Twenty questions, and every one of them was built from a trap that actually caught us in the last practice paper — the wrong operation, mixed-up perimeter and area, units left unmatched, a fiddly date, a pointer nobody read closely enough. Catch the trap and the mark follows.
Read this part first.
None of these twenty questions is hard arithmetic once you have picked the right operation \u2014
that is the whole point. Before you calculate anything, ask what is this question actually
asking me to do? Stuck? Open a hint \u2014 the point first, then the first move, then the whole
method. The answer only comes once you have chosen.
0 of 20 answered0 right⏱ 0:00 · pace 20:00
1
A bag of flour weighs 48 kg. How many 3 kg tins can be filled from this bag?
Choose the operation
Stuck?
💡The bag is being split into equal tins. Splitting into equal parts is division.
1Ask: how many 3s fit inside 48?
2When a big amount is cut into equal small amounts, divide the big number by the small one.
Your own answer was right before you even saw the choices!
A. 48 kg split into 3 kg tins → 48 ÷ 3 = 16 tins. If you multiplied, you made the flour grow instead of splitting it.Choose the operation
2
A rectangle on 1 cm grid paper is 5 squares long and 2 squares wide. What is its perimeter?
Perimeter vs area
Stuck?
💡Perimeter is the walk around the outside — not the squares inside.
1Walk the edge: long side, short side, long side, short side.
2Add the four sides: 5 + 2 + 5 + 2.
Your own answer was right before you even saw the choices!
C. The walk around is 5 + 2 + 5 + 2 = 14 cm. Counting the 10 squares inside gives the area, a different thing.Perimeter vs area
3
It takes 4 cups of water to fill a jug. The jug is already half full. Ana pours in one more cup. How full is the jug now?
Same units first
Stuck?
💡A cup and a jug are different sizes — turn everything into cups first.
1The whole jug is 4 cups, so half full means 2 cups are already in.
2Change 'half a jug' into cups, add the new cup, then compare with 4 cups.
Your own answer was right before you even saw the choices!
C. Half full = 2 cups. Add 1 cup → 3 cups out of 4 → three-quarters full. 'Half plus one' is not 'full' unless the cup IS half a jug.Same units first
4
A ferry leaves at 9:20 am and arrives at 2:45 pm the same day. How long is the trip?
Time & calendar
Stuck?
💡Cross noon in two jumps — don't subtract pm from am in one go.
1First jump: 9:20 am to 12:00 noon.
29:20 → 12:00 is 2 h 40 min. Then 12:00 → 2:45 pm is 2 h 45 min. Add the two jumps.
Your own answer was right before you even saw the choices!
D. 2 h 40 min + 2 h 45 min = 5 h 25 min. Treating 2:45 pm as '2:45 on a 12-hour clock' and subtracting gives nonsense — jump over noon instead.Time & calendar
5
A table shows sandwiches ordered by two classes. Meat: Room 1 has 8, Room 2 has 12. Salad: Room 1 has 15, Room 2 has 9. Totals row: Room 1 has 23, Room 2 has 21. How many more salad sandwiches than meat sandwiches were ordered altogether?
Read the pointer
Stuck?
💡The question compares salad with meat — not Room 1 with Room 2. Pick the right rows before doing any maths.
1Add up ALL the salad first: 15 + 9.
2Total salad = 15 + 9. Total meat = 8 + 12. Subtract the totals.
Your own answer was right before you even saw the choices!
D. Salad: 15 + 9 = 24. Meat: 8 + 12 = 20. Difference: 24 − 20 = 4. The totals row (23 and 21) compares ROOMS — the wrong direction for this question.Read the pointer
6
A rope is 72 metres long. It is cut into pieces that are each 4 metres long. How many pieces are there?
Choose the operation
Stuck?
💡The rope is being cut into equal pieces — that is division, not times.
1Ask: how many 4s fit inside 72?
2When one long thing is cut into equal short pieces, divide the long length by the short length.
Your own answer was right before you even saw the choices!
B. 72 ÷ 4 = 18 pieces. Multiplying 72 × 4 would make a rope four times longer — the opposite of cutting.Choose the operation
7
Two shapes are drawn on 1 cm grid paper. Shape P is a 6-by-1 rectangle. Shape Q is a 3-by-2 rectangle. Which statement is true?
Perimeter vs area
Stuck?
