20 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.

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

Your answers are highlighted below.

Question 1

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 1 Explanation:

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

Question 2

What is the mathematical name of the three-dimensional polyhedron depicted below?

A	Tetrahedron Hint: All the faces of a tetrahedron are triangles.
B	Triangular Prism Hint: A prism has two congruent, parallel bases, connected by parallelograms (since this is a right prism, the parallelograms are rectangles).
C	Triangular Pyramid Hint: A pyramid has one base, not two.
D	Trigon Hint: A trigon is a triangle (this is not a common term).

Question 2 Explanation:

Topic: Classify and analyze three-dimensional figures using attributes of faces, edges, and vertices (Objective 0024).

Question 3

A family has four children. What is the probability that two children are girls and two are boys? Assume the the probability of having a boy (or a girl) is 50%.

A	$ \large \dfrac{1}{2}$ Hint: How many different configurations are there from oldest to youngest, e.g. BGGG? How many of them have 2 boys and 2 girls?
B	$ \large \dfrac{1}{4}$ Hint: How many different configurations are there from oldest to youngest, e.g. BGGG? How many of them have 2 boys and 2 girls?
C	$ \large \dfrac{1}{5}$ Hint: Some configurations are more probable than others -- i.e. it's more likely to have two boys and two girls than all boys. Be sure you are weighting properly.
D	$ \large \dfrac{3}{8}$ Hint: There are two possibilities for each child, so there are $2 \times 2 \times 2 \times 2 =16$ different configurations, e.g. from oldest to youngest BBBG, BGGB, GBBB, etc. Of these configurations, there are 6 with two boys and two girls (this is the combination $_{4}C_{2}$ or "4 choose 2"): BBGG, BGBG, BGGB, GGBB, GBGB, and GBBG. Thus the probability is 6/16=3/8.

Question 3 Explanation:

Topic: Apply knowledge of combinations and permutations to the computation of probabilities (Objective 0026).

Question 4

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?

A	$ \large \dfrac{3}{5}p-2$ Hint: The company gets 3/5=60% of the price, minus the $2 per item.
B	$ \large \dfrac{3}{5}\left( p-2 \right)$ Hint: This is sensible, but not what the problem states.
C	$ \large \dfrac{2}{5}p+2$ Hint: The company pays the extra $2; it doesn't collect it.
D	$ \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 4 Explanation:

Topic: Use algebra to solve word problems involving fractions, ratios, proportions, and percents (Objective 0020).

Question 5

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 5 Explanation:

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

Question 6

Which of the following is an irrational number?

A	$ \large \sqrt[3]{8}$ Hint: This answer is the cube root of 8. Since 2 x 2 x 2 =8, this is equal to 2, which is rational because 2 = 2/1.
B	$ \large \sqrt{8}$ Hint: It is not trivial to prove that this is irrational, but you can get this answer by eliminating the other choices.
C	$ \large \dfrac{1}{8}$ Hint: 1/8 is the RATIO of two integers, so it is rational.
D	$ \large -8$ Hint: Negative integers are also rational, -8 = -8/1, a ratio of integers.

Question 6 Explanation:

Topic: Identifying rational and irrational numbers (Objective 0016).

Question 7

The first histogram shows the average life expectancies for women in different countries in Africa in 1998; the second histogram gives similar data for Europe:

How much bigger is the range of the data for Africa than the range of the data for Europe?

A	0 years Hint: Range is the maximum life expectancy minus the minimum life expectancy.
B	12 years Hint: Are you subtracting frequencies? Range is about values of the data, not frequency.
C	18 years Hint: It's a little hard to read the graph, but it doesn't matter if you're consistent. It looks like the range for Africa is 80-38= 42 years and for Europe is 88-64 = 24; 42-24=18.
D	42 years Hint: Read the question more carefully.

Question 7 Explanation:

Topic: Compare different data sets (Objective 0025).

Question 8

If x is an integer, which of the following must also be an integer?

A	$ \large \dfrac{x}{2}$ Hint: If x is odd, then $ \dfrac{x}{2} $ is not an integer, e.g. 3/2 = 1.5.
B	$ \large \dfrac{2}{x}$ Hint: Only an integer if x = -2, -1, 1, or 2.
C	$ \large-x$ Hint: -1 times any integer is still an integer.
D	$\large\sqrt{x}$ Hint: Usually not an integer, e.g. $ \sqrt{2} \approx 1.414 $.

Question 8 Explanation:

Topic: Integers (Objective 0016)

Question 9

Here is a student's work solving an equation:

$ x-4=-2x+6$

$ x-4+4=-2x+6+4$

$ x=-2x+10$

$ x-2x=10$

$ x=10$

Which of the following statements is true?

