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## MTEL General Curriculum Mathematics Practice

 Question 1

#### 2,000

Hint:
The answer is bigger than 7,000.

#### 20,000

Hint:
Estimate 896/216 first.

#### 3,000

Hint:
The answer is bigger than 7,000.

#### 30,000

Hint:
$$\dfrac{896}{216} \approx 4$$ and $$7154 \times 4$$ is over 28,000, so this answer is closest.
Question 1 Explanation:
Topics: Estimation, simplifying fractions (Objective 0016, overlaps with other objectives).
 Question 2

#### 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 2 Explanation:
Topic: Use algebra to solve word problems involving fractions, ratios, proportions, and percents (Objective 0020).
 Question 3

#### 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 3 Explanation:
Topic: Calculate the probabilities of simple and compound events and of independent and dependent events (Objective 0026).
 Question 4

#### 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.

#### 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.

#### 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 4 Explanation:
Topic:Analyze and apply geometric transformations (e.g., translations, rotations, reflections, dilations) (Objective 0024).
 Question 5

#### Intercept = 0.4 cm, Slope = 125 cm/page

Hint:
This would mean that each page of the book was 125 cm thick.

#### 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.

#### Intercept = 125 cm, Slope = 0.4 cm

Hint:
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/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

#### The letters A, and B represent digits (possibly equal) in the ten digit number x=1,438,152,A3B.   For which values of A and B is x divisible by 12, but not by 9?

 A $$\large A = 0, B = 4$$Hint: Digits add to 31, so not divisible by 3, so not divisible by 12. B $$\large A = 7, B = 2$$Hint: Digits add to 36, so divisible by 9. C $$\large A = 0, B = 6$$Hint: Digits add to 33, divisible by 3, not 9. Last digits are 36, so divisible by 4, and hence by 12. D $$\large A = 4, B = 8$$Hint: Digits add to 39, divisible by 3, not 9. Last digits are 38, so not divisible by 4, so not divisible by 12.
Question 6 Explanation:
Topic: Demonstrate knowledge of divisibility rules (Objective 0018).
 Question 7

#### 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?

 A $$\large t=s+15$$Hint: When there are 2 teachers, how many students should there be? Do those values satisfy this equation? B $$\large s=t+15$$Hint: When there are 2 teachers, how many students should there be? Do those values satisfy this equation? C $$\large t=15s$$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. D $$\large s=15t$$
Question 7 Explanation:
Topic: Select the linear equation that best models a real-world situation (Objective 0022).
 Question 8

#### What is the greatest common factor of 540 and 216?

 A $$\large{{2}^{2}}\cdot {{3}^{3}}$$Hint: One way to solve this is to factor both numbers: $$540=2^2 \cdot 3^3 \cdot 5$$ and $$216=2^3 \cdot 3^3$$. Then take the smaller power for each prime that is a factor of both numbers. B $$\large2\cdot 3$$Hint: This is a common factor of both numbers, but it's not the greatest common factor. C $$\large{{2}^{3}}\cdot {{3}^{3}}$$Hint: $$2^3 = 8$$ is not a factor of 540. D $$\large{{2}^{2}}\cdot {{3}^{2}}$$Hint: This is a common factor of both numbers, but it's not the greatest common factor.
Question 8 Explanation:
Topic: Find the greatest common factor of a set of numbers (Objective 0018).
 Question 9

#### The polygon depicted below is drawn on dot paper, with the dots spaced 1 unit apart.  What is the perimeter of the polygon?

 A $$\large 18+\sqrt{2} \text{ units}$$Hint: Be careful with the Pythagorean Theorem. B $$\large 18+2\sqrt{2}\text{ units}$$Hint: There are 13 horizontal or vertical 1 unit segments. The longer diagonal is the hypotenuse of a 3-4-5 right triangle, so its length is 5 units. The shorter diagonal is the hypotenuse of a 45-45-90 right triangle with side 2, so its hypotenuse has length $$2 \sqrt{2}$$. C $$\large 18 \text{ units}$$Hint: Use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the lengths of the diagonal segments. D $$\large 20 \text{ units}$$Hint: Use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the lengths of the diagonal segments.
Question 9 Explanation:
Topic: Recognize and apply connections between algebra and geometry (e.g., the use of coordinate systems, the Pythagorean theorem) (Objective 0024).
 Question 10

#### The result is always the number that you started with! Suppose you start by picking N. Which of the equations below best demonstrates that the result after Step 6 is also N?

 A $$\large N*2+20*5-100\div 10=N$$Hint: Use parentheses or else order of operations is off. B $$\large \left( \left( 2*N+20 \right)*5-100 \right)\div 10=N$$ C $$\large \left( N+N+20 \right)*5-100\div 10=N$$Hint: With this answer you would subtract 10, instead of subtracting 100 and then dividing by 10. D $$\large \left( \left( \left( N\div 10 \right)-100 \right)*5+20 \right)*2=N$$Hint: This answer is quite backwards.
Question 10 Explanation:
Topic: Recognize and apply the concepts of variable, function, equality, and equation to express relationships algebraically (Objective 0020).
There are 10 questions to complete.

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