NYSTCE ATAS Mathematical Concepts and Operations 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student solves 56 ÷ 8 and gets 6. How can a teaching assistant best help the student check this answer?
- Ask the student to add 56 + 8
- Have the student multiply 6 × 8 to see if it equals 56 (Correct answer)
- Tell the student to subtract 8 from 56
- Ask the student to divide 6 by 8
Correct answer: Have the student multiply 6 × 8 to see if it equals 56
Multiplication is the inverse of division, so checking 6 × 8 = 48 ≠ 56 reveals the error.
Question 2: What is the perimeter of a square with a side length of 7 inches?
- 14 inches
- 21 inches
- 28 inches (Correct answer)
- 49 inches
Correct answer: 28 inches
Perimeter of a square = 4 × side = 4 × 7 = 28 inches.
Question 3: Which of the following numbers is divisible by both 3 and 4?
- 10
- 18
- 24 (Correct answer)
- 30
Correct answer: 24
24 ÷ 3 = 8 and 24 ÷ 4 = 6, so 24 is divisible by both 3 and 4.
Question 4: A recipe calls for 2¼ cups of flour. A student wants to make half the recipe. How much flour is needed?
- 1 cup
- 1⅛ cups (Correct answer)
- 1¼ cups
- 2 cups
Correct answer: 1⅛ cups
2¼ = 9/4; half of 9/4 = 9/8 = 1⅛ cups.
Question 5: A student plots the point (−2, 3) on a coordinate grid. In which quadrant is this point located?
- Quadrant I
- Quadrant II (Correct answer)
- Quadrant III
- Quadrant IV
Correct answer: Quadrant II
Quadrant II contains points where x is negative and y is positive, which matches (−2, 3).
Question 6: Which of the following is equivalent to 5 × (3 + 2)?
- 5 × 3 + 2
- 5 × 3 + 5 × 2 (Correct answer)
- 5 + 3 × 5 + 2
- 15 + 2
Correct answer: 5 × 3 + 5 × 2
The distributive property states that 5 × (3 + 2) = 5×3 + 5×2 = 15 + 10 = 25.
Question 7: A student says that −7 > −3. How should a teaching assistant correct this misconception?
- Agree, since 7 is greater than 3
- Explain that on a number line, −7 is to the left of −3, making it smaller (Correct answer)
- Show that both numbers are equal in value
- Explain that negative numbers are always greater than positive numbers
Correct answer: Explain that on a number line, −7 is to the left of −3, making it smaller
On a number line, numbers increase from left to right, so −7 is less than −3.
NYSTCE ATAS Mathematical Concepts and Operations 4
A student solves 56 ÷ 8 and gets 6.
How can a teaching assistant best help the student check this answer?