A	The student‘s solution is correct. Hint: Try plugging into the original solution.
B	The student did not correctly use properties of equality. Hint: After $ x=-2x+10$, the student subtracted 2x on the left and added 2x on the right.
C	The student did not correctly use the distributive property. Hint: Distributive property is $a(b+c)=ab+ac$.
D	The student did not correctly use the commutative property. Hint: Commutative property is $a+b=b+a$ or $ab=ba$.

Question 9 Explanation:

Topic: Justify algebraic manipulations by application of the properties of equality, the order of operations, the number properties, and the order properties (Objective 0020).

Question 10

Here is a mental math strategy for computing 26 x 16:

Step 1: 100 x 16 = 1600

Step 2: 25 x 16 = 1600 ÷· 4 = 400

Step 3: 26 x 16 = 400 + 16 = 416

Which property best justifies Step 3 in this strategy?

A	Commutative Property. Hint: For addition, the commutative property is $a+b=b+a$ and for multiplication it's $ a \times b = b \times a$.
B	Associative Property. Hint: For addition, the associative property is $(a+b)+c=a+(b+c)$ and for multiplication it's $(a \times b) \times c=a \times (b \times c)$
C	Identity Property. Hint: 0 is the additive identity, because $ a+0=a$ and 1 is the multiplicative identity because $a \times 1=a$. The phrase "identity property" is not standard.
D	Distributive Property. Hint: $ (25+1) \times 16 = 25 \times 16 + 1 \times 16 $. This is an example of the distributive property of multiplication over addition.

Question 10 Explanation:

Topic: Analyze and justify mental math techniques, by applying arithmetic properties such as commutative, distributive, and associative (Objective 0019). Note that it's hard to write a question like this as a multiple choice question -- worthwhile to understand why the other steps work too.

Question 11

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 11 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 12

Given that 10 cm is approximately equal to 4 inches, which of the following expressions models a way to find out approximately how many inches are equivalent to 350 cm?

A	$ \large 350\times \left( \dfrac{10}{4} \right)$ Hint: The final result should be smaller than 350, and this answer is bigger.
B	$ \large 350\times \left( \dfrac{4}{10} \right)$ Hint: Dimensional analysis can help here: $350 \text{cm} \times \dfrac{4 \text{in}}{10 \text{cm}}$. The cm's cancel and the answer is in inches.
C	$ \large (10-4) \times 350 $ Hint: This answer doesn't make much sense. Try with a simpler example (e.g. 20 cm not 350 cm) to make sure that your logic makes sense.
D	$ \large (350-10) \times 4$ Hint: This answer doesn't make much sense. Try with a simpler example (e.g. 20 cm not 350 cm) to make sure that your logic makes sense.

Question 12 Explanation:

Topic: Applying fractions to word problems (Objective 0017) This problem is similar to one on the official sample test for that objective, but it might fit better into unit conversion and dimensional analysis (Objective 0023: Measurement)

Question 13

Four children randomly line up, single file. What is the probability that they are in height order, with the shortest child in front? All of the children are different heights.

A	$ \large \dfrac{1}{4}$ Hint: Try a simpler question with 3 children -- call them big, medium, and small -- and list all the ways they could line up. Then see how to extend your logic to the problem with 4 children.
B	$ \large \dfrac{1}{256} $ Hint: Try a simpler question with 3 children -- call them big, medium, and small -- and list all the ways they could line up. Then see how to extend your logic to the problem with 4 children.
C	$ \large \dfrac{1}{16}$ Hint: Try a simpler question with 3 children -- call them big, medium, and small -- and list all the ways they could line up. Then see how to extend your logic to the problem with 4 children.
D	$ \large \dfrac{1}{24}$ Hint: The number of ways for the children to line up is $4!=4 \times 3 \times 2 \times 1 =24$ -- there are 4 choices for who is first in line, then 3 for who is second, etc. Only one of these lines has the children in the order specified.

Question 13 Explanation:

Topic: Apply knowledge of combinations and permutations to the computation of probabilities (Objective 0026).

Question 14

Use the graph below to answer the question that follows.

Which of the following is a correct equation for the graph of the line depicted above?

A	$ \large y=-\dfrac{1}{2}x+2$ Hint: The slope is -1/2 and the y-intercept is 2. You can also try just plugging in points. For example, this is the only choice that gives y=1 when x=2.
B	$ \large 4x=2y$ Hint: This line goes through (0,0); the graph above does not.
C	$ \large y=x+2$ Hint: The line pictured has negative slope.
D	$ \large y=-x+2$ Hint: Try plugging x=4 into this equation and see if that point is on the graph above.

