NBT Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield NBT facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. What is the approximate value of √50, rounded to the nearest integer? → 7
2. Water flows out of a tank at a rate of 15 litres per minute. How many litres will flow out in 1 hour and 20 minutes? → 1 200 litres
3. A farmer has both chickens and cows. He counts 20 heads and 56 legs. How many cows does he have? → 8
4. On a graph, f(x) is a straight line that is neither increasing nor decreasing. Which type of function is this? → Constant function
5. The volume of a cube with side length 4 cm is: → 64 cm³
6. The word 'reductive' in academic discourse typically means: → Oversimplified in a way that distorts complexity
7. Which measure of central tendency is most affected by outliers? → Mean
8. Choose the sentence that uses the correct tense consistently: → They studied for the test and passed with distinction.
9. A box contains 4 red, 3 blue, and 3 green balls. One ball is drawn at random. What is the probability of drawing a red ball? → 2/5
10. A school tuck shop buys cold drinks at R8.50 each and sells them at a mark-up of 40%. What is the selling price? → R11.90
11. The function g(x) = a · b^x passes through (0, 5) and (1, 15). What are a and b? → a = 5, b = 3
12. A hire-purchase agreement for R9 000 requires a 10% deposit and 18 monthly instalments of R480. What is the total amount paid? → R9 540
13. The function f(x) = 2x − 6. What is the x-intercept? → x = 3
14. "The **ubiquitous** presence of smartphones has fundamentally altered how young people consume information." 'Ubiquitous' most nearly means: → present everywhere
15. The maximum value of y = 5sin(x) + 3 is: → 8
16. If 5x − 3 = 2x + 12, what is x? → 5
17. What is the key difference between a fact and an opinion in argumentative writing? → Facts can be verified through evidence; opinions express personal judgments or beliefs
18. A problem states: "It takes 3 workers 4 days to complete a task. How many days will 6 workers take to complete the same task?" → 2 days
19. The exterior angle of a regular polygon is 36°. How many sides does the polygon have? → 10
20. In triangle ABC, angle B = 90°, AB = 5 and BC = 12. What is sin A? → 12/13
21. Which sentence is grammatically correct? → The data clearly show that the hypothesis was correct.
22. What does a bar graph represent? → Data comparison across different categories.
23. Which of the following is an example of circular reasoning (begging the question)? → The Bible is true because it says so in the Bible.
24. What is the value of f(3) if f(x) = 2x² - 4x + 1? → 7
25. A parabola has equation y = 2x² − 8x + 6. The axis of symmetry is: → x = 2
26. Which statement best describes "critical reading" in an academic context? → Actively questioning the author's assumptions, evidence, and conclusions
27. Identify the passive voice sentence: → The tests were marked by the teacher.
28. Petrol costs R22.50 per litre. How much does it cost to fill a 45-litre tank? → R1 012.50
29. What does the term 'counterargument' mean? → An argument that opposes or disagrees with the main argument.
30. A fruit punch recipe uses orange juice, mango juice, and water in the ratio 3:2:5. If you want to make 4 litres of punch, how much orange juice do you need? → 1.2 litres