💡Same number of squares inside does not mean the same walk around the outside.
1Count squares inside each shape first, then walk around each edge.
2Area: 6×1 and 3×2. Perimeter: add all four sides of each.
Your own answer was right before you even saw the choices!
B. Both areas are 6 squares. Perimeters: P is 6+1+6+1 = 14 cm, Q is 3+2+3+2 = 10 cm. Long thin shapes have more edge for the same inside.Perimeter vs area
8
A water bottle holds 2 glasses of juice. A jug holds 6 glasses. The jug is empty. Tom pours 2 full bottles into the jug. How full is the jug?
Same units first
Stuck?
💡Bottles and jugs are different sizes — turn everything into glasses first.
1Each bottle is 2 glasses, so 2 bottles is 4 glasses.
2Change bottles into glasses, then compare with the 6 glasses the jug holds.
Your own answer was right before you even saw the choices!
C. 2 bottles = 4 glasses. The jug holds 6 glasses, so it is 4 out of 6 = two-thirds full.Same units first
9
A market opens at 8:45 am and closes at 3:15 pm. How long is it open?
Time & calendar
Stuck?
💡Cross noon in two jumps: morning jump, then afternoon jump.
18:45 am to 12:00 noon first.
28:45 → 12:00 is 3 h 15 min. 12:00 → 3:15 pm is 3 h 15 min. Add them.
Your own answer was right before you even saw the choices!
B. 3 h 15 min + 3 h 15 min = 6 h 30 min. The two-jump method never gets confused by am and pm.Time & calendar
10
A picture graph uses 1 symbol = 4 books. Week 1 shows 3 symbols, week 2 shows 5 symbols. The class goal was 30 books over both weeks. Which statement is true?
Read the pointer
Stuck?
💡Read the key first — every symbol is worth 4 books, not 1.
1Count symbols: 3 + 5 = 8 symbols in total.
28 symbols × 4 books each = total books. Then compare with 30.
Your own answer was right before you even saw the choices!
B. 8 symbols × 4 = 32 books. The goal was 30, so they beat it by 2.Read the pointer
11
Mia thought of a number. She halved it, then added 5, and got 14. What number did she start with?
Choose the operation
Stuck?
💡To find the start, walk the path backwards — and undo each step.
1The last step was '+5', so first take 5 off 14.
2Undo the steps in reverse order: undo '+5' with '−5', then undo 'halve' with 'double'.
Your own answer was right before you even saw the choices!
A. Backwards: 14 − 5 = 9, then double it: 9 × 2 = 18. Check forwards: half of 18 is 9, plus 5 is 14. ✓Choose the operation
12
Sue has a rectangular biscuit. She bites one small square notch out of the middle of one edge. Compared with before, the distance around the biscuit is now
Perimeter vs area
Stuck?
💡A bite takes away biscuit, but the edge now has to travel in and out of the hole.
1Trace the edge with your finger: at the notch it goes in, across, and back out.
2The straight bit that disappeared is replaced by three sides of the notch — more edge than before.
Your own answer was right before you even saw the choices!
B. The edge loses one straight piece but gains three sides going in, across and out — so the perimeter gets longer, even though the biscuit got smaller.Perimeter vs area
13
A recipe needs half a cup of milk. 1 cup = 10 tablespoons, and 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons. How many teaspoons of milk is that?
Same units first
Stuck?
💡Do the conversion one step at a time — cups to tablespoons, then tablespoons to teaspoons.
1Half a cup = half of 10 tablespoons.
2Half of 10 = 5 tablespoons. Then each tablespoon is 3 teaspoons.
Your own answer was right before you even saw the choices!
A. Half a cup = 5 tablespoons. 5 × 3 = 15 teaspoons. Stopping after the first step (5) or skipping the 'half' (30) are the two classic slips.Same units first
14
In one June, the Saturdays fall on 6, 13, 20 and 27 June. Sports day is on the last Saturday of June. The picnic is 5 days after sports day. When is the picnic?
Time & calendar
Stuck?
💡'5 days after' means the day itself does not count — start counting from the NEXT day.
1Sports day is Saturday 27 June. Day 1 after it is Sunday 28.
2Count 5 days one by one: Sun 28, Mon 29, Tue 30, Wed 1 July, Thu 2 July. June has 30 days.
