M ATHEMATICS: C ONTENT K NOWLEDGE T EST 1 (P RAXIS2M ATH .

COM )

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1) A farmer wants to make a rectangular pen for his herd, using
260 feet of fencing. One side of his pen will be bordered by a
river and does not need a fence. What is the maximum
amount of square feet he can make his pen?

(A) 16,900 ft

(B) 8,450 ft
(C) 7,511 ft
(D) 4,225 ft



2) A cell phone company charges 10 cents for the first minute of
a phone call, and 15 cents a minute after that. Which of the
following best represents the function f for the total amount
in dollars for a phone call that last h hours long?

5) Allison drove a car from point A to point B, a distance of

X miles, at 45 mph. She then took a 90 degree turn to
point C, a distance of (X + 5) miles, at 50 mph. She then
turned back to point A, driving a distance of (X + 10)
miles at 25 mph. Assuming she never stopped and
drove a constant speed between points, what was
Allisons average speed for the whole trip?

(A) 30 mph

(A) f = 0.10 + 0.15 (h/60)
(B) f = 0.10 + 0.15 (h/60 1)
(C) f = 0.10 + 0.15 (60h 1)
(D) f = 0.10 + 0.15 [(h (1/60)]

(B) 35 mph
(C) 40 mph
(D) 45 mph

3) Y is inversely proportional to the square of x such that

Y = k/x. If x is tripled, what happens to the value of Y?

(A) Y is multiplied by 3
(B) Y is divided by 3
(C) Y is divided by 6
(D) Y is divided by 9



4) For what values of k will the equation x - x - 8x k have 3
distinct real roots?

i. -7
ii.

iii.

10

(A) i. only

6) In the diagram above, the circle with center O has a
diameter DC that bisects chord AB at point E.
If AE = 12 ft and DE = 8 ft, what is the length of EO?

(B) ii. only

(C) iii. only
(D) i. & iii. only

(A) 5 ft

(C) 6 ft

(B) 5.5 ft

(D) 6.5 ft

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7) There exists such a number 134,x9z,y71, where x, y, and z are
whole numbers. This number is the product of a smaller
th
number (A) to the n degree, such that: A = 134,x9z,y71
Which of the following can be said about the number A?

(A) The units digit must be 1, 3, 7, or 9 only

(B) The units digit must be 1 or 9 only

(C) The number must be at least 4 digits long
(D) Not enough information is provided


8) The shortest distance between the line y = ()x + C and point
(6 , 3) is exactly 10 units. Find C.

(A) 8
(B) 9
(C) 10
(D) 11




9) Suppose a mud snake is 40 inches long and grows at a rate of
rds
2/3 a foot per week, while a sand snake in the same cage is
th
60 inches long, and grows at a rate of 1/4 a foot per week.
Assuming each snake continues to grow at the same rate for
the rest of their lives, after how many weeks will they be the
same length?

(A) 3 weeks

11) The circle above with center C has points A and B such
that they form an arc that is 90 degrees. When a chord
is drawn connecting points A and B, the length of the
line is 42 units. Find the area of the shaded region.

(A) (4 8) units
(B) (4 + 8) units
(C) (4 4) units

(D) (4 + 4) units

(B) 4 weeks
(C) 5 weeks
(D) 6 weeks





10) Let y = (3x + 3z)(zx). Assuming the values of x and z are
even, the greatest number that must be a divisor of y is:

(A) 48
(B) 96
(C) 192

12) There exists an XY plane, such that 3 points on the plane
when connected form a scalene triangle, as shown above.
Find the area of the triangle if the coordinates of the points
are: A (-15, 20), B (7, -10), C (25, 40)

(A) 820 units

(B) 940 units

(D) 384

(C) 1000 units

(D) 1180 units

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13) There exists a cube that has a center point C. The distance
from point C to any of the eight corners of the cube is 6 units.
Find the volume of the cube.

3
(A) 76 units

16) There exists a test that has ten multiple choice questions, all
of which have four possible answers to choose from; one
right answer, and three wrong answers. What is the
probability if you guessed on all ten questions that you would
answer exactly seven of them correct?

(A) 0.003%

(B) 181 units

3

(C) 333 units

(B) 0.3%

(D) 512 units

(C) 3%

(D) 30%


17) An equilateral polygon has 50 sides. How many degrees does
one angle have?

(A) 165.6 degrees
(B) 169.2 degrees
(C) 172.8 degrees
(D) 176.4 degrees

14) A chapter test was given to a group of students in Math
class. A graph of the grades is shown above. What of
the following best represents the mean number grade
for this particular test?

(A) 85
(B) 87
(C) 88
(D) 90




15) Given that f(x) = x, g(x) = 8x, and h(x) = x, find the
value for x when: h(g(f(x))) = 66

(A) 3
(B) 3
(C) 33
(D) 9

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19) What rational number between 1/4 and 2/3 is three times the
distance from 1/4 than it is from 2/3.

(A) 5/12
(B) 5/16
(C) 9/16
(D) 19/36

20) A series of test scores are calculated to give the average score
per student. The scores are entered into a computer one at a
time from lowest to highest, and the average score is
calculated after each test score is entered. If there are 5 total
tests, and the average increases by 4 points for each test,
what is the difference between the highest and lowest test
scores?

(A) 32

18) The above is a graphical representation of the first
derivative of function f. Which of the following graphs
best represents the function f.


(A)

(B) 24

(C) 20

(D) 16

(B)

(C)

(D)

21) As shown in the diagram above, a dog is chained to a

piece of rope that is 10 feet long, and tied to a wall at
point A. The distance between AB is 6 feet, and the
distance between AC is 3 feet. Assuming the dog can
roam at the full length of his rope, how much square
feet does he have to roam.

