ISEE Upper Level Quantitative : Plane Geometry

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for ISEE Upper Level Quantitative

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Example Questions

Example Question #161 : Geometry

The circumferences of eight circles form an arithmetic sequence. The smallest circle has radius two inches; the second smallest circle has radius five inches. Give the radius of the largest circle.

Possible Answers:

3 feet 10 inches

1 foot, 11 inches

2 feet

4 feet 2 inches

2 feet, 1 inch

Correct answer:

1 foot, 11 inches

Explanation:

The circumference of a circle can be determined by multiplying its radius by , so the circumferences of the two smallest circles are

and

The circumferences form an arithmetic sequence with common difference 

The circumference of a circle can therefore be found using the formula

where  and ; we are looking for that of the th smallest circle, so 

Since the radius of a circle is the circumference of the circle divided by , the radius of this eighth circle is 

 inches, or 1 foot 11 inches.

Example Question #162 : Geometry

Track

The track at James Buchanan High School is shown above; it is comprised of a square and a semicircle. 

Diane wants to run two miles. If she begins at Point A and begins running counterclockwise, when she is finished, which of the five points will she be closest to?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

First, it is necessary to know the length of the semicircle connecting Points B and D, which has diameter 400 feet; this length is

 feet.

The distance around the track is about

 feet.

Diane wants to run two miles, or 

 feet. 

She will make about 

circuits around the track.

Equivalently, she will run the track 5 complete times for a total of about 

 feet, 

so she will have

 feet to go. 

She is running counterclockwise, so she will proceed from Point A to Point D, running another 800 feet, leaving

 feet. 

She will almost, but not quite, finish the 628 feet from Point D to Point B. 

The correct response is Point B.

Example Question #5 : How To Find Circumference

Track

The track at Monroe Elementary School is a perfect circle of radius 400 feet, and is shown in the above figure. 

Evan and his younger brother Mike both start running from Point A. Evan runs counterclockwise, running once around the track and then on to Point E; Mike runs clockwise, meeting Evan at Point E and stopping.

Which of the following is the greater quantity?

(a) Twice Mike's average speed.

(b) Evan's average speed.

(Assume the five points are evenly spaced)

Possible Answers:

(b) is greater

(a) is greater

(a) and (b) are equal

It is impossible to tell which is greater from the information given

Correct answer:

(b) is greater

Explanation:

It is not actually necessary to know the radius or length of the track if we know the points are equally spaced. Evan runs once around the track counterclockwise and then on to Point E, which is the next point after A; this means he runs around the track  times. Mike runs around the track clockwise from Point A to Point E, in the same time, meaning he runs around the track  times.

Therefore, Evan's speed is  times Mike's speed. As a result, Twice Mike's speed would be greater than Evan's speed, making (b) the greater.

Example Question #22 : Radius

Track

The track at Monroe High School is a perfect circle of radius 600 feet, and is shown in the above figure. 

Jerry begins his one-mile run at Point A, then runs counterclockwise around the track. At the end of his one-mile run, which is the greater quantity?

(a) The additional distance he would have to run if he were to continue to run counterclockwise to Point A.

(b) The additional distance he would have to run if he were to turn back and run clockwise to Point A.

Possible Answers:

(a) and (b) are equal

It is impossible to tell from the information given

(b) is greater

(a) is greater

Correct answer:

(a) is greater

Explanation:

The circumference of a circle with radius 600 feet is

 feet.

A one mile run would be

times the length of the track.

Therefore, Jerry's run takes him around the track once, and about 0.4 times the length of the track. Since he is running counterclockwise, but has not made it halfway around the track yet, the longer of the two paths is to proceed counterclockwise and run the remaining 0.6 of the track. This makes (a) greater.

Example Question #7 : How To Find Circumference

Track

The track at Simon Bolivar High School is a perfect circle of radius 500 feet, and is shown in the above figure. Manuel starts at point C, runs around the track counterclockwise three times, and continues to run clockwise until he makes it to point D. Which of the following comes closest to the number of miles Manuel has run?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The circumference of a circle with radius 500 feet is

 feet.

