Free worked solutions for PSLE Mathematics, with a video for every Paper 2 question we have filmed · Browse the library →

PSLE Specimen · Paper 1 · Q26 Measurement & Geometry · Volume 2 marks difficulty 2 of 5

PSLE Specimen Paper 1, Question 26: Volume

The answer

(a) side view = 3 squares in the bottom row, with 1 square at each end of the top row (top middle empty); (b) \(7\)

PSLE Specimen Paper 1 Question 26 · Verified worked solution by the Genius Plus Academy teaching team

What this question tests

This is Question 26 of the PSLE Specimen Paper 1 Mathematics paper. It tests volume, 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.

Step-by-step solution

(a) The solid is 3 cubes wide, 3 cubes deep and 2 cubes tall overall: 5 cubes in the bottom layer plus 3 cubes on top (a pair at one end and a single cube at the other end of the depth). Viewed from the side, the bottom row shows 3 squares and the top row shows squares at the two ends only:

Key's drawn side view: bottom row of 3 squares, top row with the middle square missing — Answer drawing reproduced from the printed key.

(b) Cubes may be added wherever the front view (3 wide × 2 tall, fully filled) and the side view (bottom row full, top row with the middle missing) both remain unchanged. Bottom layer: all \(3 \times 3 = 9\) positions are allowed, so \(9 - 5 = 4\) cubes can be added. Top layer: only the front and back rows are allowed (\(3 \times 2 = 6\) positions), so \(6 - 3 = 3\) cubes can be added. Greatest number \(= 4 + 3 = \mathbf{7}\).

Key's diagrams of the cubes added to the bottom and top layers — Key's diagrams: dark cubes show the 4 added on the bottom layer and the 3 added on the top layer.

Answer: (a) side view = 3 squares in the bottom row, with 1 square at each end of the top row (top middle empty); (b) \(7\)

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 →

Want more questions like this, with worked solutions?

We will send a set to practise. One email, no spam.

Questions students ask

What does PSLE Specimen Paper 1 Question 26 test?

It is a volume question from the Measurement & Geometry strand, worth 2 marks.

Is there a video solution?

Not yet for this question. The full written solution is above, and we are filming Paper 2 walkthroughs steadily.

Are these worked solutions free?

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

Where can I find more PSLE worked solutions?

Browse every year from 2014 to 2025 in our worked-solutions library at /resources/solutions/psle/.

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 Lesson WhatsApp us · 8111 1061

Book a Free Trial

PSLE Specimen Paper 1, Question 26: Volume

Step-by-step solution

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

More volume questions, worked the same way

Read a question, know the method.

Questions students ask

See your child solve these with confidence.