(A) 157.08 ft
(B) 208.13 ft
(C) 235.62 ft
(D) 259.18 ft

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22) Given the recursive function defined by:

f (1) = 3
f (n) = [f (n-1)] + [f (n-1)] for n 2

What is the value of f (4)?

(A) 8
(B) 12
(C) 24

(D) 48

25) There exists 2 matrices as shown above. What is the

value of [A][B]?

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)

23) A spinner shown in the diagram above has 4 possible
outcomes, A, B, C, and D, where A, B, and C are all the same
size, and D is exactly twice as big as any other letter. If the
spinner was spun 3 times, what is the probability of the
spinner stopping on D exactly 2 times?

(A) 12/64
(B) 12/125
(C) 36/64
(D) 36/125

24) A point in the XY-plane is located about the origin so that it
forms a triangle with the X-axis. If tan is negative, and cos
is positive, within what quadrant is the triangle located?

(A) Quadrant I
(B) Quadrant II
(C) Quadrant III
(D) Quadrant IV

BONUS QUESTION!

There exists a game show where one car and two goats are
randomly hidden behind three numbered doors. When a
contestant on the show guesses which door the car is
hidden behind, the host of the show reveals a goat that was
hidden behind a different door, and then asks the
contestant if he would like to stick with his original
selection or change his mind by selecting the remaining
door. Assuming this process happens on every show, but
different doors are always selected and the contestant
always switches from his original choice after a goat is
revealed, how many times should the contestant win the
car on average?

(A) 1 out of 2
(B) 1 out of 3
(C) 2 out of 3
(D) 3 out of 3

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DETAILED ANSWERS

1) ANSWER: (B) 8,450 ft

Since one side of the pen is bordered by the river, we will
need to fence off 3 sides total. Two of those sides will be
equal, since that is a known property of a rectangle. The
third sides length will be whats leftover from the 260 feet of
fence after making the other two sides x feet long:

I.

II.

III.

IV.

If we are to find the area of a rectangle, we need to multiply
the length (260-2x) times width (x). When we do this, we get:
260x 2x = Y, where Y is our total area in ft, and our
equation forms a parabola. From here, there are a number of
ways to solve the problem:

Set Up The Graph On Your Calculator:

Hit the y= button (top left). Clear out any equations you
see first (highlight, press clear), then input the following for
Y1= 260x 2x

Hit the Window button (next to y=) to alter your
calculator so you can visually see the graph. You know for a
fact that x cannot be smaller than 0, nor bigger than 260, so
thats a safe window to use. Make Xmin=0, and Xmax=260.
(Xscl/Yscl is your scale. Leave them as they are)

You also know that your total fenced in area cannot be
smaller than 0 ft (its impossible to have a negative total
area), nor bigger than 16,900 ft (take 260, divide by 2
because you need at least 2 sides of fence (130), and multiply
it by itself, since thats how you find area). Y = your total area
in this equation, so set your Ymin=0, and your Ymax=16,900.

Hit graph, and move your curser using the arrows to the
highest point of your parabola. It should look similar to the
graph on the top right of this page:

This graph represents values of x from 0-260 plugged
into the equation. The values of y are the possible
outcomes of 260x 2x in feet. You want the largest
area possible, so if you move your cursor to the top-
middle of that graph, you will find the point roughly to
be the coordinate (65 , 8450), which would be your x
and y coordinates, respectively, thus giving you the
answer you need at 8,450 ft. (Graphs are never 100%
accurate when you use your cursor, especially with large
numbers, so be careful!)

Or, you could look at it as: Two sides of the rectangle
would be the value x, which is 65, and the third side
would be 260-2x, or 260-2(65), which = 130. Now
that you have your 2 sides, multiply them together to
get:



130 ft times 65 ft = 8,450 ft.

You Could Also Solve This Equation Algebraically:

I.
Knowing the properties of a parabola is a good thing.
The basic equation of a parabola = Ax + Bx + C. You can
find the min or max of x by knowing the formula:
(B)/2A.

II.
Since our equation = 260x 2x, we now know our A
value = -2, and our B value = 260. There is no C value in
our equation, but thats not needed anyway. Now we
can substitute in our values for (B)/2A, which = -
(260)/2(-2) which = -260/-4 which = 65. We now know
our x value = 65, so we just found 2 sides of our fenced
in area. Take 260-2x to find our third side, and now we
know it to be 130. Simply multiply the sides of the
rectangle that we just found (65 times 130) and we get
our area of the pen to be 8,450 ft, choice (B).

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2) ANSWER: (C) f = 0.10 + 0.15 (60h 1)

IV.

We all know that the call is going to equal at least 10 cents,

written as 0.10, plus some unknown value, so f = 0.10 + (???).
We now look at all the answers, and since they all start with
what we now know, we so far cannot exclude any of them as
wrong answers. So we continue:

Next, we discuss what else is being asked. We want an
equation that gives us the answer in hours, despite the fact
that we only know how much calls are worth per minute.
This makes it slightly more complicated, but there are 2 ways
to do the problem:

V.

You Could Solve This Equation By Plug-&-Chug

Some Mathematicians and teachers do not believe in this
method. To them I say WHY NOT!? Were using what we
know, plugging numerical values into the corresponding parts
of an equation, then using Math to solve. Its 100% Math,
and 100% effective if you have proper Math knowledge.

I.

II.

III.

In our case, since all equations have one variable (h), we must
first pick a number we can test with. The number 1 is
usually very easy to use, so well use that. We can sub in the
number 1 for h in all equations, and then solve. If the
equation is written properly, we should get 0.10 + (0.15)(59),
(which represents a 1 hour call, where we paid 10 cents for
the first minute, and 15 cents for the other 59 minutes). This
comes out to be: 8.95. Now we look for an equation to
match that number!