Question 14 Explanation:

Topic: Find a linear equation that represents a graph (Objective 0022).

Question 15

Here is a method that a student used for subtraction:

Which of the following is correct?

A	The student used a method that worked for this problem and can be generalized to any subtraction problem. Hint: Note that this algorithm is taught as the "standard" algorithm in much of Europe (it's where the term "borrowing" came from -- you borrow on top and "pay back" on the bottom).
B	The student used a method that worked for this problem and that will work for any subtraction problem that only requires one regrouping; it will not work if more regrouping is required. Hint: Try some more examples.
C	The student used a method that worked for this problem and will work for all three-digit subtraction problems, but will not work for larger problems. Hint: Try some more examples.
D	The student used a method that does not work. The student made two mistakes that cancelled each other out and was lucky to get the right answer for this problem. Hint: Remember, there are many ways to do subtraction; there is no one "right" algorithm.

Question 15 Explanation:

Topic: Analyze and justify standard and non-standard computational techniques (Objective 0019).

Question 16

Solve for x: $\large 4-\dfrac{2}{3}x=2x$

A	$ \large x=3$ Hint: Try plugging x=3 into the equation.
B	$ \large x=-3$ Hint: Left side is positive, right side is negative when you plug this in for x.
C	$ \large x=\dfrac{3}{2}$ Hint: One way to solve: $4=\dfrac{2}{3}x+2x$ $=\dfrac{8}{3}x$.$x=\dfrac{3 \times 4}{8}=\dfrac{3}{2}$. Another way is to just plug x=3/2 into the equation and see that each side equals 3 -- on a multiple choice test, you almost never have to actually solve for x.
D	$ \large x=-\dfrac{3}{2}$ Hint: Left side is positive, right side is negative when you plug this in for x.

Question 16 Explanation:

Topic: Solve linear equations (Objective 0020).

Question 17

Taxicab fares in Boston (Spring 2012) are $2.60 for the first $\dfrac{1}{7}$ of a mile or less and $0.40 for each $\dfrac{1}{7}$ of a mile after that.

Let d represent the distance a passenger travels in miles (with $d>\dfrac{1}{7}$). Which of the following expressions represents the total fare?

A	$ \large \$2.60+\$0.40d$ Hint: It's 40 cents for 1/7 of a mile, not per mile.
B	$ \large \$2.60+\$0.40\dfrac{d}{7}$ Hint: According to this equation, going 7 miles would cost $3; does that make sense?
C	$ \large \$2.20+\$2.80d$ Hint: You can think of the fare as $2.20 to enter the cab, and then $0.40 for each 1/7 of a mile, including the first 1/7 of a mile (or $2.80 per mile). Alternatively, you pay $2.60 for the first 1/7 of a mile, and then $2.80 per mile for d-1/7 miles. The total is 2.60+2.80(d-1/7) = 2.60+ 2.80d -.40 = 2.20+2.80d.
D	$ \large \$2.60+\$2.80d$ Hint: Don't count the first 1/7 of a mile twice.

Question 17 Explanation:

Topic: Identify variables and derive algebraic expressions that represent real-world situations (Objective 0020), and select the linear equation that best models a real-world situation (Objective 0022).

Question 18

The "houses" below are made of toothpicks and gum drops.

How many toothpicks are there in a row of 53 houses?

A	212 Hint: Can the number of toothpicks be even?
B	213 Hint: One way to see this is that every new "house" adds 4 toothpicks to the leftmost vertical toothpick -- so the total number is 1 plus 4 times the number of "houses." There are many other ways to look at the problem too.
C	217 Hint: Try your strategy with a smaller number of "houses" so you can count and find your mistake.
D	265 Hint: Remember that the "houses" overlap some walls.

Question 18 Explanation:

Topic: Recognize and extend patterns using a variety of representations (e.g., verbal, numeric, pictorial, algebraic). (Objective 0021).

Question 19

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 19 Explanation:

Topic: Using Number Lines (Objective 0017)

Question 20

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 20 Explanation:

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

Once you are finished, click the button below. Any items you have not completed will be marked incorrect. Get Results

There are 20 questions to complete.

←

List

→

Return

Shaded items are complete.

