I Just Don't Understand This Question !

[scarlett]

I've just bought a pack of GL Assessment practice papers ( variety 5 ) and the maths paper features this question, which I have no idea how to do or indeed how they arrived at the answer. I look forward to your brainy replies


Hannah made some biscuits for a party .

She put them all out on plates.

Each plate has the same number of biscuits.

How many biscuits could Hannah have made ?


Answer ........21.

[Booklady]

Is there really no other information in the question? Like how many plates, children, how many on the baking sheet? Without anything else I have no idea how they reached this answer - why not 14 biscuits, 2 each on 7 plates, or 8 biscuits 4 each on 2 plates??

Impossible question me thinks!! But I stand to be corrected by someone more clever!!

[faitaccompli]

There are five options on the answer sheet! 13, 17, 19, 21 and 23. So the only answer that is divisible by something else is 21!

[scarlett]

Oh ! I didn't think of that ! Seems a bit strange...but just goes to show how multiple choice really does give you a bit of extra help ! I am just looking through the maths before I give it to DS2 later on...so didn't look at the answer sheet. I wonder if he will work it out ?

[faitaccompli]

If he doesn't this time, I bet he does on all future questions!!!

[scarlett]

Faitaccompli .........can I ask you re. the GL Assessment practice paper packs...I think there are 8 in total, do you know if they are all the same level of difficulty ?? This paper doesn't really look that hard ( apart from the biscuit question )

[faitaccompli]

No idea - sorry - we did a couple by mistake before we realised we were only doing VR (shows what a numpty I was!) - however in the VR papers, the 1-4 are easier than 5-8 - but that could be a total red herring!

[scarlett]

I've just asked DS2 to look at the question and showed him the answer sheet with the options...and after about 5 minutes of painful reading aloud he announced it could only be 21 ! So, I'm now officially dimmer then my 10 year old son !!

[faitaccompli]

Ah - but you gave him the answer sheet - would he have looked at that if you had not shown it to him?

[scarlett]

I gave him the question and told him to fill in the box on the answer sheet with his answer...like he would normally do, so I don't think he knew to" look " for the answer ...I have told him now that the answer is of course in the answers but he knows that from the VR papers anyway. Still seems a bit strange...but they do like to find little ways at catching out children who don't think outside the box. ( like me ) .