Answer (A) says: 0.10 + 0.15 (h/60).

We sub in the number 1 and get:

0.10 + 0.15 (1/60) = 0.10 + 0.0025 = .1025

Does this make sense? We talked for an hour, and only paid
10 cents? Our total cost should be 8.95, so this doesnt work.
We move on.


Answer (B) says: 0.10 + 0.15 (h/60 1)

We sub in 1 and get:

0.10 + 0.15 (1/60 -1) = 0.10 0.1475 = -0.475

The phone company paid US to talk for 1 hour? I dont think
so next!

VI.

Answer (C) says: 0.10 + 0.15 (60h 1)

We sub in 1 and get:

0.10 + 0.15 [60(1) 1] = 0.10 + 8.85 = 8.95!!!!!

This worked! So we might have our answer! But we
continue on just to make sure:

Answer (D) says: 0.10 + 0.15 [(h (1/60)]

We sub in 1 and get:

0.10 + 0.15 [(1 (1/60)] = 0.10 + 0.1475 = .2475

Nope.

We have now concluded that only (C) could work, using
the plug-and-chug method! A good habit to practice
on would be, once you find an answer that works, try 1-
2 more numbers just to make sure. Ill save you the
hassle, it works. (C) is the answer! J

You Also Could Solve This Equation Algebraically:

I.

II.

We all know how the equation starts out, 0.10 + (???).

To find out the rest, we must discuss what we know vs
what is asked. Im an example guy myself, so lets start
with an example, and then work in variables afterwards.
I always find this way easier when solving algebraically:

A 60 minute call would cost 0.10 cents for the first
minute, plus 0.15 cents for the extra 59 minutes, or:

0.10 + (0.15 * 59) or 0.10 + [0.15 * (60 1)]

Now we can substitute in variables, which will take place
of our numbers. We got 59 by taking our total
minutes (60) and subtracting 1 minute, or: (60 1), as
shown above. We want it to read hours. Currently it
reads 60 minutes minus 1 minute. Well, since one
hour = 60 minutes, and two hours = 120 minutes (etc),
we can also say that h hours = h times 60 minutes, or
60h. We can now sub this into our equation:

0.10 + [0.15 (60h 1)]

Thus, we have our equation! Our answer is (C).

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3) ANSWER: (D) Y is divided by 9

I.

II.

This equation is all setup for us. All we need to do is figure

out what is being asked:

Y is inversely proportional means that when the other
variable goes up, Y goes down. This is our first clue to the
answer. Since the question later states if x is tripled, we
know that Y must go down. We look at our answers, and we
can exclude (A) from the list, since it says Y is multiplied by 3,
which cannot be true. We now have a 1 in 3 shot at the right
answer!

The next step is to physically double x in our equation. It
originally reads as: Y = k/x

If we were to triple x, it would then read as: Y = k/(3x).

It is very, very, very important to be careful when

adding numbers and/or variables to an equation,
so that you are sure to add it in the proper spot,
and not screw things up. Simply saying Y = k/3x
is incorrect. We want to triple x first, then square
it: Y = k/(3x). I always make it a rule of thumb to
include parenthesis whenever you alter an
equation, so that you know exactly where you are
substituting and not accidentally putting numbers
and variables in the wrong spot.
III.

IV.

Next, you simplify the equation Y = k/(3x) as much as
possible. When you do so, you get:

Y = k/(9x). The number 3 and variable x were squared
(distributive property). 3 squares to 9, while x squared simply
gives you x. This is the farthest you can go with simplifying
the equation.

Last, you compare this equation to the first one, and find out
how the equation has changed:

Original: Y = k/x
New:
Y = k/(9x)

The difference is that you are now dividing by 9 in the new
equation. Whatever you do to one side, thats what will
happen to the other side, so Y will be divided by 9, answer
(D).

You Could Also Solve This Equation By Plug-&-Chug

I.

II.

III.

IV.

Plug-and-chug may become one of your best friends for

the test. Simply start out with the original equation, and
plug in for all variables. K is considered a constant,
and therefore does not change. It needs a constant
value though, so lets make it 1. For x, I like to use a
big enough number so that we can actually see a
difference that isnt the product of error. So for the
original value of x, Ill use 5. Plug it in:

Y = k/x = 1/(5) = 1/25


Next, we triple x, just like it tells us to in the problem.
So instead of 5, well use 15:

Y = k/x = 1/(15) = 1/225


We got 1/25 as an answer for Y originally, then tripled x
and got 1/225 as our new answer for Y. How many
times does 1/225 go into 1/25:

1 1 1 225 225
-- ---- --- ---- ------- 9
25 225 25 1 25


So in the end, Y was divided by 9, and the answer is (D).

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x - x - 8x (10)

4) ANSWER: (A) i. only (-7)

I.
II.

III.

IV.

For such a small question, there sure is a lot going on here!

First we have to realize that we have an equation with a
variable (x) AND an unknown constant (k).

Next, we have to know that this equation (x - x - 8x - k) will
be able to produce (at-most) 3 real roots, because the first x
is cubed. A real root means a value for x so that when its
plugged into the equation, the equation will be equal to 0.

We look at our problem and realize that we are given possible
values of our constant k. You should also notice that it says
MINUS K, so when you substitute numbers into the equation,
be sure to use parenthesis to not foul things up. The best
way to continue this problem is by graphing it on our
calculator. (Watch how I sub using parenthesis)

Our 3 possible equations:
x - x - 8x (-7)



x - x - 8x (8)



x - x - 8x (10)

Graphs:

x - x - 8x (-7)

x - x - 8x (8)

V.

VI.

Now analyze. The first graph crosses the x-axis 3 times.
When it crosses the x-axis, thats when the equation is
equal to 0, which is considered a real root. So the
constant (k) value of -7 would work.

