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PSLE 2014 · Paper 1 · Q11 Number & Algebra · Factors & multiples 2 marks · mcq difficulty 3 of 5

PSLE 2014 Paper 1, Question 11: Factors & multiples

The answer

Option (4), \(4\)

PSLE 2014 Paper 1 Question 11 · Verified worked solution by the Genius Plus Academy teaching team

What this question tests

This is Question 11 of the PSLE 2014 Paper 1 Mathematics paper. It tests factors & multiples, in the Number & Algebra strand. It is worth 2 marks. Open your copy of the paper at this question, then follow our full worked solution below.

Step-by-step solution

As many bags as possible with no remainder → number of bags = HCF(60, 75) = 15. Apples per bag \(= 60 \div 15 = 4\) (and pears \(75 \div 15 = 5\), so each bag has the same 9 pieces of fruit).

Answer: Option (4), \(4\)

Same structure, different costume

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

Change egg tarts to badges, a tank to two tanks, a ring of card to a folded sheet, and a child sees a brand new problem. The lock underneath is the same, and so is the key. Once a student can name the structure, a whole row of questions that look different start to open the same way.

It is also where marks really leak. Across fourteen years of papers, the marks lost in PSLE math leak at the reading far more than at the arithmetic, which is exactly why recognising the structure fixes them. We call this Lock and Key: name the lock, then the key follows.

See what the paper rewards → The hardest questions, shown working →

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