MCVSD Extra Drills — Week 2 (Sessions 6–10)

Same rules as Week 1: use a drill when its session scored under ~80%, or as a refresher later in the summer. Each drill: 10 questions, 20 minutes, no calculator.

DRILL 6 — Proportional & Linear Relationships (pairs with Session 6)

1. Slope of the line through (1, 2) and (5, 14)? A) 2 B) 3 C) 4 D) 12 2. The slope of a horizontal line is A) 0 B) 1 C) undefined D) −1 3. For y = −2x + 9, what is y when x = 4? A) 1 B) 17 C) −1 D) 7 4. Which line is steepest? A) y = 3x + 2 B) y = ½x − 8 C) y = −4x + 1 D) y = x 5. Which equation shows y proportional to x? A) y = x + 7 B) y = 7x C) y = 7/x D) y = x² + 7 6. A table shows x: 0, 1, 2 and y: 5, 8, 11. Which equation fits? A) y = 5x + 3 B) y = 3x + 5 C) y = 8x D) y = 3x − 5 7. The x-intercept of y = 3x − 12 is A) (0, −12) B) (4, 0) C) (−4, 0) D) (0, 4) 8. Printing photos costs $0.50 per photo plus a $2 order fee. Cost of 12 photos? A) $6 B) $8 C) $14 D) $24 9. A line passes through (2, 6) and (4, 12). Is the relationship proportional? A) Yes — the slope is 3 and the line passes through the origin. B) No — the slope is 3 but the line misses the origin. C) Yes — all straight lines are proportional. D) No — the slope is 6. 10. In C = 45h + 60 for a repair bill (h = hours), the 45 represents A) the trip fee B) the cost per hour C) the number of hours D) the total bill

Answers
  1. B — (14 − 2)/(5 − 1) = 12/4 = 3.
  2. A — No rise, only run: slope 0. (Vertical lines are the undefined ones.)
  3. A — −2(4) + 9 = 1.
  4. C — Steepness is the absolute value of slope; −4 beats 3, ½, and 1.
  5. B — Proportional means y = kx, nothing added.
  6. B — Starts at 5 (when x = 0) and climbs 3 per step.
  7. B — Set y = 0: 3x = 12 → x = 4.
  8. B — 0.50(12) + 2 = 8.
  9. A — Slope = 6/2 = 3; check the origin: 6 = 3(2) exactly, so b = 0 — the line passes through (0, 0).
  10. B — The coefficient of h is the rate per hour; 60 is the flat fee.

DRILL 7 — Paired Passages & Argument (pairs with Session 7)

Read both passages, then answer questions 1–8.

Passage 1

The aquarium should keep its touch tank. Reading about a sea star is one thing; feeling its rough arms grip your finger is another. Educators know that a moment of genuine contact turns curiosity into commitment — many marine scientists trace their careers to a childhood touch tank. The animals in the exhibit are hardy species chosen for their tolerance, staff supervise every visit, and the tank gives thousands of children each year their only direct encounter with ocean life. Close the tank, and we close the single most memorable doorway into marine science this aquarium offers.

Passage 2

The touch tank deserves an honest review, not automatic renewal. However hardy the animals, a tide-pool creature touched hundreds of times a day is living under constant stress that visitors never see. Modern exhibits offer alternatives — magnified live video, virtual-reality dives, staff-led feedings behind glass — that spark wonder without wear on the animals. An aquarium’s deepest lesson is respect for living things, and how we treat our smallest residents teaches that lesson louder than any sign on the wall. If the tank stays, it should be smaller, with strict daily rest periods; if it cannot meet that standard, it should go.

1. The main claim of Passage 1 is that the touch tank A) should be replaced with video screens B) should be kept because direct contact inspires lasting interest C) is too expensive to maintain D) should admit adults only

2. Passage 1 supports its claim by pointing to A) ticket sales data B) scientists who trace their careers to touch tanks C) a survey of aquarium employees D) the tank’s low cost

3. The author of Passage 2 is most concerned about A) the price of admission B) stress on the animals from constant handling C) children learning too quickly D) the size of the aquarium building

4. Passage 2 mentions video and virtual reality in order to A) argue technology is always better than real animals B) show wonder can be sparked without wear on the animals C) prove the aquarium is out of date D) recommend closing the aquarium entirely

5. How would the author of Passage 2 most likely respond to Passage 1’s point that the animals are “hardy species chosen for their tolerance”? A) Even hardy animals experience stress that visitors never see. B) Hardy species deserve no protection. C) The species should be traded for more delicate ones. D) Tolerance makes daily rest periods unnecessary.

6. On which point would both authors agree? A) Aquariums should teach people to care about ocean life. B) The touch tank must close immediately. C) Video is more memorable than touch. D) Children should not visit aquariums.