The second graph only crosses the x-axis once. Only one
distinct real root. 8 would not work.

The third graph only crosses the x-axis once. Only one
distinct real root. 10 would not work.

Since only 1 value of k works (-7), then you must pick
choice (A).

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5) ANSWER: (B) 35 mph

I.

II.

IV.

This is the first real big question in the test. Its a 3-part
problem, and you WILL find a few of those on the real Praxis
exam. In order to do this problem correctly, you have to
understand what is being asked, and how to get exactly what
youre looking for:

The question asks what was Allisons average speed. Since
speed is found by dividing distance by time, you need to find
the lengths travelled, and minutes/hours driven. We know
neither of the above thus far.

The next thing to do is to label our diagram:

V.

III.

Hopefully by now, you realize that we have a right triangle, so
the Pythagorean theorem can be used to find the sides. Our
hypotenuse is the side opposite the right angle (X + 10). So
we can set it up as such:

X + (X + 5) = (X + 10) Square everything
X + X + 10X + 25 = X + 20X + 100 Put it all on one side
X 10X 75 = 0 Break it down (find factors of 75)
(X 15) (X + 5) = 0 Set them equal to 0
(X 15) = 0 OR (X + 5)= 0 Solve
X = 15 OR X = -5

Since we know the length cannot be negative, we know our
value X has to be 15 miles, so AB = 15 miles, BC = 20 miles,
and CA = 25 miles.

We have our lengths, so now we need our total time
travelled, our second step. Since (distance / time = speed),
this means that time = distance/speed. We can sub in our
values we already know to find time. For example:

rd
AB (d/s=t) 15/45=t 1/3 = t (in hours) 1/3 of an
hour is 20 minutes.

ths
BC (d/s=t) 20/50=t 2/5 = t (in hours) 2/5 of an
hour is 24 minutes.


CA (d/s=t) 25/25=t 1 = t (in hours) 1hour is
60 minutes.

So our total time is 60 + 24 + 20 = 104 minutes
Last, we put it all together. We travelled 60 total miles
in 104 minutes. We need to convert this to miles per
hour, so we must change our denominator from 104 to
60:

60/104 = x/60 Cross multiply
3600 = 104x Divide both sides by 104
34.62 = x In average miles per hour.

Since (B) is 35 mph, thats the correct answer.

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Last, we look at line AO. Line AE is 12, line EO is X, and line
AO will be the radius of the circle, which is X + 8. Since we
know all values of those lines, we can draw that one and label
it as such:

6) ANSWER: (A) 5 ft

Whenever you are dealing with circles, there is usually one
component that you can count on: radius. In this case,
radius isnt given out-right, but there is a clue:

I.

II.

III.

The very best first thing to do in all of geometry is to plot
what we know to see if it helps. In this case, since OD bisects
AB, we know that AE = EB, so EB = 12, and that all angles
around point E are right angles. We also know that OC and
OD are equal to the radius of the circle, since DC is the
diameter. Does this help us? Not so far, but you never know.

We dont know what the radius is equal to yet, but we do
know that OD = 8 + some value. So we can say:

8 + X = OD radius of the circle

In geometry, it is always good to know that you are always
100% allowed to draw extra lines, extend lines, divide
angles, etc, as long as you do not change the original
diagram. In this case, we can draw a line that connect points
AC, AO, and AD, which allows us to form 3 different right
triangles. Which one will help us the most? Well if we draw a
line to AD, we will get a right triangle, and we can find the
length of the line since we know the length of the other 2
sides, but finding the length of AD will not help us anywhere
else.

If we draw a line to AC, we will know length AE, and length EC
(sort of, since its equal to [X + X + 8]), but we wont know
what to label AC. So thats out.

IV.

Now that we have a right triangle with defined sides, we
can use the Pythagorean theorem and solve for X:

12 + X = (X + 8) Square
144 + X = X + 16X + 64 Put all Xs on one side
80 = 16X Divide by 12
5 ft = X

So our answer is (A).

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7) ANSWER: (A) The units digit must be 1,

3, 7, or 9 only.

I.

II.

III.

IV.

V.

The problem tests your range of number theory:

The very first thing you do when you get a number like this is
break it down any way you can, IF you can. In this case, we
have the number: A = 134,x9z,y71, which cannot be broken
down. Even though it doesnt work in this case, you should
always try to do this when you can.

Once you realize that you cannot physically do anything
with the number itself, you must realize that this
question requires other methods of solving. In this case,
it is up to you to take the answers one at a time, and
decide why or why not they would work.

(A) The units digit must be 1, 3, 7, or 9 only, means
that the last digit in the number A must end with 1, 3,
7, or 9, and nothing else. For this to be true, those
numbers multiplied together n amount of times must
result where the units digit for A to be equal to 1,
since the number in our problem ends with a 1:

1 * 1 = 1 TRUE
3 * 3 * 3 * 3 = 81 TRUE
7 * 7 * 7 * 7= 2401 TRUE
9 * 9 = 81 TRUE

This works, so we have a feeling that (A) is our answer.
We now know that (D) cannot be our answer, since (A)
worked. We should check the other 2 anyway:

(B) The units digit must be 1 or 9 only. Well since we
know that 3 and 7 would also work, this can already be
ruled out.

(C) The number must be at least 4 digits long. This is
untrue since any number 1, 2, and 3 digits long can be
multiplied by itself n times to make a 9-digit number.

Now that weve successfully ruled the other answers
out, we are officially left with answer (A).

8) ANSWER: (D) 11
I.

II.

III.

IV.

