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O-Level E-Math · 2021 · P2 Q6 Circle properties / Mensuration · Angle in a semicircle 9 marks: 3 + 3 + 3 · geometry & measurement (circle properties, sector) difficulty 5 of 5

O-Level E-Math 2021 Paper 2, Question 6: Angle in a semicircle

The answer

(a) \(77^{\circ}\)
(b) \(68^{\circ}\)
(c) \(57.6\) cm²

O-Level E-Math 2021 Paper 2 Question 6 · Verified worked solution by the Genius Plus Academy teaching team

What this question tests

This is Question 6 of the O-Level E-Math 2021 Paper 2. It tests angle in a semicircle, in the Circle properties / Mensuration area. It is worth 9 marks: 3 + 3 + 3. 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) \(\angle AED = 90^{\circ}\) (angle in a semicircle, \(AD\) is a diameter). In \(\triangle AED\): \(\angle ADE = 180^{\circ} - 90^{\circ} - 35^{\circ} = 55^{\circ}\) (angle sum of a triangle). Since \(BE \parallel CD\), \(\angle BED + \angle EDC = 180^{\circ}\) (co-interior angles), and \(\angle EDC = \angle ADE + \angle ADC = 55^{\circ} + 48^{\circ} = 103^{\circ}\), so \(\angle BED = 180^{\circ} - 103^{\circ} = 77^{\circ}\).

(b) \(BCDE\) is a cyclic quadrilateral, so \(\angle BCD = 180^{\circ} - \angle BED = 180^{\circ} - 77^{\circ} = 103^{\circ}\) (opposite angles of a cyclic quadrilateral). \(\angle DCE = \angle DAE = 35^{\circ}\) (angles in the same segment, subtended by arc \(DE\)). So \(\angle BCE = \angle BCD - \angle DCE = 103^{\circ} - 35^{\circ} = 68^{\circ}\).

(c) The minor arc \(AC\) subtends \(\angle AOC = 2 \times \angle ADC = 96^{\circ}\) at the centre, so the reflex angle (the major sector \(OAEDC\)) is \(360^{\circ} - 96^{\circ} = 264^{\circ}\). Area \(= \dfrac{264}{360}\pi(5^2) = 57.6\) cm² (3 s.f.).

Answer: (a) \(77^{\circ}\)
(b) \(68^{\circ}\)
(c) \(57.6\) cm²

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.

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All O-Level E-Math 2021 worked solutions →

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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 2021 Paper 2 Question 6 test?

It is a angle in a semicircle question from Circle properties / Mensuration, worth 9 marks: 3 + 3 + 3.

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.

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