1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20
End

Return

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	\( \large \dfrac{1}{2}\) Hint: How many different configurations are there from oldest to youngest, e.g. BGGG? How many of them have 2 boys and 2 girls?
B	\( \large \dfrac{1}{4}\) Hint: How many different configurations are there from oldest to youngest, e.g. BGGG? How many of them have 2 boys and 2 girls?
C	\( \large \dfrac{1}{5}\) Hint: Some configurations are more probable than others -- i.e. it's more likely to have two boys and two girls than all boys. Be sure you are weighting properly.
D	\( \large \dfrac{3}{8}\) Hint: There are two possibilities for each child, so there are \(2 \times 2 \times 2 \times 2 =16\) different configurations, e.g. from oldest to youngest BBBG, BGGB, GBBB, etc. Of these configurations, there are 6 with two boys and two girls (this is the combination \(_{4}C_{2}\) or "4 choose 2"): BBGG, BGBG, BGGB, GGBB, GBGB, and GBBG. Thus the probability is 6/16=3/8.

A	\( \large \dfrac{3}{5}p-2\) Hint: The company gets 3/5=60% of the price, minus the $2 per item.
B	\( \large \dfrac{3}{5}\left( p-2 \right)\) Hint: This is sensible, but not what the problem states.
C	\( \large \dfrac{2}{5}p+2\) Hint: The company pays the extra $2; it doesn't collect it.
D	\( \large \dfrac{2}{5}p-2\) Hint: This has the company getting 2/5 = 40% of the price of each item, but that's what the representative gets.

A	\( \large \sqrt[3]{8}\) Hint: This answer is the cube root of 8. Since 2 x 2 x 2 =8, this is equal to 2, which is rational because 2 = 2/1.
B	\( \large \sqrt{8}\) Hint: It is not trivial to prove that this is irrational, but you can get this answer by eliminating the other choices.
C	\( \large \dfrac{1}{8}\) Hint: 1/8 is the RATIO of two integers, so it is rational.
D	\( \large -8\) Hint: Negative integers are also rational, -8 = -8/1, a ratio of integers.

A	\( \large \dfrac{x}{2}\) Hint: If x is odd, then \( \dfrac{x}{2} \) is not an integer, e.g. 3/2 = 1.5.
B	\( \large \dfrac{2}{x}\) Hint: Only an integer if x = -2, -1, 1, or 2.
C	\( \large-x\) Hint: -1 times any integer is still an integer.
D	\(\large\sqrt{x}\) Hint: Usually not an integer, e.g. \( \sqrt{2} \approx 1.414 \).

A	The student‘s solution is correct. Hint: Try plugging into the original solution.
B	The student did not correctly use properties of equality. Hint: After \( x=-2x+10\), the student subtracted 2x on the left and added 2x on the right.
C	The student did not correctly use the distributive property. Hint: Distributive property is \(a(b+c)=ab+ac\).
D	The student did not correctly use the commutative property. Hint: Commutative property is \(a+b=b+a\) or \(ab=ba\).

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.

A	\( \large 350\times \left( \dfrac{10}{4} \right)\) Hint: The final result should be smaller than 350, and this answer is bigger.
B	\( \large 350\times \left( \dfrac{4}{10} \right)\) Hint: Dimensional analysis can help here: \(350 \text{cm} \times \dfrac{4 \text{in}}{10 \text{cm}}\). The cm's cancel and the answer is in inches.
C	\( \large (10-4) \times 350 \) Hint: This answer doesn't make much sense. Try with a simpler example (e.g. 20 cm not 350 cm) to make sure that your logic makes sense.
D	\( \large (350-10) \times 4\) Hint: This answer doesn't make much sense. Try with a simpler example (e.g. 20 cm not 350 cm) to make sure that your logic makes sense.

A	\( \large \dfrac{1}{4}\) Hint: Try a simpler question with 3 children -- call them big, medium, and small -- and list all the ways they could line up. Then see how to extend your logic to the problem with 4 children.
B	\( \large \dfrac{1}{256} \) Hint: Try a simpler question with 3 children -- call them big, medium, and small -- and list all the ways they could line up. Then see how to extend your logic to the problem with 4 children.
C	\( \large \dfrac{1}{16}\) Hint: Try a simpler question with 3 children -- call them big, medium, and small -- and list all the ways they could line up. Then see how to extend your logic to the problem with 4 children.
D	\( \large \dfrac{1}{24}\) Hint: The number of ways for the children to line up is \(4!=4 \times 3 \times 2 \times 1 =24\) -- there are 4 choices for who is first in line, then 3 for who is second, etc. Only one of these lines has the children in the order specified.