This is a distance equation, and when you find yourself
with a problem of this caliber, there is usually a formula
given to you on one of the first sheets of the test. In this
case, there is such a formula you need to use, but you
have to be careful to set it up correctly. The formula
you need to use is the distance formula between a point
and a line:

As you can see, the line need to be modified Ax + By + C
format, so that should be our first step.

y = ()x + C Multiply everything by 4
4y = 3x + 4C Subtract 4y from both sides
0 = 3x 4y + 4C All set! Point (x , y) = (6 , 3)

Now simply put back into your equation, and solve for C:

10 = |(3)(6) + (-4)(3) + 4C|
------------------------- Simplify
(3 + 4)

10 = |18 12 + 4C |
------------------ Simplify
5

50 = 6 + 4C 44 = 4C 11 = C


So the answer is (D).

M ATHEMATICS: C ONTENT K NOWLEDGE T EST 1 (P RAXIS2M ATH .COM )

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9) ANSWER: (B) 4 weeks

I.

II.

This problem is rather easy to figure out, as long as you know
the basic process:

rds
A mud snake grows at a rate of 2/3 a foot per week, or 8
inches a week. If its initial length is 40 inches, then its
growth can be defined as: 40 + 8w, where w is number of
weeks.

th
Similarly, a sand snake grows at a rate of 1/4 a foot per
week, or 3 inches a week. If its initial length is 60 inches,
then its growth can be defined as: 60 + 3w.

The question asks when they will be the same length. Since
each equation is set up to equal total length, just set the
equations equal to each other to find your answer:

40 + 8w = 60 + 3w Put w on one side
40 + 5w = 60 Subtract 40 from each side
5w = 20 Divide everything by 5
w = 4

They will be the same length in 4 weeks, or choice (B).

10) ANSWER: (C) 192

I.

II.

III.

This is another problem that involves substitution. Since

this question says x and z are even, we can also
conclude that each number is divisible by 2, which
means that there is a number multiplied by 2 to get the
values of x and z. So:

x is even, so 2 times some number = x, OR: x = 2a
z is even, so 2 times some number = z, OR: z = 2b

Then substitute it into the original equation:

y = (3x + 3z)(zx) Substitute in 2a and 2b
y = (3(2a) + 3(2b))(2a2b) Distribute
y = 3(4a) + 3(8b)(4ab) And Again
y = (12a + 24b)(16ab) Multiply through
4
5
y = (192a b + 384ab )

Now we pull the greatest common factor out of the
right side:

4
5
y = (192a b + 384ab ) Pull 192ab out
y = 192ab(a + 2b)

This shows that y is divisible by 192ab, and since a and
b cannot be broken down any farther because we dont
know anything about them, the largest known divisor of
y is 192, answer (C).

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11) ANSWER: (A) (4 8) units

I.

II.

III.

I hope you have noticed that the farther you get into the test,
the more in-depth these problems become! Isnt it fun!? J

The first thing to do is take a big overall look at the problem.
We arent given much information to work with, so well
probably have to derive our own numbers eventually.

One thing you should know by now, is that the number one
most important thing about circles is the radius. Here again,
we can use the radius to help us out with the answer. If we
were to draw a line from point C to point points A and B, we
would have ourselves more information to work with. We
still dont know the radius, but we would form a triangle with
2 sides in r length, with the third side (42 units) opposite a
right angle, aka a hypotenuse.

Now that we have some more information to work with, lets
find r. We know the equation to be:

r + r = (42) Simplify
2r = 32 Divide both sides by 2 and take the square root
r = 4 Our radius!

Now that we know our radius, we must look at what comes
th
next. If we could somehow found out what 1/4 of the circle
is in area, then subtract the area of the triangle, we could
th
solve for the shaded region! We begin by taking 1/4 of the
area of the entire circle:

th
th
1/4 (4) = 1/4 (16) = 4 units

IV.

th
Now that we know the area of 1/4 of a circle to be 4 units,
we must now subtract the area of the triangle, so were left
with the shaded region. We can do this by taking 4 and
subtracting the area of the triangle:

4 ()(4)(4) = 4 8, thus we are left with our answer,
choice (A).

M ATHEMATICS: C ONTENT K NOWLEDGE T EST 1 (P RAXIS2M ATH .COM )

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12) ANSWER: (A) 820 units

I.

II.

III.

IV.

This question is a lot easier than it looks. Yes we are

given a scalene triangle, so there is no real way to find
the area of this just by looking at it and plugging
numbers into an equation, but we can make lines to
help us solve our problem. Thats the beauty of
Geometry!

The first thing we can do is look at our triangle. To find
the area of a triangle, you take the base times height,
and divide by 2. In this case, we have no base, and we
have no height, so thats out. Next, we look at the
possibility of making a square around the triangle, and
subtracting the parts we dont need, as such:

As you can see, I also added in the lengths of the newly
shaded triangles, which I found by taking my points, and
subtracting them. For example, the top triangle has a
height of 20, and a length of 40, the distances from
points A (-15, 20), C (25, 40):

40 20 = 20 Height
25 (-15) = 40 Length

That shaded region now has a height and a length, so
we can take ()(b)(h) to find our area of the triangle:

()(b)(h) = ()(40)(20) = 400 units!

If we do this for all three triangles, we get areas of 300,
450, and 330 units, for a total of 1180 units, but were
not done yet. We need to take those amounts, and
subtract from our rectangle, so that were left with the
area of our original triangle. The rectangle is 50 tall
units by 40 units wide, or 2,000 units. So:

2,000 units - 1,180 units = 820 units, answer (A)

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13) ANSWER: (C) 333 units

III.

This question is harder than it looks:

I.

Since its a cube we know a few things, like that it has all right
angles, all sides are the same length, and it has 6 sides and 8
corners. It will look something like this:
IV.

II.

