Most Adults Can't Pass This High School Math Test. Can You?
- by Danielle Lasher
- – on
- in Mind Twisters
High school was either the best time of your life or the worst. Some people were cheerleaders and jocks, while others were outcasts. Being able to see friends for several hours out of the day, getting involved with extracurricular activities, and learning about different subjects was what some people lived for. However, there was a common end goal for everyone: graduation.
In order to get to graduation, all those classes had to be passed. Some subjects had great value that students could see even while still in school. Other subjects often provoked students to say: “When am I ever going to use this?” This was often used in math class when trying to determine the value of x and how it correlated to y or something like that.
Math was hard for a lot of students. Plus, having calculators and the internet in real life has eliminated the need to know math equations. Getting a good grade in math was an instant rush. We wanted to help bring back that nostalgic feeling by quizzing you on high school math. Will you get an A and make it to graduation or will you get an F and spend your summer in summer school?
The teacher calls on you to come up to the board to answer this equation: 50 + x = 75. What is the answer?
Let us ease into this whole high school math thing easily. Think about sitting at your test with your binder or notebook and a pencil. You just entered high school math, so it is a review from middle school. You did well at middle school math. The teacher is writing equations on the board while you are goofing off with your friend. The teacher then calls on you to come up to the board to answer this equation: 50 + x = 75. What is the answer?
A box has 2 pink crayons, 3 orange crayons, and 4 purple crayons. Ray takes 1 crayon from the box. What is the probability that Ray got an orange crayon? Please write your answer as a simplified fraction.
Math is stressing you out. You tell your best friend that you are probably going to fail. The teacher hears that and says that it is funny that you said "probably". Confused, you ask why. She then starts discussing probability problems. The question says: A box has 2 pink crayons, 3 orange crayons, and 4 purple crayons. Ray takes 1 crayon from the box. What is the probability that Ray got an orange crayon? Please write your answer as a simplified fraction.
Given what you know about inequalities, which of the following is the correct answer?
The teacher is giving you another easy question. She wants the class to determine which of the four statements she has written on the board is correct. Each statement is a basic inequality. Remembering which way the symbol points has always been a little difficult. These are hard to read, both in your head and out loud. You have to read each question a few times before determining which one is correct. Which of the following it the correct answer?
The class has two ginger ales and three colas. The first person chooses ginger ale, randomly. What is the probability for picking a ginger ale or a cola?
The teacher decides she wants to give you another probability question. Now she is working with sodas. She says that the class has two ginger ales and three colas. These are used as rewards for excellence in the class. She says that the first person selects a ginger ale at random. She now wants you to see what the probability would be for picking a ginger ale and for a cola. What would each of the probabilities be for each soda?
The question is 4/7 x 5/9. What is the answer, simplified?
The teacher realizes that she has been too challenging so early in the year. She now wants to give you a bit of a break because she has given you too much information lately. She says that today, you will be working with fractions. The first question she writes on the board is about multiplying fractions. It is something easy, but with all of the complicated rules you have been learning lately, you have to think a little harder. The question is 4/7 x 5/9. What is the answer, simplified?
The equation states: |5 – 18| = x. What does x equal?
The teacher seems to be catching on that the class is remembering last year’s math so well. She decides to start trying something new with the class, even though this was not in the lesson plan until next week. She says something about absolute value of a number. You zone off, because it does not seem too difficult. When you stop daydreaming about lunch, you see that there something written on the board. It says: |5 – 18| = x. What does x equal?
The teacher asks for you to solve the following equation: (x+6) (x-2).
We are moving on to quadratic equations in depth now. A focus of the day is factoring. Factoring will help us form quadratic equations and multiply things that look complicated. This sounds like it may be relatively easy. There are a lot of arrows drawn on the board, which is confusing your friend, but you think you understand this one. The teacher asks for you to solve the following equation: (x+6) (x-2). What is the answer to this question?
