MAP Math Practice (Grades 3-5) 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is 3/4 + 1/4?
- 4/8
- 1 (Correct answer)
- 2/4
- 4/4 + 1
Correct answer: 1
3/4 + 1/4 = 4/4, which equals 1 whole.
When fractions have the same denominator, add the numerators and keep the denominator: 3 + 1 = 4, so the answer is 4/4. A fraction where the numerator equals the denominator is one whole, so 4/4 = 1. A common mistake is adding the denominators too, which would give 4/8, but that is incorrect.
Question 2: A movie starts at 2:45 PM and lasts 1 hour and 30 minutes. What time does it end?
- 3:75 PM
- 4:15 PM (Correct answer)
- 4:05 PM
- 3:15 PM
Correct answer: 4:15 PM
2:45 + 1 hour = 3:45; 3:45 + 30 minutes = 4:15 PM.
Break the elapsed time into parts. First add 1 hour to 2:45 PM to get 3:45 PM. Then add 30 minutes: 3:45 + 15 minutes = 4:00, and 15 more minutes = 4:15 PM. Remember that time does not work like base-ten numbers; there is no such time as 3:75 because an hour has only 60 minutes.
Question 3: Which of these is a prime number?
- 15
- 21
- 17 (Correct answer)
- 27
Correct answer: 17
17 has exactly two factors, 1 and 17, so it is prime.
A prime number has exactly two factors: 1 and itself. 15 = 3 × 5, 21 = 3 × 7, and 27 = 3 × 9, so those are composite numbers with more than two factors. 17 cannot be divided evenly by any whole number except 1 and 17, so it is prime. The prime numbers less than 20 are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, and 19.
Question 4: What is the value of the digit 6 in the number 26,381?
- 6
- 60
- 600
- 6,000 (Correct answer)
Correct answer: 6,000
The 6 is in the thousands place, so its value is 6,000.
Place value tells you how much each digit is worth based on its position. In 26,381, reading from the right: 1 is ones, 8 is tens, 3 is hundreds, 6 is thousands, and 2 is ten-thousands. So the digit 6 represents 6 thousands, or 6,000. Writing the number in expanded form helps: 20,000 + 6,000 + 300 + 80 + 1.
Question 5: The pattern is 5, 11, 17, 23, ... What is the next number?
- 27
- 28
- 29 (Correct answer)
- 30
Correct answer: 29
Each number increases by 6, so 23 + 6 = 29.
To find a pattern rule, look at how each number changes to the next. 11 − 5 = 6, 17 − 11 = 6, and 23 − 17 = 6, so the rule is 'add 6.' Applying the rule to 23 gives 23 + 6 = 29. Checking the rule on every pair of numbers, not just the first, makes sure you have found the correct pattern.
Question 6: A bar graph shows that 12 students chose pizza, 8 chose tacos, and 5 chose salad as their favorite lunch. How many more students chose pizza than salad?
- 7 (Correct answer)
- 4
- 17
- 3
Correct answer: 7
12 − 5 = 7 more students chose pizza than salad.
The phrase 'how many more' signals a comparison problem solved with subtraction. Pizza received 12 votes and salad received 5, so 12 − 5 = 7. The number for tacos (8) is not needed for this question, so be careful to use only the information the question asks about. Reading graph data carefully and choosing the right values is a key skill.