The area of the cube is length times width times height. Since
all sides are the same length, we only need to find the length
of one side. Unfortunately, we only know the distance from
the center of the cube to one of the corners. This doesnt
help us at the moment, since we cannot easily make a
triangle or even view it in a way that we can see things a lot
clearer. We can, however, cut the cube in half, diagonally
from corner to corner, so we can see things in 2D, rather than
3D. This makes everything much easier. When we cut it in
half, we are left with this:

As you can see, some values can now be added to our cube. I
called all the sides of the cube X in length. The distance
from one corner to the other at either the top or bottom of
our cube can be found using a + b = c, and since our length
of both a and b is X, we know:

X + X = C 2X = C X2 = C


Since the line is drawn from the center of the cube at
point C, we know that the height from C to the
bottom is half a side, and half the diagonal. So our
other 2 sides of the triangle at (X2)/2, and X/2, as
shown in the picture. This forms yet another right
triangle, which we can use to find our X value:

[(X2)/2] + (X/2) = 6 Distribute the powers
2X/4 + X/4 = 36 Multiply everything by 4
2X + X = 144 Combine Xs and divide by 3
X = 48 Square root
X = 43

Lastly, you take 43 and cube it to get the area to be
3
332.55, or 333 units , choice (C).


You Also Could Solve This Equation Algebraically:

I dont know if this will be handy to know on the test,
but the diagonal of a 3D quadrilateral, is equal to all 3
lengths squared, or:

A + B + C = Diagonal

Since a line from point C to the corner is 6, our diagonal
is 12. And since all our sides are of equal length, thats
like saying:

3A = 12 3A = 144 X = 48 X = 43

3
Then cube that to get our area of 333 units , choice (C).
Its a heck of a lot easier, so if you deal with cubes on
the test (and you might), this formula would be worth
remembering!

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14) ANSWER: (C) 88

15) ANSWER: (B) 3

I.

II.

This is a simple count em up and divide question, but
disguised to be a little more in-depth than it looks:

First of all, this question does not tell you how many total
students there are. It wants you to derive that information
from the graph first. Then, it wants you to find the average,
which you cannot do until you find your total grade.

By looking at the graph, you can tell that there are:

2 students who got a 70
4 who got an 80
8 who got a 90
4 who got 100.

So:

2 times 70 = 140
4 times 80 = 320
8 times 90 = 720
4 times 100 = 400
------
18 students got a combined 1580, so:

1580 / 18 = 87.7777777, which is closest to 88, choice (C).

I.

II.

III.

You are guaranteed to see something like this on the

test. First and fore-most, you have to know how to set
it up. If you do that incorrectly, you will never get the
right answer:

The question says to find: h(g(f(x))) = 66. In order to
get to that point, you have to fill in each function one at
a time.

If f(x) = x, g(x) = 8x, and h(x) = x, and h(g(f(x))) = 66,
you start subbing the inside value first, and you get:

h(g(x)) h(8x) (8x) = 66

Square both sides to get rid of the radical:

8x = 216 Divide both sides by 8
x = 27 Cube root of both sides
x = 3

x = 3, so our answer is choice (B).

M ATHEMATICS: C ONTENT K NOWLEDGE T EST 1 (P RAXIS2M ATH .COM )

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16) ANSWER: (B) 0.3%

17) ANSWER: (C) 172.8 degrees

I.

II.

III.

IV.

V.

Probability and statistics questions tend to fool people rather

easily. You could technically solve this question without
knowing the formula, but knowing it sure does make things a
lot easier. Ill take this very slow, step up step:

First off, we need to review what we know. There are 10
multiple choice questions, and you need to get exactly 7 of
them correct (not at least or at most, which makes a huge
difference). If you get 7 correct, then you must also get 3
wrong.

Next, you need to figure out which seven you get right. You
could get the first seven right, and the next three questions
wrong, or you could get the first six right, the next three
wrong, and the last one correct, etc. Another words, you
need to find out how many combinations of 7 there are. You
can do this by doing: 10 nCr 7 in your calculator, type:
10, then hit math, scroll over to PRB (probability), and
select nCr, then hit 7, and ENTER. The number 120
should appear. There are 120 combinations of guessing 7
answers correctly out of 10.

Next, you need to take the probability of the right and wrong
answers. For example, if you guess on a problem, you will
have a 1 in 4 chance (25%) of getting the problem correct,
and a 3 in 4 chance (75%) of getting it wrong. Since you need
7 correct and 3 incorrect, you should do:

(.25)(.25)(.25)(.25)(.25)(.25)(.25)(.75)(.75)(.75) = 0.00002575

7
3
Or, if you want to be quicker: (.25 )(.75 )

Simply multiply the top number (120) by the bottom number
(0.00002575) and you will get .003, but you arent done! The
question asks what percent so you must multiply the
answer by 100, and you get 0.3%, choice (B)

The equation is:

r
n-r
P(nCr)(favorable outcomes )(unfavorable outcomes )

I.

II.

III.

IV.

This is a rather easy question if you think about it, but
easy to mess up it you are not careful:

To be equilateral means to have all equal length sides,
which must also mean all equal degree measurements.
For example, a triangle has 3 sides, with 3 equal angles
of 60 degrees (180 divided by 3). A square has 4 equal
angles of 90 degrees (360 divided by 4). A pentagon has
5 equal angles of 108 degrees (540 divided by 5), etc.

The next step is to setup the equation. As you can see,
for each side added to our equilateral triangle, our total
degree measurement increased by 180. So:

180 + 180 (X 3) where X = total angles of a polygon.

Feel free to test it first:

180 + 180 (4 3) = 180 + 180 = 360 Quadrilateral
180 + 180 (5 3) = 180 + 360 = 540 Pentagon
180 + 180 (6 3) = 180 + 540 = 720 Hexagon

etc. It works!

Now we can take our 50-sided polygon and figure out
how many degrees it has:

180 + 180 (50 3) = 180 + 8460 = 8640

And if it has all equal angles, divide it by 50:

8640 divided by 50 = 172.8 degrees, choice (C).


