10 Random Questions

Hints will display for most wrong answers; explanations for most right answers. You can attempt a question multiple times; it will only be scored correct if you get it right the first time. To see ten new questions, reload the page.

I used the official objectives and sample test to construct these questions, but cannot promise that they accurately reflect what’s on the real test. Some of the sample questions were more convoluted than I could bear to write. See terms of use. See the MTEL Practice Test main page to view questions on a particular topic or to download paper practice tests.

MTEL General Curriculum Mathematics Practice

Please wait while the activity loads.
If this activity does not load, try refreshing your browser. Also, this page requires javascript. Please visit using a browser with javascript enabled.

If loading fails, click here to try again

Question 1

What is the probability that two randomly selected people were born on the same day of the week? Assume that all days are equally probable.

A	$ \large \dfrac{1}{7}$ Hint: It doesn't matter what day the first person was born on. The probability that the second person will match is 1/7 (just designate one person the first and the other the second). Another way to look at it is that if you list the sample space of all possible pairs, e.g. (Wed, Sun), there are 49 such pairs, and 7 of them are repeats of the same day, and 7/49=1/7.
B	$ \large \dfrac{1}{14}$ Hint: What would be the sample space here? Ie, how would you list 14 things that you pick one from?
C	$ \large \dfrac{1}{42}$ Hint: If you wrote the seven days of the week on pieces of paper and put the papers in a jar, this would be the probability that the first person picked Sunday and the second picked Monday from the jar -- not the same situation.
D	$ \large \dfrac{1}{49}$ Hint: This is the probability that they are both born on a particular day, e.g. Sunday.

Question 1 Explanation:

Topic: Calculate the probabilities of simple and compound events and of independent and dependent events (Objective 0026).

Question 2

Below are front, side, and top views of a three-dimensional solid.

Which of the following could be the solid shown above?

A	A sphere Hint: All views would be circles.
B	A cylinder
C	A cone Hint: Two views would be triangles, not rectangles.
D	A pyramid Hint: How would one view be a circle?

Question 2 Explanation:

Topic: Match three-dimensional figures and their two-dimensional representations (e.g., nets, projections, perspective drawings) (Objective 0024).

Question 3

Use the graph below to answer the question that follows:

The graph above best matches which of the following scenarios:

A	George left home at 10:00 and drove to work on a crooked path. He was stopped in traffic at 10:30 and 10:45. He drove 30 miles total. Hint: Just because he ended up 30 miles from home doesn't mean he drove 30 miles total.
B	George drove to work. On the way to work there is a little hill and a big hill. He slowed down for them. He made it to work at 11:15. Hint: The graph is not a picture of the roads.
C	George left home at 10:15. He drove 10 miles, then realized he‘d forgotten something at home. He turned back and got what he‘d forgotten. Then he drove in a straight line, at many different speeds, until he got to work around 11:15. Hint: A straight line on a distance versus time graph means constant speed.
D	George left home at 10:15. He drove 10 miles, then realized he‘d forgotten something at home. He turned back and got what he‘d forgotten. Then he drove at a constant speed until he got to work around 11:15.

Question 3 Explanation:

Topic: Use qualitative graphs to represent functional relationships in the real world (Objective 0021).

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?

A	It is too low by a factor of 10 Hint: 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.
B	It is too low by a factor of 100
C	It is too high by a factor of 10
D	It is too high by a factor of 100

Question 4 Explanation:

Topics: Estimation, Scientific Notation in the real world (Objective 0016).

Question 5

Elena is going to use a calculator to check whether or not 267 is prime. She will pick certain divisors, and then find 267 divided by each, and see if she gets a whole number. If she never gets a whole number, then she's found a prime. Which numbers does Elena NEED to check before she can stop checking and be sure she has a prime?