A	\( \large y=-\dfrac{1}{2}x+2\) Hint: The slope is -1/2 and the y-intercept is 2. You can also try just plugging in points. For example, this is the only choice that gives y=1 when x=2.
B	\( \large 4x=2y\) Hint: This line goes through (0,0); the graph above does not.
C	\( \large y=x+2\) Hint: The line pictured has negative slope.
D	\( \large y=-x+2\) Hint: Try plugging x=4 into this equation and see if that point is on the graph above.

A	\( \large x=3\) Hint: Try plugging x=3 into the equation.
B	\( \large x=-3\) Hint: Left side is positive, right side is negative when you plug this in for x.
C	\( \large x=\dfrac{3}{2}\) Hint: One way to solve: \(4=\dfrac{2}{3}x+2x\) \(=\dfrac{8}{3}x\).\(x=\dfrac{3 \times 4}{8}=\dfrac{3}{2}\). Another way is to just plug x=3/2 into the equation and see that each side equals 3 -- on a multiple choice test, you almost never have to actually solve for x.
D	\( \large x=-\dfrac{3}{2}\) Hint: Left side is positive, right side is negative when you plug this in for x.

A	\( \large \$2.60+\$0.40d\) Hint: It's 40 cents for 1/7 of a mile, not per mile.
B	\( \large \$2.60+\$0.40\dfrac{d}{7}\) Hint: According to this equation, going 7 miles would cost $3; does that make sense?
C	\( \large \$2.20+\$2.80d\) Hint: You can think of the fare as $2.20 to enter the cab, and then $0.40 for each 1/7 of a mile, including the first 1/7 of a mile (or $2.80 per mile). Alternatively, you pay $2.60 for the first 1/7 of a mile, and then $2.80 per mile for d-1/7 miles. The total is 2.60+2.80(d-1/7) = 2.60+ 2.80d -.40 = 2.20+2.80d.
D	\( \large \$2.60+\$2.80d\) Hint: Don't count the first 1/7 of a mile twice.

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.

MTEL General Curriculum Mathematics Practice

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

What is the mathematical name of the three-dimensional polyhedron depicted below?

Tetrahedron

Triangular Prism

Triangular Pyramid

Trigon

A family has four children. What is the probability that two children are girls and two are boys? Assume the the probability of having a boy (or a girl) is 50%.

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

Which of the following is an irrational number?

The first histogram shows the average life expectancies for women in different countries in Africa in 1998; the second histogram gives similar data for Europe:

How much bigger is the range of the data for Africa than the range of the data for Europe?

0 years

12 years

18 years

42 years

If x is an integer, which of the following must also be an integer?

Here is a student's work solving an equation:

\( x-4=-2x+6\)

\( x-4+4=-2x+6+4\)

\( x=-2x+10\)

\( x-2x=10\)

\( x=10\)

Which of the following statements is true?

The student‘s solution is correct.

The student did not correctly use properties of equality.

The student did not correctly use the distributive property.

The student did not correctly use the commutative property.

Here is a mental math strategy for computing 26 x 16:

Step 1: 100 x 16 = 1600

Step 2: 25 x 16 = 1600 ÷· 4 = 400

Step 3: 26 x 16 = 400 + 16 = 416

Which property best justifies Step 3 in this strategy?

Commutative Property.

Associative Property.

Identity Property.

Distributive Property.

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

Given that 10 cm is approximately equal to 4 inches, which of the following expressions models a way to find out approximately how many inches are equivalent to 350 cm?

Four children randomly line up, single file. What is the probability that they are in height order, with the shortest child in front? All of the children are different heights.

Use the graph below to answer the question that follows.

Which of the following is a correct equation for the graph of the line depicted above?

Here is a method that a student used for subtraction:

Which of the following is correct?

The student used a method that worked for this problem and can be generalized to any subtraction problem.

The student used a method that worked for this problem and that will work for any subtraction problem that only requires one regrouping; it will not work if more regrouping is required.

The student used a method that worked for this problem and will work for all three-digit subtraction problems, but will not work for larger problems.

The student used a method that does not work. The student made two mistakes that cancelled each other out and was lucky to get the right answer for this problem.

Solve for x: \(\large 4-\dfrac{2}{3}x=2x\)

Taxicab fares in Boston (Spring 2012) are $2.60 for the first \(\dfrac{1}{7}\) of a mile or less and $0.40 for each \(\dfrac{1}{7}\) of a mile after that.

Let d represent the distance a passenger travels in miles (with \(d>\dfrac{1}{7}\)). Which of the following expressions represents the total fare?

The "houses" below are made of toothpicks and gum drops.

How many toothpicks are there in a row of 53 houses?

212

213

217

265

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 \( 0.\bar{6}\)?