It is also important to note that the equation most-used
to find total degree measurement is simply:

180(X 2), where X is the total number of sides.

The equation we worked with at step II was made on
the spot, to show you that you can make your own
equations during the test, as long as you make it
logically accurate, and test it out to prove it works.

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18) ANSWER: (D)

I.

The first calculus question of the test. We are given the
derivative to start with, and asked to determine what the
original function must look like based on the graph:

We take a look at our derivative, and look at key parts:

19) ANSWER: (C) 9/16

I.

II.

II.

III.

The derivative of a function is based off of the slope of the
original function (rate of change). This means that when the
original function has a positive slope, the Y value of the
derivative must be positive, and when the original function
goes down (negative slope), the Y value of the derivative
must be negative.

The above graph is always positive, which means the slope of
the original function must always be increasing. From this
information, we can already conclude that the answer cannot
be (A) or (B).

Next, we look at the other key parts. We notice that between
points A and B in the above graph, the function dips as it
approaches the Y-axis, which means the slope is decreasing
(but is still positive), as shown above between point A and the
origin, then gradually increases from the origin to point B.

Since the original function must always be increasing, but
decrease as it approaches the Y-axis, then increase as it
passes, the only answer that matches up with that
information is the function located in choice (D).

III.

IV.

First of all we have to understand what is being asked.

A rational number means a number that can be written
in fractional form. It also has to be between 1/4 and 2/3.
We can take our fractions and put them in decimal form
if we wanted, then compare them with the decimal
form of the answers to see if any of the numbers can be
excluded. Unfortunately at this time, none of the
numbers can be excluded, so we move on:

The question says that the number were looking for is
three times the distance from 1/4 than it is from 2/3. We
can write that algebraically as:

(X .25) = 3(.667 X) and solve for x (Distribute)
X .25 = 2 3X Simplify
4X = 2.25 Divide
X = .5625

You can then either use your TI calculator to find the
fractional value (Hit Math, Enter, Enter) or just
find the decimal values in the answers to match it up,
and you will see that .5625 = 9/16, choice (C).

Or You Could Solve This Equation Visually:

Since the value X is 3 times the distance from 1/4 than it
is from 2/3, it would look something like:

As you can see, I drew a visual representation to show
that X is 3 times the distance from 1/4 than it is from 2/3.
This shows me that there are 4 equal sections between
2/3 and 1/4. So if I were to find the total distance
between the 2 points and divide by 4, I can find the
length of each section.

2/3 1/4 = 5/12 (Divided by 4) = 5/48

So each length is 5/48 long. This means that 2/3 minus
5/48 (or 1/4 plus 3 lengths at 5/48) would equal X.

(2/3) (5/48) = 9/16, choice (C).

Im sure there are several other ways to solve this
problem, but Ill leave that for the reader to find out. J

M ATHEMATICS: C ONTENT K NOWLEDGE T EST 1 (P RAXIS2M ATH .COM )

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20) ANSWER: (A) 32

I.

II.

III.

I.

II.

The obvious answer isnt always the obvious answer:

You need to read all questions on the Praxis exam carefully
before you begin. The fact that the average increases by 4
each time a test score is entered doesnt mean the test is 4
points higher, but that the AVERAGE is raised by 4 points. So:

The first test has a score of X, so the average score is also X.
(Total score / Number of tests).

The second test score (lets call it Y) raises the average by 4, so
now the average score is (X + 4), or:

(X + Y) / 2 = (X + 4) To find Y, first multiply both sides by 2
(X + Y) = 2X + 8 Subtract X
Y = X + 8 Our second test score!

We now know that our second test score is (X + 8). Since the
average is uniformly raised by 4, we know that each test must
be 8 points higher than the previous one. Our second test is
8 points higher than the first, so our third test is 16 points
higher, our fourth test is 24 points higher, and finally our fifth
test is 32 points higher, choice (A).

We could also continue and find the average of 3 tests:

(2X + 8 + Y) / 3 = X + 8 Multiply both sides by 3
(2X + 8 + Y) = 3X + 24 Subtract X, subtract 8
Y = X + 16 Our third test score

Since our third score also went up by 8, this further validates
our earlier reasoning.


You Also Could Solve This Equation Using Examples:

I love using number examples to solve problems! There isnt
a rule saying that we cannot make up our own test scores to
try them out. I like using easy numbers, so I started with 1. If
a kid got a score of 1 on a test, the average would be 1. To
raise that score 4 points, the next test would have to be 8, as
shown below:

Test scores: 1

Average: 1
Test scores: 1, 9

Average: 5 (4 higher than 1)
Test scores: 1, 9, 17
Average: 9 (4 higher than 5)
Test scores: 1, 9, 17, 25
Average: 13 (4 higher than 9)
Test scores: 1, 9, 17, 25, 33 Average: 17 (4 higher than 13)

As you can see, our numerical example shows us that for our
average to go up by 4 points each time, each test score must
increase by 8 points. 33 1 = 32, choice (A).

21) ANSWER: (B) 208.13 ft

I.

II.

III.

This is a geometry question, involving circles. We know
all the dimensions that are required, we just need to
calculate them correctly:

The first thing we need to do is figure out what area we
need to calculate. It should be 3 parts of a circle, and
look something like the drawing below:

Of our 3 circular areas, we have a half-circle with radius
10 ft, and two quarter-circles with a radius 4 ft and 7 ft.
The reason why we have two quarter-circles less than
10 ft in radius, is because once the dog reaches the
bottom corner of the building (for example), he will
have used 3 feet of his rope, and be left with 7 feet of
rope to roam with. He can go a distance of 7 feet to
anywhere below and to the left of point C, and a
distance of 4 feet to anywhere above and to the left of
point B.