A	All natural numbers from 2 to 266. Hint: She only needs to check primes -- checking the prime factors of any composite is enough to look for divisors. As a test taking strategy, the other three choices involve primes, so worth thinking about.
B	All primes from 2 to 266 . Hint: Remember, factors come in pairs (except for square root factors), so she would first find the smaller of the pair and wouldn't need to check the larger.
C	All primes from 2 to 133 . Hint: She doesn't need to check this high. Factors come in pairs, and something over 100 is going to be paired with something less than 3, so she will find that earlier.
D	All primes from $ \large 2$ to $ \large \sqrt{267}$. Hint: $\sqrt{267} \times \sqrt{267}=267$. Any other pair of factors will have one factor less than $ \sqrt{267}$ and one greater, so she only needs to check up to $ \sqrt{267}$.

Question 5 Explanation:

Topic: Identify prime and composite numbers (Objective 0018).

Question 6

The least common multiple of 60 and N is 1260. Which of the following could be the prime factorization of N?

A	$ \large2\cdot 5\cdot 7$ Hint: 1260 is divisible by 9 and 60 is not, so N must be divisible by 9 for 1260 to be the LCM.
B	$ \large{{2}^{3}}\cdot {{3}^{2}}\cdot 5 \cdot 7$ Hint: 1260 is not divisible by 8, so it isn't a multiple of this N.
C	$ \large3 \cdot 5 \cdot 7$ Hint: 1260 is divisible by 9 and 60 is not, so N must be divisible by 9 for 1260 to be the LCM.
D	$ \large{{3}^{2}}\cdot 5\cdot 7$ Hint: $1260=2^2 \cdot 3^2 \cdot 5 \cdot 7$ and $60=2^2 \cdot 3 \cdot 5$. In order for 1260 to be the LCM, N has to be a multiple of $3^2$ and of 7 (because 60 is not a multiple of either of these). N also cannot introduce a factor that would require the LCM to be larger (as in choice b).

Question 6 Explanation:

Topic: Least Common Multiple (Objective 0018)

Question 7

Aya and Kendra want to estimate the height of a tree. On a sunny day, Aya measures Kendra's shadow as 3 meters long, and Kendra measures the tree's shadow as 15 meters long. Kendra is 1.5 meters tall. How tall is the tree?

A	7.5 meters Hint: Here is a picture, note that the large and small right triangles are similar: One way to do the problem is to note that there is a dilation (scale) factor of 5 on the shadows, so there must be that factor on the heights too. Another way is to note that the shadows are twice as long as the heights.
B	22.5 meters Hint: Draw a picture.
C	30 meters Hint: Draw a picture.
D	45 meters Hint: Draw a picture.

Question 7 Explanation:

Topic: Apply geometric transformations (e.g., translations, rotations, reflections, dilations); relate them to similarity, ; and use these concepts to solve problems (Objective 0024) . Fits in other places too.

Question 8

What set of transformations will transform the leftmost image into the rightmost image?

A	A 90 degree clockwise rotation about (2,1) followed by a translation of two units to the right. Hint: Part of the figure would move below the x-axis with these transformations.
B	A translation 3 units up, followed by a reflection about the line y=x. Hint: See what happens to the point (5,1) under this set of transformations.
C	A 90 degree clockwise rotation about (5,1), followed by a translation of 2 units up.
D	A 90 degree clockwise rotation about (2,1) followed by a translation of 2 units to the right. Hint: See what happens to the point (3,3) under this set of transformations.

Question 8 Explanation:

Topic:Analyze and apply geometric transformations (e.g., translations, rotations, reflections, dilations) (Objective 0024).

Question 9

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?

A	Hint: Try following the point (1,4) to see where it goes after each transformation.
B
C	Hint: Make sure you're reflecting in the correct axis.
D	Hint: Make sure you're rotating the correct direction.

Question 9 Explanation:

Topic: Analyze and apply geometric transformations (e.g., translations, rotations, reflections, dilations); relate them to concepts of symmetry, similarity, and congruence; and use these concepts to solve problems (Objective 0024).

Question 10

Which of the following nets will not fold into a cube?

A	Hint: If you have trouble visualizing, cut them out and fold (during the test, you can tear paper to approximate).
B
C	Hint: If you have trouble visualizing, cut them out and fold (during the test, you can tear paper to approximate).
D	Hint: If you have trouble visualizing, cut them out and fold (during the test, you can tear paper to approximate).

