Free worked solutions for O-Level / IP Mathematics (E-Math & A-Math), full step-by-step working · Browse the library →
O-Level E-Math · 2016 · P1 Q15 Angles & circle property · Angles on a straight line 5 marks: 4 + 1 · geometry & measurement (angles, parallel lines, circle property) difficulty 4 of 5

O-Level E-Math 2016 Paper 1, Question 15: Angles on a straight line

The answer

(a) reflex angle \(ABC = 237^{\circ}\)
(b) angle \(ACD = 97^{\circ} \neq 90^{\circ}\), so \(C\) is not on the semicircle

O-Level E-Math 2016 Paper 1 Question 15 · Verified worked solution by the Genius Plus Academy teaching team

What this question tests

This is Question 15 of the O-Level E-Math 2016 Paper 1. It tests angles on a straight line, in the Angles & circle property area. It is worth 5 marks: 4 + 1. It is a worded / diagram-based question, so open your Ten-Year Series (TYS) or the official paper at this question, then follow our full worked solution below.

Step-by-step solution

(a) Step 1: \(AEC\) is a straight line, so angles \(DEC\) and \(DEA\) are angles on a straight line: angle \(DEA = 180^{\circ} - 45^{\circ} = 135^{\circ}\) (angles on a straight line). Step 2: In triangle \(AED\), the angles sum to \(180^{\circ}\): angle \(EAD = 180^{\circ} - 135^{\circ} - 22^{\circ} = 23^{\circ}\) (angle sum of a triangle), using angle \(ADE = 22^{\circ}\). Step 3: \(BC \parallel AD\) with transversal \(AC\), so angle \(ACB = \) angle \(CAD = 23^{\circ}\) (alternate angles); here angle \(CAD = \) angle \(EAD = 23^{\circ}\) because \(E\) lies on \(AC\). Step 4: In triangle \(ABC\), angle \(ABC = 180^{\circ} - \) angle \(BAC - \) angle \(ACB = 180^{\circ} - 34^{\circ} - 23^{\circ} = 123^{\circ}\) (angle sum of a triangle). Step 5: reflex angle \(ABC = 360^{\circ} - 123^{\circ} = 237^{\circ}\) (angles at a point).

(b) Angle \(ACD\) is the angle that \(AD\) subtends at \(C\). In triangle \(CED\), angle \(DCE = 180^{\circ} - 45^{\circ} - 38^{\circ} = 97^{\circ}\) (angle sum), and since \(E\) lies on \(AC\), angle \(ACD = 97^{\circ}\). An angle in a semicircle is exactly \(90^{\circ}\), but \(AD\) subtends \(97^{\circ}\) at \(C\), not \(90^{\circ}\), so \(C\) cannot lie on the semicircle with diameter \(AD\) (in fact \(97^{\circ} > 90^{\circ}\) means \(C\) lies inside it).

Answer: (a) reflex angle \(ABC = 237^{\circ}\)
(b) angle \(ACD = 97^{\circ} \neq 90^{\circ}\), so \(C\) is not on the semicircle

Same structure, different numbers

A question is hard because of its structure, not its surface.

Swap the constants, dress a quadratic as a length, hide a derivative inside an integral, and a student sees a brand new problem. The structure underneath is the same, and so is the method. Once a student can name the structure, a whole row of questions that look different start to open the same way.

That is where marks really leak: in choosing the method, not in the algebra that follows. We call it Lock and Key, name the lock, then the key follows.

Want more questions like this, with worked solutions?

Join our mailing list and we will send practice sets and worked solutions. One email, no spam.

More angles on a straight line questions, worked the same way

Same skill, different papers. Each has a verified worked solution.

2018 · P1 Q4

Angles on a straight line, worked the same way.

All O-Level E-Math 2016 worked solutions →

Genius Plus Academy · O-Level & IP Mathematics

Learn to solve these in class.

Our O-Level E-Math tuition trains the same recognise-the-structure method these worked solutions show, taught by a team that has marked these papers for years. It runs within our weekly Secondary Math programme, Sec 1 to 4 and IP.

Questions students ask

What does O-Level E-Math 2016 Paper 1 Question 15 test?

It is a angles on a straight line question from Angles & circle property, worth 5 marks: 4 + 1.

Is this the same as IP Math?

Yes. IP (Integrated Programme) schools teach the same O-Level Mathematics content; they just sequence it differently and set their own internal exams, so these worked solutions apply to IP students too.

Are these worked solutions free?

Yes. Every worked solution here is free to read, with no sign-up wall.

Where can I find more O-Level worked solutions?

Browse E-Math and A-Math by year in our worked-solutions library at /resources/solutions/o-level/.

See your child solve these with confidence.

Book a free trial and diagnostic. We will look at a real paper and show you exactly where the marks are going.

Book a Free Trial