The equation reads as follows: 28x + 15 > 267. What is the value of x?
Now that you have answered that question correctly. You are feeling more confident in your mathematical abilities. Another equation gets written on the board for everyone to practice with. This question is more challenging than that original question, but is a similar basis. You remember studying this towards the end of last year and think of all of the steps to finish the problem. The equation reads as follows: 28x + 15 > 267. What is the value of x?
The next equation looks really complicated. You take a deep breath and rewrite the equation: |144-44| /-10 = Y. What does Y equal?
That question was a little tricky. You need to focus more on class. You start taking notes on what the teacher is saying, but she is talking too fast for you to keep up. She is creating difficult equations and is not reviewing how she got the answers that she did. So, you cannot make sense of them. The next equation looks really complicated. You take a deep breath and rewrite the equation: |144-44| /-10 = Y. What does Y equal?
The equation states: 4x³ -6x + 7x² - 9x⁴ + 5. What is the standard form?
Your teacher wants for you to start branching out mathematically. She mentions polynomials, which is a term that you did not previously know. She explains that in these equations, there may be multiple variables, exponents, and other mathematical complications. She then writes out an equation for you to solve with five minutes left until class is over. She wants it written in standard form. The equation says: 4x³ -6x + 7x² - 9x⁴ + 5. What is the standard form?
As you are graphing your equations, you realize that all the graphs look similar. They all look like a similar shape. What is the shape that the graphs look like?
The teacher decided to add more graphs into the class today. She says that the quadratic equation has a graph that correlates with it. She draws a few examples on the board and encourages members of the class to graph the quadratic equations from last night’s homework assignment. As you are graphing your equations, you realize that all the graphs look similar. They all look like a similar shape. What is the shape that the graphs look like to you?
Add the following: (3x² -6x +xy), (2x³ -5x² -3y), (7x +8y).
Polynomials are confusing. Even over the weekend, they haunted your dreams. Now, you are back in math class and you have to learn how to add polynomials. There are so many numbers of all types that your head is spinning. There is a lot of confusion within the class, so the teacher lets you work in groups. She wants you to add the following: (3x² -6x +xy), (2x³ -5x² -3y), (7x +8y). What is the answer to this question, math genius?
What is the square root of 81?
Because the class has been stumped, the teacher decided to backtrack a bit. She is now reviewing square roots and squares, as they will be a crucial part of your next lesson. She reminds everyone of all of the different powers and how to determine the approximate square root of a number. She then asks a simple question, which she says at least half the class will get wrong. She asks what the square root of 81 is. Your answer is…
What is the reciprocal of 528?
The teacher then says another thing that the class will have to know, but it is easy enough. It's reciprocal numbers. The name sounds intimidating to you. So, you start taking avid notes. After she gives two examples, you think you understand it well enough to remember how to do it on your own. When you get home and look at your homework, you see a question asking for the reciprocal of 528 and you cannot remember anything. What is the answer?
What quadratic formula helps with graphing by giving the user two spaces for X-axis intersections?
Just when you think that you are understanding quadratic equations, the teacher tells the class about the quadratic formula, which is a whole new formula for you to memorize. This formula helps with graphing, as it gives the two places where the graph will intersect the X-axis. The teacher creates a song to help everyone memorize the formula better. You have this song stuck in your head for the rest of the school day. What is the quadratic formula for this?
The equation the teacher gives you is: 5x² + 6x + 1=0. What are the two points as per the quadratic formula?
The teacher now wants you to put your knowledge of formulas to use. Since you are now familiar with the quadratic formula, she does multiple exercises in class that involve this formula. She says she is going to give you a quadratic equation and you have to plug those values into the quadratic formula. The entire class gets overwhelmed, since there are a lot of numbers and a lot of steps. The equation she gives you is: 5x² + 6x + 1=0. What are the two points as per the quadratic formula?
Multiply: (x⁴y⁵) (x³y²z).