Your own answer was right before you even saw the choices!
D. From Saturday 27: Sun 28, Mon 29, Tue 30, Wed 1 July, Thu 2 July — the picnic is Thursday 2 July.Time & calendar
15
On a treasure map, the compass is drawn tilted: the arrow marked N points to the RIGHT edge of the page. The pirate walks towards the TOP of the page. In which compass direction is the pirate walking?
Read the pointer
Stuck?
💡This map's north is NOT up. Use the compass that is drawn, not the one in your head.
1Point your right hand to the right edge — that is north on THIS map.
2If N is right, then E is down, S is left, W is up. Now find 'towards the top'.
Your own answer was right before you even saw the choices!
C. Turn the compass with the map: N→right, so going up the page is West. The habit 'up = north' is exactly what this question tests.Read the pointer
16
A shop swaps 2 old toys for 1 new toy. Ben swapped all his old toys, then his aunt gave him 3 more new toys. Now he has 8 new toys. How many old toys did he have?
Choose the operation
Stuck?
💡Start from the end (8 new toys) and undo each step backwards.
1The aunt's 3 toys came last — take them off first: 8 − 3.
2Undo the gift ('−3'), then undo the swap: every new toy from the shop cost 2 old toys, so multiply by 2.
Your own answer was right before you even saw the choices!
D. 8 − 3 = 5 new toys came from swapping. Each one cost 2 old toys → 5 × 2 = 10 old toys.Choose the operation
17
A square cake has a side of 10 cm, so the distance around it is 40 cm. One 1 cm square notch is cut into the middle of one side. What is the distance around the cake now?
Perimeter vs area
Stuck?
💡Work out exactly what the edge loses and what it gains at the notch.
1At the notch the edge loses a 1 cm straight bit, but gains 1 cm in, 1 cm across, 1 cm out.
2New perimeter = 40 − 1 + 3.
Your own answer was right before you even saw the choices!
D. The edge loses 1 cm of straight side but gains 3 cm walking into and out of the notch: 40 − 1 + 3 = 42 cm.Perimeter vs area
18
A ribbon is sold in 2-metre rolls. Ella needs 5 pieces of ribbon, each 60 cm long. How many rolls must she buy? (1 m = 100 cm)
Same units first
Stuck?
💡Get everything into centimetres before comparing.
15 pieces × 60 cm = 300 cm needed. One roll = 200 cm.
2Work out total cm needed, total cm per roll, then ask how many rolls cover it.
Your own answer was right before you even saw the choices!
A. She needs 300 cm. One roll is 200 cm — not enough. Two rolls give 400 cm — enough. You can't buy 1.5 rolls, so round UP to 2.Same units first
19
A library book is borrowed on Friday 28 August and must come back 6 days later. August has 31 days. On what day and date is it due?
Time & calendar
Stuck?
💡Count 'later' days starting from the next day — and remember when the month runs out.
1Day 1 after Friday 28 is Saturday 29.
2Count 6 days: Sat 29, Sun 30, Mon 31, Tue 1 Sep, Wed 2, Thu 3.
Your own answer was right before you even saw the choices!
A. Sat 29, Sun 30, Mon 31, then September begins: Tue 1, Wed 2, Thu 3. Due Thursday 3 September.Time & calendar
20
Four children measured the same pencil. The question in the test asks: 'According to LILY, how long is the pencil?' Lily said 12 cm, Marco said 13 cm, the teacher said 12.5 cm, and the ruler on the desk shows 12.5 cm. What is the correct answer?
Read the pointer
Stuck?
💡'According to Lily' means: report what LILY said — even if someone else is more accurate.
1Underline whose answer the question is asking for.
2Find Lily's number and use it, ignoring everyone else's.
Your own answer was right before you even saw the choices!
C. The question asks for Lily's answer: 12 cm. The teacher may be more accurate, but that is a different question. 'According to X' questions test whether you follow the pointer, not whether you find the truth.Read the pointer
Do the whole set first — the trap tally only means something once every question has a go.
Show the answers
Talk it through
Stuck on a question, or want to know why a trap keeps catching you? Say the question
number out loud — your helper knows all twenty questions and every hint, and will not
just tell you the answer.
Say a question number. Or try: “teach me question 7” — the helper will pretend to be wrong, and you must convince them! Uses the microphone. Nothing is recorded.