Multiple-choice problems – practice for Years 5–9

Sample questions on Multiple-choice problems with the right answer and a worked solution, from easy to hard. In the Pickles Academy app a child gets new questions of the same kind every time, so they can't just learn the answers by heart.

Subject

Maths

Year

Years 5–9

Curriculum area

Problem solving and non-routine tasks

Question types: Pick the answer (year 5) · Pick the answer (year 7) · Pick the answer (year 9)

Sample questions

1. Question 1 Easy

   A big cube with 3 cm edges is glued together from cubes with 1 cm edges, and its whole surface is painted. How many small cubes have exactly three painted faces?

   1. A) 4
   2. B) 6
   3. C) 7
   4. D) 8
   5. E) 10
   Show the solution

   Answer: D) 8

   How it works: Only the corner cubes have three painted faces, and a cube has 8 corners.

2. Question 2 Normal

   A big cube with 4 cm edges is glued together from cubes with 1 cm edges, and its whole surface is painted. How many small cubes have exactly one painted face?

   1. A) 12
   2. B) 22
   3. C) 23
   4. D) 24
   5. E) 26
   Show the solution

   Answer: D) 24

   How it works: Cubes in the middle of a face have one painted face: 6 faces with 2 × 2 each, so 6 × 4 = 24.

3. Question 3 Hard

   We have 6 kg of a solution that is 30% salt. How many kilograms of water must we add so that the solution is 20% salt?

   1. A) 2 kg
   2. B) 3 kg
   3. C) 4 kg
   4. D) 5 kg
   5. E) 6 kg
   Show the solution

   Answer: B) 3 kg

   How it works: Salt: 0.3 × 6 = 1.8 kg; it makes up 20% of the new solution: 1.8 ÷ 0.2 = 9 kg; add 9 − 6 = 3 kg of water

All Maths topics