PSAT Math : Geometry

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for PSAT Math

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Example Questions

Example Question #2 : How To Find An Angle Of A Line

Lines A and B in the diagram below are parallel. The triangle at the bottom of the figure is an isosceles triangle.

Act2

What is the degree measure of angle ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Since A and B are parallel, and the triangle is isosceles, we can use the supplementary rule for the two angles,  and  which will sum up to . Setting up an algebraic equation for this, we get . Solving for , we get . With this, we can get either  (for the smaller angle) or  (for the larger angle - must then use supplementary rule again for inner smaller angle). Either way, we find that the inner angles at the top are 80 degrees each. Since the sum of the angles within a triangle must equal 180, we can set up the equation as

 degrees.

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