Question 10 Explanation:

Topic: Match three-dimensional figures and their two-dimensional representations (e.g., nets, projections, perspective drawings) (Objective 0024).

There are 10 questions to complete.

If you found a mistake or have comments on a particular question, please contact me (please copy and paste at least part of the question into the form, as the numbers change depending on how quizzes are displayed). General comments can be left here.

A	\( \large \dfrac{1}{7}\) Hint: It doesn't matter what day the first person was born on. The probability that the second person will match is 1/7 (just designate one person the first and the other the second). Another way to look at it is that if you list the sample space of all possible pairs, e.g. (Wed, Sun), there are 49 such pairs, and 7 of them are repeats of the same day, and 7/49=1/7.
B	\( \large \dfrac{1}{14}\) Hint: What would be the sample space here? Ie, how would you list 14 things that you pick one from?
C	\( \large \dfrac{1}{42}\) Hint: If you wrote the seven days of the week on pieces of paper and put the papers in a jar, this would be the probability that the first person picked Sunday and the second picked Monday from the jar -- not the same situation.
D	\( \large \dfrac{1}{49}\) Hint: This is the probability that they are both born on a particular day, e.g. Sunday.

A	\( \large2\cdot 5\cdot 7\) Hint: 1260 is divisible by 9 and 60 is not, so N must be divisible by 9 for 1260 to be the LCM.
B	\( \large{{2}^{3}}\cdot {{3}^{2}}\cdot 5 \cdot 7\) Hint: 1260 is not divisible by 8, so it isn't a multiple of this N.
C	\( \large3 \cdot 5 \cdot 7\) Hint: 1260 is divisible by 9 and 60 is not, so N must be divisible by 9 for 1260 to be the LCM.
D	\( \large{{3}^{2}}\cdot 5\cdot 7\) Hint: \(1260=2^2 \cdot 3^2 \cdot 5 \cdot 7\) and \(60=2^2 \cdot 3 \cdot 5\). In order for 1260 to be the LCM, N has to be a multiple of \(3^2\) and of 7 (because 60 is not a multiple of either of these). N also cannot introduce a factor that would require the LCM to be larger (as in choice b).

MTEL General Curriculum Mathematics Practice

What is the probability that two randomly selected people were born on the same day of the week? Assume that all days are equally probable.

Below are front, side, and top views of a three-dimensional solid.

Which of the following could be the solid shown above?

A sphere

A cylinder

A cone

A pyramid

Use the graph below to answer the question that follows:

The graph above best matches which of the following scenarios:

George left home at 10:00 and drove to work on a crooked path. He was stopped in traffic at 10:30 and 10:45. He drove 30 miles total.

George drove to work. On the way to work there is a little hill and a big hill. He slowed down for them. He made it to work at 11:15.

George left home at 10:15. He drove 10 miles, then realized he‘d forgotten something at home. He turned back and got what he‘d forgotten. Then he drove in a straight line, at many different speeds, until he got to work around 11:15.

George left home at 10:15. He drove 10 miles, then realized he‘d forgotten something at home. He turned back and got what he‘d forgotten. Then he drove at a constant speed until he got to work around 11:15.

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 10

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

All natural numbers from 2 to 266.

All primes from 2 to 266 .

All primes from 2 to 133 .

All primes from \( \large 2\) to \( \large \sqrt{267}\).

The least common multiple of 60 and N is 1260. Which of the following could be the prime factorization of N?

Aya and Kendra want to estimate the height of a tree. On a sunny day, Aya measures Kendra's shadow as 3 meters long, and Kendra measures the tree's shadow as 15 meters long. Kendra is 1.5 meters tall. How tall is the tree?

7.5 meters

22.5 meters

30 meters

45 meters

What set of transformations will transform the leftmost image into the rightmost image?

A 90 degree clockwise rotation about (2,1) followed by a translation of two units to the right.

A translation 3 units up, followed by a reflection about the line y=x.

A 90 degree clockwise rotation about (5,1), followed by a translation of 2 units up.

A 90 degree clockwise rotation about (2,1) followed by a translation of 2 units to the right.

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?

Which of the following nets will not fold into a cube?