SSAT Middle Level Math : Geometry

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SSAT Middle Level Math

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Example Questions

Example Question #32 : How To Find The Area Of A Rectangle

What is the value of \(\displaystyle w\) if the angles of a quadrilateral are equal to \(\displaystyle 50\) degrees, \(\displaystyle 110\) degrees, \(\displaystyle 80\) degrees, and \(\displaystyle 2w\)

Possible Answers:

\(\displaystyle 74\)

\(\displaystyle 62\)

\(\displaystyle 65\)

\(\displaystyle 60\)

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle 60\)

Explanation:

Given that there are 360 degrees in a quadrilateral, 

\(\displaystyle 50 + 110 +80 + 2w=360\)

\(\displaystyle 240+2w=360\)

\(\displaystyle 2w=120\)

\(\displaystyle w=60\)

Example Question #52 : Rectangles

If the length of a rectangle is 7.5 feet and the width is 2 feet, what is the value of \(\displaystyle x\) if the area is \(\displaystyle 5x\)?

Possible Answers:

\(\displaystyle 3\)

\(\displaystyle 15\)

\(\displaystyle 2\)

\(\displaystyle 5\)

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle 3\)

Explanation:

The area of a rectangle is calculated by multiplying the length by the width. Here, the length is 7.5 and the width is 2, so the area will be 15. 

Given that the area is also equal to \(\displaystyle 5x\), the value of \(\displaystyle x\) will be 3, given that 3 times 5 is 15. 

Example Question #51 : Rectangles

If a cereal box has a volume of 40 cubic inches, a width of 2 inches, and a height of 5 inches, what is its length? 

Possible Answers:

\(\displaystyle 4\textup{ in}\)

\(\displaystyle 3\textup{ in}\)

\(\displaystyle 3\textup{ in}^{2}\)

\(\displaystyle 6\textup{ in}\)

\(\displaystyle 4\textup{ in}^{2}\)

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle 4\textup{ in}\)

Explanation:

The formula for the volume of a rectangular solid is \(\displaystyle Volume (V)=Length*Width*Height\).

Use the provided information from the question in the above formula and solve for the length.

  • \(\displaystyle 40 in^3 = Length*2 in*5in\)
  • \(\displaystyle 40in^{3}=Length*10in^{2}\)
  • \(\displaystyle 4in=Length\)

Therefore, the length of the box is 4 inches. In answering this question, it is important to look at the units before selecting an answer. It is easy to be tricked into thinking that because the total answer is in cubic inches that it may be necessary to have square inches, but when multiplying three values, each with inches as their units, the units of the product will be cubic inches. 

Example Question #51 : Rectangles

Swimming_pool

One cubic meter is equal to one thousand liters.

The above depicts a rectangular swimming pool for an apartment. The pool is \(\displaystyle 2.5\) meters deep everywhere. How many liters of water does the pool hold?

Possible Answers:

\(\displaystyle 9,000,000\textrm{ L}\)

\(\displaystyle 195,000\textrm{ L}\)

\(\displaystyle 90,000\textrm{ L}\)

\(\displaystyle 900,000\textrm{ L}\)

\(\displaystyle 1,950,000\textrm{ L}\)

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle 900,000\textrm{ L}\)

Explanation:

The pool can be seen as a rectangular prism with dimensions \(\displaystyle 24\) meters by \(\displaystyle 14\) meters by \(\displaystyle 2.5\) meters; its volume in cubic meters is the product of these dimensions, which is 

\(\displaystyle 24 \times 15 \times 2.5 = 900\) cubic meter.

One cubic meter is equal to one thousand liters, so multiply:

\(\displaystyle 900 \times 1,000 = 900,000\) liters of water.

Example Question #161 : Geometry

Which of the following is equal to the area of a rectangle with length \(\displaystyle 4.3\) meters and width \(\displaystyle 3.5\) meters?

Possible Answers:

\(\displaystyle 15,500 \textrm{ cm}^{2}\)

\(\displaystyle 155,000 \textrm{ cm}^{2}\)

\(\displaystyle 15,050 \textrm{ cm}^{2}\)

\(\displaystyle 150,500 \textrm{ cm}^{2}\)

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle 150,500 \textrm{ cm}^{2}\)

Explanation:

Multiply each dimension by \(\displaystyle 100\) to convert meters to centimeters:

\(\displaystyle 4.3 \times 100 = 430\)

\(\displaystyle 3.5 \times 100 = 350\)

Multiply these dimensions to get the area of the rectangle in square centimeters:

\(\displaystyle 430 \times 350 = 150,500\textrm{ cm}^{2}\)

Example Question #52 : Rectangles

Swimming_pool

The above depicts a rectangular swimming pool for an apartment. The pool is five feet deep everywhere.

