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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

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Question 1

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?

A	$ \large 65\text{ }{{\text{m}}^{3}}$ Hint: A bigger pool would hold more water.
B	$ \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.
C	$ \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.
D	$ \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 1 Explanation:

Topic: Determine how the characteristics (e.g., area, volume) of geometric figures and shapes are affected by changes in their dimensions (Objective 0023).

Question 2

Which of the lists below is in order from least to greatest value?

A	$ \large \dfrac{1}{2},\quad \dfrac{1}{3},\quad \dfrac{1}{4},\quad \dfrac{1}{5}$ Hint: This is ordered from greatest to least.
B	$ \large \dfrac{1}{3},\quad \dfrac{2}{7},\quad \dfrac{3}{8},\quad \dfrac{4}{11}$ Hint: 1/3 = 2/6 is bigger than 2/7.
C	$ \large \dfrac{1}{4},\quad \dfrac{2}{5},\quad \dfrac{2}{3},\quad \dfrac{4}{5}$ Hint: One way to look at this: 1/4 and 2/5 are both less than 1/2, and 2/3 and 4/5 are both greater than 1/2. 1/4 is 25% and 2/5 is 40%, so 2/5 is greater. The distance from 2/3 to 1 is 1/3 and from 4/5 to 1 is 1/5, and 1/5 is less than 1/3, so 4/5 is bigger.
D	$ \large \dfrac{7}{8},\quad \dfrac{6}{7},\quad \dfrac{5}{6},\quad \dfrac{4}{5}$ Hint: This is in order from greatest to least.

Question 2 Explanation:

Topic: Ordering Fractions (Objective 0017)

Question 3

At a school fundraising event, people can buy a ticket to spin a spinner like the one below. The region that the spinner lands in tells which, if any, prize the person wins.

If 240 people buy tickets to spin the spinner, what is the best estimate of the number of keychains that will be given away?

A	40 Hint: "Keychain" appears on the spinner twice.
B	80 Hint: The probability of getting a keychain is 1/3, and so about 1/3 of the time the spinner will win.
C	100 Hint: What is the probability of winning a keychain?
D	120 Hint: That would be the answer for getting any prize, not a keychain specifically.

Question 3 Explanation:

Topic: I would call this topic expected value, which is not listed on the objectives. This question is very similar to one on the sample test. It's not a good question in that it's oversimplified (a more difficult and interesting question would be something like, "The school bought 100 keychains for prizes, what is the probability that they will run out before 240 people play?"). In any case, I believe the objective this is meant for is, "Recognize the difference between experimentally and theoretically determined probabilities in real-world situations. (Objective 0026)." This is not something easily assessed with multiple choice .

Question 4

Below is a portion of a number line:

Point B is halfway between two tick marks. What number is represented by Point B?

A	$ \large 0.645$ Hint: That point is marked on the line, to the right.
B	$ \large 0.6421$ Hint: That point is to the left of point B.
C	$ \large 0.6422$ Hint: That point is to the left of point B.
D	$ \large 0.6425$

Question 4 Explanation:

Topic: Using Number Lines (Objective 0017)

Question 5

Which of the numbers below is a fraction equivalent to $ 0.\bar{6}$?

A	$ \large \dfrac{4}{6}$ Hint: $ 0.\bar{6}=\dfrac{2}{3}=\dfrac{4}{6}$
B	$ \large \dfrac{3}{5}$ Hint: This is equal to 0.6, without the repeating decimal. Answer is equivalent to choice c, which is another way to tell that it's wrong.
C	$ \large \dfrac{6}{10}$ Hint: This is equal to 0.6, without the repeating decimal. Answer is equivalent to choice b, which is another way to tell that it's wrong.
D	$ \large \dfrac{1}{6}$ Hint: This is less than a half, and $ 0.\bar{6}$ is greater than a half.

Question 5 Explanation:

Topic: Converting between fraction and decimal representations (Objective 0017)

Question 6

The equation $ \large F=\frac{9}{5}C+32$ is used to convert a temperature measured in Celsius to the equivalent Farentheit temperature.

A patient's temperature increased by 1.5° Celcius. By how many degrees Fahrenheit did her temperature increase?

A	1.5° Hint: Celsius and Fahrenheit don't increase at the same rate.
B	1.8° Hint: That's how much the Fahrenheit temp increases when the Celsius temp goes up by 1 degree.
C	2.7° Hint: Each degree increase in Celsius corresponds to a $\dfrac{9}{5}=1.8$ degree increase in Fahrenheit. Thus the increase is 1.8+0.9=2.7.
D	Not enough information. Hint: A linear equation has constant slope, which means that every increase of the same amount in one variable, gives a constant increase in the other variable. It doesn't matter what temperature the patient started out at.

Question 6 Explanation:

Topic: Interpret the meaning of the slope and the intercepts of a linear equation that models a real-world situation (Objective 0022).

Question 7

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)?

A	Intercept = 0.4 cm, Slope = 125 cm/page Hint: This would mean that each page of the book was 125 cm thick.
B	Intercept =0.4 cm, Slope = $\dfrac{1}{125}$cm/page Hint: 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.
C	Intercept = 125 cm, Slope = 0.4 cm Hint: This would mean that with no pages in the book, it would be 125 cm thick.
D	Intercept = $\dfrac{1}{125}$cm, Slope = 0.4 pages/cm Hint: This would mean that each new page of the book made it 0.4 cm thicker.

