands on examples to get a feel). Just fyi, the letter S also has rotational, but not reflective symmetry, and it's one that kids often write backwards. | |
2 lines of reflective symmetry, 0 centers of rotational symmetry.Hint: Try cutting out a shape like this one from paper. Trace onto another sheet of paper. See if there's a way to rotate the cut out shape (less than a complete turn) so that it fits within the outlines again. |
Question 4 |
In January 2011, the national debt was about 14 trillion dollars and the US population was about 300 million people. Someone reading these figures estimated that the national debt was about $5,000 per person. Which of these statements best describes the reasonableness of this estimate?
It is too low by a factor of 10Hint: 14 trillion \( \approx 15 \times {{10}^{12}} \) and 300 million \( \approx 3 \times {{10}^{8}}\), so the true answer is about \( 5 \times {{10}^{4}} \) or $50,000. | |
It is too low by a factor of 100 | |
It is too high by a factor of 10 | |
It is too high by a factor of 100 |
Question 5 |
Each individual cube that makes up the rectangular solid depicted below has 6 inch sides. What is the surface area of the solid in square feet?
\( \large 11\text{ f}{{\text{t}}^{2}}\) Hint: Check your units and make sure you're using feet and inches consistently. | |
\( \large 16.5\text{ f}{{\text{t}}^{2}}\) Hint: Each square has surface area \(\dfrac{1}{2} \times \dfrac {1}{2}=\dfrac {1}{4}\) sq feet. There are 9 squares on the top and bottom, and 12 on each of 4 sides, for a total of 66 squares. 66 squares \(\times \dfrac {1}{4}\) sq feet/square =16.5 sq feet. | |
\( \large 66\text{ f}{{\text{t}}^{2}}\) Hint: The area of each square is not 1. | |
\( \large 2376\text{ f}{{\text{t}}^{2}}\) Hint: Read the question more carefully -- the answer is supposed to be in sq feet, not sq inches.
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Question 6 |
A solution requires 4 ml of saline for every 7 ml of medicine. How much saline would be required for 50 ml of medicine?
\( \large 28 \dfrac{4}{7}\) ml Hint: 49 ml of medicine requires 28 ml of saline. The extra ml of saline requires 4 ml saline/ 7 ml medicine = 4/7 ml saline per 1 ml medicine. | |
\( \large 28 \dfrac{1}{4}\) ml Hint: 49 ml of medicine requires 28 ml of saline. How much saline does the extra ml require? | |
\( \large 28 \dfrac{1}{7}\) ml Hint: 49 ml of medicine requires 28 ml of saline. How much saline does the extra ml require? | |
\( \large 87.5\) ml Hint: 49 ml of medicine requires 28 ml of saline. How much saline does the extra ml require? |
Question 7 |
A cylindrical soup can has diameter 7 cm and height 11 cm. The can holds g grams of soup. How many grams of the same soup could a cylindrical can with diameter 14 cm and height 33 cm hold?
\( \large 6g\) Hint: You must scale in all three dimensions. | |
\( \large 12g\) Hint: Height is multiplied by 3, and diameter and radius are multiplied by 2. Since the radius is squared, final result is multiplied by \(2^2\times 3=12\). | |
\( \large 18g\) Hint: Don't square the height scale factor. | |
\( \large 36g\) Hint: Don't square the height scale factor. |
Question 8 |
The table below gives data from various years on how many young girls drank milk.
Based on the data given above, what was the probability that a randomly chosen girl in 1990 drank milk?
\( \large \dfrac{502}{1222}\) Hint: This is the probability that a randomly chosen girl who drinks milk was in the 1989-1991 food survey. | |
\( \large \dfrac{502}{2149}\) Hint: This is the probability that a randomly chosen girl from the whole survey drank milk and was also surveyed in 1989-1991. | |
\( \large \dfrac{502}{837}\) | |
\( \large \dfrac{1222}{2149}\) Hint: This is the probability that a randomly chosen girl from any year of the survey drank milk. |
Question 9 |
Use the problem below to answer the question that follows:
T shirts are on sale for 20% off. Tasha paid $8.73 for a shirt. What is the regular price of the shirt? There is no tax on clothing purchases under $175.