An apartment manager wants to paint the four sides and the bottom of the swimming pool. One one-gallon can of the paint he wants to use covers \(\displaystyle 350\) square feet. How many cans of the paint will the manager need to buy?

Possible Answers:

\(\displaystyle 8\)

\(\displaystyle 25\)

\(\displaystyle 5\)

\(\displaystyle 3\)

\(\displaystyle 13\)

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle 8\)

Explanation:

The bottom of the swimming pool has area 

\(\displaystyle 50 \times 35 = 1,750\) square feet.

There are two sides whose area is 

\(\displaystyle 50 \times 5 = 250\) square feet,

and two sides whose area is 

\(\displaystyle 35 \times 5 = 175\) square feet.

Add the areas:

\(\displaystyle 1,750 + 250+ 250+ 175+175= 2,600\) square feet.

One one-gallon can of paint covers 350 square feet, so divide:

\(\displaystyle 2,600 \div 350 \approx 7.4\)

Seven full gallons and part of another are required, so eight is the correct answer.

Example Question #31 : How To Find The Area Of A Rectangle

You are putting in a new carpet in your living room.  The dimensions of the the room are \(\displaystyle 12ft \times16ft\).  What is the square footage of carpet needed for the room?

Possible Answers:

\(\displaystyle 200ft^{2}\)

\(\displaystyle 150ft^{2}\)

\(\displaystyle 192ft^{2}\)

\(\displaystyle 28ft^{2}\)

\(\displaystyle 40ft^{2}\)

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle 192ft^{2}\)

Explanation:

To find the area of a rectangle, you must multiply the two different side lengths.  For this room the answer would be \(\displaystyle 192ft^{2}\) because \(\displaystyle 12*16=192\).

Example Question #41 : How To Find The Area Of A Rectangle

Rectangles 1

Refer to the above figures. The square at left has area 160. Give the area of the rectangle at right.

Possible Answers:

\(\displaystyle 200\)

\(\displaystyle 240\)

\(\displaystyle 320\)

\(\displaystyle 160\)

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle 160\)

Explanation:

The area of the square, whose sides have length \(\displaystyle x\), is the square of this sidelength, which is \(\displaystyle x^{2}\). The area of the rectangle is the product of the lengths of its sides; this is \(\displaystyle 2x \cdot \frac{1}{2} x = 2 \cdot \frac{1}{2} \cdot x \cdot x = x^{2}\)

The square and the rectangle have the same area, so the correct response is 160.

Example Question #41 : How To Find The Area Of A Rectangle

Figures 2

Figure NOT drawn to scale.

Figure 1 and Figure 2 have the same area. The shaded portion of Figure 1 has area 64. What is the area of the shaded portion of Figure 2?

Possible Answers:

\(\displaystyle 56\)

\(\displaystyle 64\)

\(\displaystyle 80\)

\(\displaystyle 72\)

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle 64\)

Explanation:

Figure 1 is a rectangle divided into 24 squares of equal size; 3 of the squares are shaded, which means that \(\displaystyle \frac{3}{24} = \frac{3 \div 3}{24\div 3 } = \frac{1}{8}\) of Figure 1 is shaded.

Figure 2 is a circle  divided into 8 sectors of equal size; 1 is shaded, which means that \(\displaystyle \frac{1}{8}\) of Figure 2 is shaded.

Since the two figures are of the same area, the two shaded portions, each of which have an area that is the same fraction of this common area, must themselves have the same area. Since the shaded portion of Figure 1 has area 64, so does the shaded portion of Figure 2.

Example Question #161 : Geometry

Parallelogram

Note: Figure NOT drawn to scale

In the above diagram, \(\displaystyle a = 14\; \textrm{in} ,b=16\; \textrm{in},h=10\; \textrm{in}\)

Give the area of the parallelogram.

Possible Answers:

\(\displaystyle 120\; \textrm{in}^{2}\)

\(\displaystyle 160\; \textrm{in}^{2}\)

\(\displaystyle 80\; \textrm{in}^{2}\)

\(\displaystyle 140\; \textrm{in}^{2}\)

\(\displaystyle 224\; \textrm{in}^{2}\)

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle 160\; \textrm{in}^{2}\)

Explanation:

The area of a parallelogram is its base multiplied by its height - represented by \(\displaystyle b\) and \(\displaystyle h\) here:

\(\displaystyle A = bh = 16 \cdot 10 = 160\)

Note that the value of \(\displaystyle a\) is irrelevant.

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