Question 7 Explanation:

Topic: Interpret the meaning of the slope and the intercepts of a linear equation that models a real-world situation (Objective 0022).

Question 8

How many lines of reflective symmetry and how many centers of rotational symmetry does the parallelogram depicted below have?

A	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?
B	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?
C	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.
D	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 8 Explanation:

Topic: Analyze geometric transformations (e.g., translations, rotations, reflections, dilations); relate them to concepts of symmetry (Objective 0024).

Question 9

The chairs in a large room can be arranged in rows of 18, 25, or 60 with no chairs left over. If C is the smallest possible number of chairs in the room, which of the following inequalities does C satisfy?

A	$ \large C\le 300$ Hint: Find the LCM.
B	$ \large 300 < C \le 500 $ Hint: Find the LCM.
C	$ \large 500 < C \le 700 $ Hint: Find the LCM.
D	$ \large C>700$ Hint: The LCM is 900, which is the smallest number of chairs.

Question 9 Explanation:

Topic: Apply LCM in "real-world" situations (according to standardized tests....) (Objective 0018).

Question 10

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 10 Explanation:

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

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	\( \large 65\text{ }{{\text{m}}^{3}}\) Hint: A bigger pool would hold more water.
B	\( \large 65\cdot 2\text{ }{{\text{m}}^{3}}\) Hint: Try a simpler example, say doubling the sides of the base of a 1 x 1 x 1 cube.
C	\( \large 65\cdot 4\text{ }{{\text{m}}^{3}}\) 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.
D	\( \large 65\cdot 8\text{ }{{\text{m}}^{3}}\) Hint: Try a simpler example, say doubling the sides of the base of a 1 x 1 x 1 cube.

A	\( \large \dfrac{1}{2},\quad \dfrac{1}{3},\quad \dfrac{1}{4},\quad \dfrac{1}{5}\) Hint: This is ordered from greatest to least.
B	\( \large \dfrac{1}{3},\quad \dfrac{2}{7},\quad \dfrac{3}{8},\quad \dfrac{4}{11}\) Hint: 1/3 = 2/6 is bigger than 2/7.
C	\( \large \dfrac{1}{4},\quad \dfrac{2}{5},\quad \dfrac{2}{3},\quad \dfrac{4}{5}\) Hint: One way to look at this: 1/4 and 2/5 are both less than 1/2, and 2/3 and 4/5 are both greater than 1/2. 1/4 is 25% and 2/5 is 40%, so 2/5 is greater. The distance from 2/3 to 1 is 1/3 and from 4/5 to 1 is 1/5, and 1/5 is less than 1/3, so 4/5 is bigger.
D	\( \large \dfrac{7}{8},\quad \dfrac{6}{7},\quad \dfrac{5}{6},\quad \dfrac{4}{5}\) Hint: This is in order from greatest to least.

A	\( \large 0.645\) Hint: That point is marked on the line, to the right.
B	\( \large 0.6421\) Hint: That point is to the left of point B.
C	\( \large 0.6422\) Hint: That point is to the left of point B.
D	\( \large 0.6425\)

A	\( \large \dfrac{4}{6}\) Hint: \( 0.\bar{6}=\dfrac{2}{3}=\dfrac{4}{6}\)
B	\( \large \dfrac{3}{5}\) Hint: This is equal to 0.6, without the repeating decimal. Answer is equivalent to choice c, which is another way to tell that it's wrong.
C	\( \large \dfrac{6}{10}\) Hint: This is equal to 0.6, without the repeating decimal. Answer is equivalent to choice b, which is another way to tell that it's wrong.
D	\( \large \dfrac{1}{6}\) Hint: This is less than a half, and \( 0.\bar{6}\) is greater than a half.

A	\( \large C\le 300\) Hint: Find the LCM.
B	\( \large 300 < C \le 500 \) Hint: Find the LCM.
C	\( \large 500 < C \le 700 \) Hint: Find the LCM.
D	\( \large C>700\) Hint: The LCM is 900, which is the smallest number of chairs.

MTEL General Curriculum Mathematics Practice

Which of the lists below is in order from least to greatest value?

At a school fundraising event, people can buy a ticket to spin a spinner like the one below. The region that the spinner lands in tells which, if any, prize the person wins.

If 240 people buy tickets to spin the spinner, what is the best estimate of the number of keychains that will be given away?

40

80

100

120

Below is a portion of a number line:

Point B is halfway between two tick marks. What number is represented by Point B?

Which of the numbers below is a fraction equivalent to \( 0.\bar{6}\)?

The equation \( \large F=\frac{9}{5}C+32\) is used to convert a temperature measured in Celsius to the equivalent Farentheit temperature.

A patient's temperature increased by 1.5° Celcius. By how many degrees Fahrenheit did her temperature increase?

1.5°

1.8°

2.7°

Not enough information.

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/page

Intercept =0.4 cm, Slope = \(\dfrac{1}{125}\)cm/page

Intercept = 125 cm, Slope = 0.4 cm

Intercept = \(\dfrac{1}{125}\)cm, Slope = 0.4 pages/cm

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.

2 lines of reflective symmetry, 1 center of rotational symmetry.

0 lines of reflective symmetry, 1 center of rotational symmetry.

2 lines of reflective symmetry, 0 centers of rotational symmetry.

The chairs in a large room can be arranged in rows of 18, 25, or 60 with no chairs left over. If C is the smallest possible number of chairs in the room, which of the following inequalities does C satisfy?

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