Manuel runs this distance three times, then he runs from Point C to D, which is about four-fifths of this distance. Therefore, Manuel's run will be about

 feet.

Divide by 5,280 to convert to miles:

,

making  miles the response closest to the actual running distance.

Example Question #31 : Circles

The radii of six circles form an arithmetic sequence. The radius of the second-smallest circle is twice that of the smallest circle. Which of the following, if either, is the greater quantity?

(a) The circumference of the largest circle

(b) Twice the circumference of the third-smallest circle

Possible Answers:

(a) is greater

It is impossible to tell from the information given

(a) and (b) are equal

(b) is greater

Correct answer:

(a) and (b) are equal

Explanation:

Call the radius of the smallest circle . The radius of the second-smallest circle is then , and the common difference of the radii is .

The radii of the six circles are, from least to greatest:

The largest circle has circumference

The third-smallest circle has circumference:

Twice this is 

The circumference of the sixth circle is equal to twice that of the third-smallest  circle, so the correct choice is that that (a) and (b) are equal.

Example Question #3 : How To Find Circumference

Track

The track at Truman High School is shown above; it is comprised of a square and a semicircle. 

Veronica begins at Point A, runs three times around the track counterclockwise, and continues until she reaches Point B. Which of the following comes closest to the distance Veronica runs?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

First, it is necessary to know the length of the semicircle connecting Points B and D, which has diameter 500 feet; this length is about

 feet.

The distance around the track is about

 feet.

Veronica runs around the track three complete times, for a distance of about

 feet.

She then runs from Point A to Point E, which is another 500 feet; Point E to Point D, which is yet another 500 feet, and, finally Point D to Point B, for a final 785 feet. The total distance Veronica runs is about

 feet.

Divide by 5,280 to convert to miles:

The closest answer is  miles.

Example Question #4 : How To Find Circumference

Track

The track at Monroe High School is a perfect circle of radius 600 feet, and is shown in the above figure. Quinnella wants to run around the track for one and a half miles. If Quinnella starts at point C and runs counterclockwise, which of the following is closest to the point at which she will stop running?

(Assume the five points are evenly spaced)

Possible Answers:

Between Points E and A

Between Points A and B

Between Points B and C

Between Points C and D

Between Points D and E

Correct answer:

Between Points B and C

Explanation:

A circle of radius 600 feet will have a circumference of 

 feet.

Quinnella will run one and a half miles, or 

 feet,

which is about  times the circumference of the circle. 

Quinnella will run around the track twice, returning to Point C; she will not quite make it to Point B a third time, since that is one-fifth of the track, or 0.2. The correct response is that she will be between Points B and C.

Example Question #161 : Geometry

Target

In the above figure, .

Which is the greater quantity?

(a) The sum of the circumferences of the inner and outer circles

(b) The sum of the circumferences of the second-largest and third-largest circles

Possible Answers:

(a) and (b) are equal

(b) is the greater quantity

It is impossible to determine which is greater from the information given

(a) is the greater quantity

Correct answer:

(a) and (b) are equal

Explanation:

For the sake of simplicity, we will assume that ; this reasoning is independent of the actual length.

The four concentric circles have radii 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively, and their circumferences can be found by multiplying these radii by .

The inner and outer circles have circumferences  and , respectively; the sum of these circumferences is . The other two circles have circumferences   and ; the sum of these circumferences is .

The two sums are therefore equal.

 

Example Question #32 : Circles

Generalsector

What is the angle measure of  in the figure above if the sector comprises 37% of the circle?

Possible Answers:

˚

˚

˚

˚

˚

Correct answer:

˚

Explanation:

It is very easy to compute the angle of a sector if we know what it is as a percentage of the total circle.  To do this, you merely need to multiply  by ˚.  This yields ˚. 

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