(NEXSTAR) — Are you smarter than a Texas fifth-grader taking the STAAR Test? As another new school year begins, it’s never a bad idea to know what the kids are learning — or how hard the lessons are.
Each year, Texas students prep for months leading up to the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness tests, also known as STAAR. The following questions were taken from the Grade 5 Mathematics test administered in Spring 2023, along with the answers from its answer key.
And while the term “easiest” is subjective, these are five math problems that don’t require graphing, don’t incorporate geometry and don’t include fractions. Use your cursor or finger to highlight and reveal the answers. Calculators allowed. Simply highlight the blacked out text below to reveal the correct answers.
Pencils up!
Mathematics
Question 1: A recipe for one batch of cookies uses 1.25 cups of butter. How many cups of butter are needed to make 6 batches of cookies?
- A) 7.5 cups
- B) 4.75 cups
- C) 7.25 cups
- D) 6.5 cups
Answer: A) 7.5 cups
Question 2: A jar contains 110 coins. There are 15 quarters and 62 nickels. The rest of the coins are dimes. Which equation can be used to find d, the total number of dimes in the jar?
- A) d = 110 + 62 − 15
- B) d = 110 − 62 + 15
- C) d = 110 + 62 + 15
- D) d = 110 − 62 − 15
Answer: D) d = 110 − 62 − 15
Question 3: In which number is the digit 5 in the hundredths place?
- A) 4,562.87
- B) 1,642.705
- C) 7,623.159
- D) 8,236.506
Answer: D) 8,236.506
Question 4: Which number is a composite number?
- A) 89
- B) 67
- C) 51
- D) 73
Hint (in case it’s been a while since you’ve had to think about composite numbers): A composite number is any number that has more than two factors, which are numbers that can be multiplied together to equal the number. For instance, 3 can only be formed by 1×3. The number 6, meanwhile, can be formed through multiplication of 1, 2, 3, and 6 — a total of four factors. This makes 6 a composite number and 3 a prime number.
Answer: C) 51
Question 5: What is the value of the expression 5 [6.2 – 3(1.6)]?
- A) 7
- B) 26.2
- C) 23
- D) 25.6
Answer: A) 7
Congrats! You did it.
You can find more sample STAAR tests and answer keys at the Texas Education Agency.