All ISEE Middle Level Quantitative Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Quadrilaterals
Calvin is remodeling his room. He used feet of molding to put molding around all four walls. Now he wants to paint three of the walls. Each wall is the same width and is
feet tall. If one can of paint covers
square feet, how many cans of paint will he need to paint three walls.
When Calvin put up feet of molding, he figured out the perimeter of the room was
feet. Since he knows that all four walls are the same width, he can use the equation
to determine the length of each side by plugging
in for
and solving for
.
In order to solve for , Calvin must divide both sides by four.
The left-hand side simplifies to:
The right-hand side simplifies to:
Now, Calvin knows the width of each room is feet. Next he must find the area of each wall. To do this, he must multiply the width by the height because the area of a rectangle is found using the equation
. Since Calvin now knows that the width of each wall is
feet and that the height of each wall is also
feet, he can multiply the two together to find the area.
Since Calvin wants to find how much paint he needs to cover three walls, he must first find out how many square feet he is covering. If one wall is square feet, he must multiply that by
.
Calvin is painting square feet. If one can of paint covers 24 square feet, he must divide the total space (
square feet) by
.
Calvin will need cans of paint.
Example Question #1 : Squares
Which is the greater quantity?
(a) The surface area of a cube with volume
(b) The surface area of a cube with sidelength
(a) and (b) are equal
It is impossible to tell from the information given
(a) is greater
(b) is greater
(b) is greater
We can actually solve this by comparing volumes; the cube with the greater volume has the greater sidelength and, subsequently, the greater surface area.
The volume of the cube in (b) is the cube of 90 millimeters, or 9 centimeters. This is , which is greater than
. The cube in (b) has the greater volume, sidelength, and, most importantly, surface area.
Example Question #1 : How To Find The Area Of A Square
The sum of the lengths of three sides of a square is one yard. Give its area in square inches.
A square has four sides of the same length.
One yard is equal to 36 inches, so each side of the square has length
inches.
Its area is the square of the sidelength, or
square inches.
Example Question #1 : How To Find The Area Of A Square
The sum of the lengths of three sides of a square is 3,900 centimeters. Give its area in square meters.
100 centimeters are equal to one meter, so 3,900 centimeters are equal to
meters.
A square has four sides of the same length. Since the sum of the lengths of three of the congruent sides is 3,900 centimeters, or 39 meters, each side measures
meters.
The area of the square is the square of the sidelength, or
square meters.
Example Question #401 : Isee Middle Level (Grades 7 8) Quantitative Reasoning
Each side of a square is units long. Which is the greater quantity?
(A) The area of the square
(B)
(A) is greater
It is impossible to determine which is greater from the information given
(A) and (B) are equal
(B) is greater
It is impossible to determine which is greater from the information given
The area of a square is the square of its side length:
Using the side length from the question:
However, it is impossible to tell with certainty which of and
is greater.
For example, if ,
and
so if
.
But if ,
and
so if
.
Example Question #1 : Plane Geometry
A square has a side with a length of 5. What is the area of the square?
The area formula for a square is length times width. Keep in mind that all of a square's sides are equal.
So, if one side of a square equals 5, all of the other sides must also equal 5. You will find the area of the square by multiplying two of its sides:
Example Question #2 : Squares
One square mile is equivalent to 640 acres. Which of the following is the greater quantity?
(a) The area of a square plot of land whose perimeter measures one mile
(b) 160 acres
(a) is the greater quantity
(a) and (b) are equal
(b) is the greater quantity
It is impossible to determine which is greater from the information given
(b) is the greater quantity
A square plot of land with perimeter one mile has as its sidelength one fourth of this, or mile; its area is the square of this, or
square miles.
One square mile is equivalent to 640 acres, so square miles is equivalent to
acres.
This makes (b) greater.
Example Question #1 : Plane Geometry
One square kilometer is equal to 100 hectares.
Which is the greater quantity?
(a) The area of a rectangular plot of land 500 meters in length and 200 meters in width
(b) One hectare
(a) is the greater quantity
It is impossible to determine which is greater from the information given
(b) is the greater quantity
(a) and (b) are equal
(a) is the greater quantity
One kilometer is equal to 1,000 meters, so divide each dimension of the plot in meters by 1,000 to convert to kilometers:
kilometers
kilometers
Multiply the dimensions to get the area in square kilometers:
square kilometers
Since one square kilometer is equal to 100 hectares, multiply this by 100 to convert to hectares:
hectares
This makes (a) the greater.
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All ISEE Middle Level Quantitative Resources
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