The teacher says that we are going back to exponents this week, which no one remembered going over exclusively this year. She says that instead of just adding and subtracting exponents, we will now be multiplying and dividing exponents. She says it is going to get confusing because we are going to get our operations confusing. She gives the class a mini workbook to bring home and to complete overnight. The first page is all about multiplying exponents. The problem is asking you to multiply: (x⁴y⁵) (x³y²z).
The first equation involving subtraction in the book says: (x⁵y³z²)/(x³y²z²). What is the answer that you should get for this problem?
The next page of the workbook is all about the division of exponents. You think that you did well with multiplying exponents, so you are hoping that this will be easier. The teacher said if you figured out multiplication that division should be a breeze to think up. You start thinking about what would strategically make sense. The first equation involving subtraction in the book says: (x⁵y³z²)/(x³y²z²). So, what is the correct answer that you should get for this problem?
The problem is 517428/71. What is the answer to this question, rounded up to the nearest hundredth point, without a calculator?
The teacher discovers that too many students are using calculators to do basic math. She writes out a lengthy division problem. She tells the class to bring their calculators and phones to the front of the room. After she collects them all, she asks the students to solve the equation on the board. Everyone looks at each other horrified. The problem is 517428/71. What is the answer to this question, rounded up to the nearest hundredth point, without a calculator?
The teacher says that for the school dance, all attendees must be at least high school age—14 and 22 at the oldest. She wants you to give this answer as an inequality. What is the correct response?
You are now reviewing intervals in class. The teacher discusses how answers can be given in multiple forms. The first is two points. The shape of the bracket determines which numbers you are or are not including in your answer. Another is through an inequality. The final is the number line. She says that for the school dance, all attendees must be at least high school age—14 and 22 at the oldest. She wants you to give this answer as an inequality. What is the correct response?
When it comes to dance ages needing to be between 14 and 22, how would the dots on the line be filled in?
The teacher decides that she wants you to use this same data to create number line forms of the answer. She explains on the number line, closed and open circles can be used but mean different things. Age is a tricky thing to give for intervals, since certain things need to be thought of before making decisions on which way to leave the hole. When it comes to dance ages needing to be between 14 and 22, how would the dots on the line be filled in?
The question the teacher has given you is (7/8) / (4/5). What do you get as an answer, simplified?
Now the teacher would like for you to divide fractions. She does not review the rules. You are scrambling to remember basic math skills. All you can think about are parabolas and linear equations. You are trying to remember how to divide fractions. What was that rule? Something pops into your head and you decide to get to work. The question the teacher has given you is (7/8) / (4/5). What do you get as an answer, in simplified terms?
What is the equation for the slope of a line?
Now, you want to take a vow of silence so your teacher does not keep turning you into a math problem. The teacher is discussing graphs, slopes, points, and everything else that seems irrelevant to life. Your brain is going into overload with all of the information she is trying to fit into one class. She calls on you to tell her what the equation for the slope of a line is. You’re trying to remember the formula. You remember it is…
What is the slope of a line on a graph with coordinates (2.6) and (8.12)?
You are still trying to master remembering the equation for a line when the teacher throws another curveball. The teacher gives you two points to graph to make a line. Their coordinates are (2,6) and (8,12). You graph them easily. Now the teacher wants you to determine the slope of the line that you have drawn based on these coordinates. She quickly writes how to on the board and times how long it takes you to figure it out. What is the slope?
The teacher gives the point (8, -6) and gives a slope of -4. She now wants to know what the equation of a line is with that information. What is the equation?
Slope is making you think about skiing. Skiing is making you think of your vacation house in Aspen. You would really like to be on vacation now. But, we are back to discussing slope. While the teacher emphasized the importance of the slope formula yesterday, now she is complicating it with numbers. She gives the point (8, -6) and gives a slope of -4. She now wants to know what the equation of a line is with that information. What is the equation?