Let p represent the regular price of these t-shirt. Which of the following equations is correct?
\( \large 0.8p=\$8.73\) Hint: 80% of the regular price = $8.73. | |
\( \large \$8.73+0.2*\$8.73=p\) Hint: The 20% off was off of the ORIGINAL price, not off the $8.73 (a lot of people make this mistake). Plus this is the same equation as in choice c. | |
\( \large 1.2*\$8.73=p\) Hint: The 20% off was off of the ORIGINAL price, not off the $8.73 (a lot of people make this mistake). Plus this is the same equation as in choice b. | |
\( \large p-0.2*\$8.73=p\) Hint: Subtract p from both sides of this equation, and you have -.2 x 8.73 =0. |
Question 10 |
A publisher prints a series of books with covers made of identical material and using the same thickness of paper for each page. The covers of the book together are 0.4 cm thick, and 125 pieces of the paper used together are 1 cm thick.
The publisher uses a linear function to determine the total thickness, T(n) of a book made with n sheets of paper. What are the slope and intercept of T(n)?
Intercept = 0.4 cm, Slope = 125 cm/pageHint: This would mean that each page of the book was 125 cm thick. | |
Intercept =0.4 cm, Slope = \(\dfrac{1}{125}\)cm/pageHint: The intercept is how thick the book would be with no pages in it. The slope is how much 1 extra page adds to the thickness of the book. | |
Intercept = 125 cm, Slope = 0.4 cmHint: This would mean that with no pages in the book, it would be 125 cm thick. | |
Intercept = \(\dfrac{1}{125}\)cm, Slope = 0.4 pages/cmHint: This would mean that each new page of the book made it 0.4 cm thicker. |
Question 11 |
There are 15 students for every teacher. Let t represent the number of teachers and let s represent the number of students. Which of the following equations is correct?
\( \large t=s+15\) Hint: When there are 2 teachers, how many students should there be? Do those values satisfy this equation? | |
\( \large s=t+15\) Hint: When there are 2 teachers, how many students should there be? Do those values satisfy this equation? | |
\( \large t=15s\) Hint: This is a really easy mistake to make, which comes from transcribing directly from English, "1 teachers equals 15 students." To see that it's wrong, plug in s=2; do you really need 30 teachers for 2 students? To avoid this mistake, insert the word "number," "Number of teachers equals 15 times number of students" is more clearly problematic. | |
\( \large s=15t\) |
Question 12 |
A sales companies pays its representatives $2 for each item sold, plus 40% of the price of the item. The rest of the money that the representatives collect goes to the company. All transactions are in cash, and all items cost $4 or more. If the price of an item in dollars is p, which expression represents the amount of money the company collects when the item is sold?
\( \large \dfrac{3}{5}p-2\) Hint: The company gets 3/5=60% of the price, minus the $2 per item. | |
\( \large \dfrac{3}{5}\left( p-2 \right)\) Hint: This is sensible, but not what the problem states. | |
\( \large \dfrac{2}{5}p+2\) Hint: The company pays the extra $2; it doesn't collect it. | |
\( \large \dfrac{2}{5}p-2\) Hint: This has the company getting 2/5 = 40% of the price of each item, but that's what the representative gets. |
Question 13 |
Below is a portion of a number line:
Point B is halfway between two tick marks. What number is represented by Point B?
\( \large 0.645\) Hint: That point is marked on the line, to the right. | |
\( \large 0.6421\) Hint: That point is to the left of point B. | |
\( \large 0.6422\) Hint: That point is to the left of point B. | |
\( \large 0.6425\) |
Question 14 |
An above-ground swimming pool is in the shape of a regular hexagonal prism, is one meter high, and holds 65 cubic meters of water. A second pool has a base that is also a regular hexagon, but with sides twice as long as the sides in the first pool. This second pool is also one meter high. How much water will the second pool hold?
