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Teacher video · 2020 P2 Q7
The answer
64 stars
PSLE 2020 Paper 2 Question 7 · Verified worked solution by the Genius Plus Academy teaching team
What this question tests
This is Question 7 of the PSLE 2020 Paper 2 Mathematics paper. It tests ratio, in the Number & Algebra strand. It is worth 3 marks. Open your copy of the paper at this question, then follow our full worked solution below.
Watch the walkthrough
Teacher video · 2020 P2 Q7
Let Lucy have \(G\) gold and \(G\) silver. Nick received \(G - 26\) gold and \(G - 14\) silver with ratio \(1 : 3\): \(3(G - 26) = G - 14 \Rightarrow 2G = 64 \Rightarrow G = 32\). Total at first \(= 32 + 32 = 64\) stars.
Answer: 64 stars
Same structure, different costume
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.
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One of the 10 question types
The PSLE keeps testing the same 10 structures. Our PSLE Math Intensive trains the Lock and Key reflex across all ten, with 158 curated questions over two days.
It is a ratio question from the Number & Algebra strand, worth 3 marks.
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