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PSLE 2023 · Paper 2 · Q3 Measurement & Geometry · Position & movement 2 marks · short answer (2 parts) difficulty 3 of 5

PSLE 2023 Paper 2, Question 3: Position & movement

The answer

(a) F is south of B and west of E · (b) Points A, B and D

PSLE 2023 Paper 2 Question 3 · Verified worked solution by the Genius Plus Academy teaching team

What this question tests

This is Question 3 of the PSLE 2023 Paper 2 Mathematics paper. It tests position & movement, in the Measurement & Geometry strand. It is worth 2 marks. Open your copy of the paper at this question, then follow our full worked solution below.

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Video: a Genius Plus Academy teacher solving PSLE 2023 Paper 2 Question 3

Teacher video · 2023 P2 Q3

Step-by-step solution

Marked grids showing directions and the 45° turns — Marked-up grids from the GPA worked solution, (a) F is south of B and west of E; (b) the \(45^{\circ}\) angle between the directions to H and to C at points A, B and D.

(a) F(2, 5) is directly below B(2, 0), south of B; F is directly left of E(4, 5), west of E.

(b) The direction from the point to H and the direction from the point to C must differ by exactly \(45^{\circ}\). From A(0, 1): H is south-east, C is east, \(45^{\circ}\) ✓. From B(2, 0): H is south, C is south-east, \(45^{\circ}\) ✓. From D(5, 3): H is west, C is north-west, \(45^{\circ}\) ✓. No other point works, so Devi could be standing at A, B or D.

Answer: (a) F is south of B and west of E · (b) Points A, B and D

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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