\( \large 65\text{ }{{\text{m}}^{3}}\) Hint: A bigger pool would hold more water. | |
\( \large 65\cdot 2\text{ }{{\text{m}}^{3}}\) Hint: Try a simpler example, say doubling the sides of the base of a 1 x 1 x 1 cube. | |
\( \large 65\cdot 4\text{ }{{\text{m}}^{3}}\) Hint: If we think of the pool as filled with 1 x 1 x 1 cubes (and some fractions of cubes), then scaling to the larger pool changes each 1 x 1 x 1 cube to a 2 x 2 x 1 prism, or multiplies volume by 4. | |
\( \large 65\cdot 8\text{ }{{\text{m}}^{3}}\) Hint: Try a simpler example, say doubling the sides of the base of a 1 x 1 x 1 cube. |
Question 15 |
AHint: \(\frac{34}{135} \approx \frac{1}{4}\) and \( \frac{53}{86} \approx \frac {2}{3}\). \(\frac {1}{4}\) of \(\frac {2}{3}\) is small and closest to A. | |
BHint: Estimate with simpler fractions. | |
CHint: Estimate with simpler fractions. | |
DHint: Estimate with simpler fractions. |
Question 16 |
Use the table below to answer the question that follows:
Gordon wants to buy three pounds of nuts. Each of the stores above ordinarily sells the nuts for $4.99 a pound, but is offering a discount this week. At which store can he buy the nuts for the least amount of money?
Store AHint: This would save about $2.50. You can quickly see that D saves more. | |
Store BHint: This saves 15% and C saves 25%. | |
Store C | |
Store DHint: This is about 20% off, which is less of a discount than C. |
Question 17 |
Use the graph below to answer the question that follows.
If the polygon shown above is reflected about the y axis and then rotated 90 degrees clockwise about the origin, which of the following graphs is the result?
![]() Hint: Try following the point (1,4) to see where it goes after each transformation. | |
![]() | |
Hint: Make sure you're reflecting in the correct axis. | |
![]() Hint: Make sure you're rotating the correct direction. |
Question 18 |
A family on vacation drove the first 200 miles in 4 hours and the second 200 miles in 5 hours. Which expression below gives their average speed for the entire trip?
\( \large \dfrac{200+200}{4+5}\) Hint: Average speed is total distance divided by total time. | |
\( \large \left( \dfrac{200}{4}+\dfrac{200}{5} \right)\div 2\) Hint: This seems logical, but the problem is that it weights the first 4 hours and the second 5 hours equally, when each hour should get the same weight in computing the average speed. | |
\( \large \dfrac{200}{4}+\dfrac{200}{5} \) Hint: This would be an average of 90 miles per hour! | |
\( \large \dfrac{400}{4}+\dfrac{400}{5} \) Hint: This would be an average of 180 miles per hour! Even a family of race car drivers probably doesn't have that average speed on a vacation! |
Question 19 |
\( \large \dfrac{17}{24}\) Hint: You might try adding segments so each quadrant is divided into 6 pieces with equal area -- there will be 24 regions, not all the same shape, but all the same area, with 17 of them shaded (for the top left quarter, you could also first change the diagonal line to a horizontal or vertical line that divides the square in two equal pieces and shade one) . | |
\( \large \dfrac{3}{4}\) Hint: Be sure you're taking into account the different sizes of the pieces. | |
\( \large \dfrac{2}{3}\) Hint: The bottom half of the picture is 2/3 shaded, and the top half is more than 2/3 shaded, so this answer is too small. | |
\( \large \dfrac{17}{6} \) Hint: This answer is bigger than 1, so doesn't make any sense. Be sure you are using the whole picture, not one quadrant, as the unit. |
Question 20 |
Which of the following nets will not fold into a cube?
![]() Hint: If you have trouble visualizing, cut them out and fold (during the test, you can tear paper to approximate). | |
![]() | |
![]() Hint: If you have trouble visualizing, cut them out and fold (during the test, you can tear paper to approximate). | |
![]() Hint: If you have trouble visualizing, cut them out and fold (during the test, you can tear paper to approximate). |
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