Systems of Equations

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SAT Math › Systems of Equations

Questions 1 - 10
1

Solve the system: $\begin{cases}2x+y=9\\ -3x+2y=-3\end{cases}$. Which ordered pair $(x,y)$ is the solution?

(3, 3)

(1, 7)

(4, 1)

(2, 5)

Explanation

Multiply the first equation by 3 and the second by 2: $6x+3y=27$ and $-6x+4y=-6$; adding gives $7y=21\Rightarrow y=3$, then $x=3$. The other options result from arithmetic or sign errors when combining equations.

2

Solve the system: $\begin{cases}x+y=11\\ 2x-y=7\end{cases}$. Which ordered pair $(x,y)$ is the solution?

(4, 7)

(5, 6)

(7, 4)

(6, 5)

Explanation

Add the equations to eliminate $y$: $(x+y)+(2x-y)=11+7\Rightarrow 3x=18\Rightarrow x=6$, then $y=11-6=5$. The distractors come from swapping $x$ and $y$ or miscomputing during elimination.

3

Solve the system: $\begin{cases}0.5x+y=7\\ x-y=5\end{cases}$. Which ordered pair $(x,y)$ is the solution?

(8, 3)

(7, 2)

(8, -3)

(3, 8)

Explanation

Multiply the first equation by 2 to get $x+2y=14$, then subtract $(x-y=5)$ to obtain $3y=9\Rightarrow y=3$ and $x=8$. Other choices reflect swapping coordinates, sign errors, or coefficient arithmetic slips.

4

Solve the system: $\begin{cases}3x-2y=1\\ x+y=7\end{cases}$. Which ordered pair $(x,y)$ is the solution?

(5, 2)

(2, 5)

(3, 4)

(4, 3)

Explanation

Use $x=7-y$ in $3x-2y=1$: $3(7-y)-2y=1\Rightarrow 21-3y-2y=1\Rightarrow 5y=20\Rightarrow y=4$ and then $x=3$. Distractors come from swapping $x$ and $y$ or arithmetic mistakes when combining terms.

5

Solve the system: $\begin{cases}2x+3y=17\\ x-y=1\end{cases}$. Which ordered pair $(x,y)$ is the solution?

(4, -3)

(3, 4)

(5, 2)

(4, 3)

Explanation

From $x-y=1$, substitute $x=y+1$ into $2x+3y=17$ to get $2(y+1)+3y=17\Rightarrow 5y=15\Rightarrow y=3$, then $x=4$. The other choices reflect swapped coordinates, sign errors, or arithmetic slips.

6

Which ordered pair ($x$, $y$) satisfies the system $2(x + y) = 14$ and $3x - y = 5$?

(2, 5)

(3, 4)

(4, 3)

(3, -4)

Explanation

From $2(x + y) = 14$, simplify to $x + y = 7$; adding with $3x - y = 5$ gives $4x = 12$, so $x = 3$ and $y = 4$. Other choices either swap the values or satisfy only one of the equations.

7

Which ordered pair ($x$, $y$) satisfies the system $0.5x + 0.25y = 1.75$ and $1.5x - 0.5y = 1.5$?

(4, 7)

(2, -3)

(2, 3)

(3, 2)

Explanation

Clear decimals: $0.5x + 0.25y = 1.75 \Rightarrow 2x + y = 7$ and $1.5x - 0.5y = 1.5 \Rightarrow 3x - y = 3$; adding gives $5x = 10$, so $x = 2$ and $y = 3$. The distractors stem from swapping coordinates or sign/scaling errors.

8

Which ordered pair ($x$, $y$) satisfies the system $x + y = 8$ and $2x + y = 11$?

(3, -5)

(3, 5)

(5, 3)

(8, 3)

Explanation

Subtract the first equation from the second to get $x = 3$, then $y = 8 - 3 = 5$. The distractors come from swapping coordinates, sign errors, or ignoring one equation.

9

Which ordered pair ($x$, $y$) satisfies the system $3x - 2y = 4$ and $x + y = 8$?

(6, 2)

(2, 6)

(4, 4)

(4, -4)

Explanation

From $x + y = 8$, substitute $y = 8 - x$ into $3x - 2y = 4$ to get $3x - 2(8 - x) = 4$, which simplifies to $5x = 20$ and $x = 4$, $y = 4$. Other choices either only satisfy one equation or use a sign mistake.

10

Which ordered pair ($x$, $y$) satisfies the system $x + y = 9$ and $x - y = 3$?

(3, 6)

(6, -3)

(12, 9)

(6, 3)

Explanation

Add the equations to get $2x = 12$, so $x = 6$, and then $y = 9 - 6 = 3$. The other choices reflect swapping $x$ and $y$ or sign/arithmetic slips.

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