We can now setup our equations. The equation of a
circle is AREA = r, so:

(10) = 314.16 (Divided by 2) = 157.08 ft
(7) = 153.94 (Divided by 4) = 38.48 ft
(4) = 50.27 (Divided by 4) = 12.57 ft

Add them together to get: 208.13 ft, choice (B).

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22) ANSWER: (C) 24

I.

II.

You will no doubt see one of these questions on the exam.
Its quite easy unless you dont know what a recursive
function is:

A recursive function is when you are given a function and the
first value for that function, and by using that value, you can
find other values.

Our problem says f (1) = 3, so we know that our first
value = 3, so thats what we use to find our next value:

f (n) = [f (n-1)] + [f (n-1)] for n 2

This means that for every answer in the function, you take
the previous value and add it to itself. n 2 simply means
that you start with the second value, and continue forward,
so:

f (1) = 3
f (n) = [f (n-1)] + [f (n-1)] Sub in values now
f (2) = 3 + 3 = 6 f (2) = 6
f (3) = 6 + 6 = 12 f (3) = 12
f (4) = 12 + 12 = 24 f (4) = 24

So our answer is 24, choice (C).

23) ANSWER: (D) 36/125

I.

II.

Even though there are 4 possible outcomes, you actually
have to account for 5 different results, since the spinner
will stop on D twice as much as any other letter. If you
were to spin the spinner 5 times, theoretically you will
get the following results:

A 1/5
B 1/5
C 1/5
D 2/5

And since the above added together equals 1, we are
now ready to mathematically solve the problem.

We want to know the probability of spinning exactly 2
Ds. This means we would have to spin a D twice, and a
non-D once, like the following:

(2/5)(2/5)(3/5) = 12/125

The above is when you spin a D on the first spin, a D on
the second spin, and a non-D on the third spin (a
probability of 3 out of 5). We must also account for a
non-D on the first and second spins, such as the
following:

(2/5)(3/5)(2/5) = 12/125
(3/5)(2/5)(2/5) = 12/125

Add that together, you get 36/125, choice (D).

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24) ANSWER: (D) Quadrant IV

I.

25) ANSWER: (A)

First thing first, we need to visualize whats going on:

I.

II.

II.

III.

IV.

Next, we need to talk about when Tan and Cos are positive
and negative. (If you need, use SOHCAHTOA, where Sin x
= Opposite/Hypotenuse, Cos x = Adjacent/Hypotenuse, and
Tan x = Opposite/Adjacent). In the above graph, we see that
Tan is negative in the second and forth quadrant [where
Tan = (-x/y) and Tan = (-y/x)]. So from this information,
we know that the answer cannot be (A) or (C).

Next, we look at Cos and where its negative. To find Cos ,
we do Adjacent/Hypotenuse, and since the Hypotenuse is
always positive, we can conclude that Cos is always positive
in the first and forth quadrants (because the adjacent side is
the X-axis).

Now we can combine our information. Tan is negative in
the second and forth quadrants, while Cos is positive in the
first and forth quadrants. Since we want the quadrant when
Tan is negative and Cos is positive, we must choose
Quadrant IV, answer (D).

III.

There is going to be at least one matrix problem on the
Praxis II test, so be sure you know how to multiply them
correctly without a calculator!

In order to multiply 2x2 matrices, you take the first row
and multiply it by the first column to get the first
number, then the first row by the second column to get
the second number. Then the bottom row by the first
column to get the bottom left number, and finally the
bottom row times the second column to get the bottom
right number.

Now that we know how to multiply matrices, lets look
at our given:

When you multiply [A][B], you are going to get a 2x2
matrix as your final answer. The top left number in the
matrix will be found when you multiply the top row in
[A] (x, -3) times the first column in [B] (-1, the bottom 2)

(x -1) + (-3 2) = -x 6 Our top left answer.

When you compare this to the answers, you can
eliminate (D) as a possible choice. We continue:

The first row [A](x, -3) times the second column [B](2, 4)

(x 2) + (-3 4) = 2x 12 Our top right answer.

We can compare this to our given answers, and we find
it only to match one of our remaining choices, choice
(A).

M ATHEMATICS: C ONTENT K NOWLEDGE T EST 1 (P RAXIS2M ATH .COM )

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BONUS) ANSWER: (C) 2 out of 3
Did you like my practice test? Have ideas for

improvement? Give me your testimonial and if its
This question is a little up there, but we get better by learning
positive, I will put it up on the website in hours!
the tough ones, not by practicing easy ones:
Simply email me at: p2mmike@gmail.com


I.
The first step is to understand what is being asked. There are
Once you are done with this test, and you have gone
3 total choices to start with, the contestant picks one, and a
wrong choice is revealed, leaving the contestant with 2
over it, all the while figuring out what you errors you
remaining choices, and is asked to choose between the two
made, you are ready to continue onto practice test
remaining choices, and always switches.
number two! It will be similar to this test, but with

different questions. Good luck!
II.
The next step is to setup a visual diagram:

III.

IV.

V.

After the diagram is complete, we can now begin with our
experiment by observing all possible outcomes

If a contestant were to select door number one above, then
door number two was shown, he would switch to door
number three and win the car. WIN!

If he were to select door number two at the start, door
number one would be revealed, and he would then switch to
door number three, and win the car again. WIN!

If he were to pick door number three, either door number
one or two would be revealed, and then the contestant
would switch from door number three and lose. LOSE!

Since weve gone over all possible outcomes, we now know
that if the contestant were always to switch, he would win 2
out of 3 times, choice (C).

It should be noted that this problem is actually a very famous
problem called the Monty Hall Problem, named after the
game-show host of Lets Make A Deal. Feel free to research
it for yourself if you are interested!