7. Unlike Passage 1, Passage 2 offers A) a memory from childhood B) a compromise with specific conditions C) proof that touch tanks are illegal D) an interview with a marine scientist

8. The phrase “louder than any sign on the wall” in Passage 2 suggests that A) the aquarium’s signs are too quiet B) actions teach more powerfully than posted words C) visitors ignore all exhibits D) the walls need repainting

Vocabulary — Questions 9–10

9. As used in Passage 1, commitment most nearly means A) dedication B) confusion C) payment D) hesitation

10. As used in Passage 2, renewal most nearly means A) cancellation B) continuation C) cleaning D) celebration

Answers
  1. B — Stated in the first and last sentences; contact “turns curiosity into commitment.”
  2. B — The careers-tracing detail is the passage’s key evidence.
  3. B — “Constant stress that visitors never see” is the core concern.
  4. B — The alternatives are framed as sparking wonder without wearing on the animals.
  5. A — Directly restates Passage 2’s response to the hardiness claim.
  6. A — Passage 1 wants to inspire future marine scientists; Passage 2 says the deepest lesson is respect for living things — both value caring about ocean life.
  7. B — “Smaller, with strict daily rest periods; if it cannot meet that standard, it should go” — conditions, not an absolute position.
  8. B — How the animals are treated teaches more than written signs do.
  9. A — Curiosity becoming lifelong dedication.
  10. B — “Automatic renewal” = letting it continue without review.

DRILL 8 — Geometry (pairs with Session 8)

1. Area of a rectangle 12 m by 7.5 m? A) 39 m² B) 84 m² C) 90 m² D) 19.5 m² 2. Area of a circle with diameter 10 in? (π ≈ 3.14) A) 31.4 in² B) 78.5 in² C) 314 in² D) 15.7 in² 3. A 9 ft × 5 ft rectangular patio has a 2 ft × 2 ft square planter cut out of it. Remaining area? A) 41 ft² B) 43 ft² C) 45 ft² D) 49 ft² 4. Two lines intersect. One angle measures 74°. Its vertical angle measures A) 16° B) 74° C) 106° D) 286° 5. An isosceles triangle has a vertex angle of 40°. Each base angle measures A) 40° B) 55° C) 70° D) 140° 6. Circumference of a circle with radius 4 cm? (π ≈ 3.14) A) 12.56 cm B) 25.12 cm C) 50.24 cm D) 16 cm 7. A prism has a base area of 24 cm² and a height of 7 cm. Volume? A) 31 cm³ B) 84 cm³ C) 168 cm³ D) 336 cm³ 8. Volume of a cylinder with radius 1 in and height 12 in? (π ≈ 3.14) A) 12 in³ B) 37.68 in³ C) 75.36 in³ D) 452.16 in³ 9. A right triangle has legs 5 and 12. Hypotenuse? A) 13 B) 17 C) 60 D) 169 10. Two similar triangles: the smaller has sides 3, 4, 5; the largest side of the bigger triangle is 20. Its smallest side is A) 9 B) 12 C) 15 D) 18

Answers
  1. C — 12 × 7.5 = 90.
  2. B — Halve the diameter first (the classic trap): r = 5; 3.14 × 25 = 78.5.
  3. A — 45 − 4 = 41.
  4. B — Vertical angles are equal.
  5. C — 180 − 40 = 140, shared equally by two base angles: 70° each.
  6. B — 2 × 3.14 × 4 = 25.12.
  7. C — Volume of any prism = base area × height: 24 × 7 = 168.
  8. B — 3.14 × 1² × 12 = 37.68.
  9. A — 5-12-13 triple.
  10. B — Scale factor 20/5 = 4; smallest side 3 × 4 = 12.

DRILL 9 — Statistics & Probability (pairs with Session 9)

1. Mean of 4, 9, 11, 16? A) 9 B) 10 C) 11 D) 12 2. Mode of 2, 5, 5, 7, 9, 5, 3? A) 3 B) 5 C) 7 D) 9 3. Range of 14, 3, 22, 8? A) 11 B) 19 C) 22 D) 25 4. Median of 6, 10, 12, 18? A) 10 B) 11 C) 12 D) 11.5 5. The mean of three numbers is 20. Two of them are 14 and 22. The third is A) 18 B) 20 C) 24 D) 36 6. Probability of rolling an even number on a standard die? A) 1/6 B) 1/3 C) 1/2 D) 2/3 7. One letter is chosen at random from the word OCEAN. P(vowel)? A) 2/5 B) 3/5 C) 1/2 D) 4/5 8. Two fair coins are flipped. P(both heads)? A) 1/2 B) 1/3 C) 1/4 D) 1/8 9. In a random sample, 6 of 30 students are left-handed. In a school of 400, about how many left-handed students would you expect? A) 60 B) 66 C) 80 D) 120 10. Which measure is most affected by one extreme outlier? A) median B) mode C) mean D) they are equally affected

Answers
  1. B — 40 ÷ 4 = 10.
  2. B — 5 appears three times.
  3. B — 22 − 3 = 19.
  4. B — Average the middle pair: (10 + 12)/2 = 11.
  5. C — Total must be 60; 60 − 36 = 24.
  6. C — 3 evens of 6 = 1/2.
  7. B — O, E, A are vowels: 3 of 5.
  8. C — 1/2 × 1/2 = 1/4.
  9. C — 6/30 = 1/5; 400 × 1/5 = 80.
  10. C — The mean uses every value in its sum, so an outlier drags it; the median barely moves.

DRILL 10 — Revising, Editing & Vocabulary (pairs with Session 10)

Read this draft of a student paragraph. The questions refer to the numbered sentences.

(1) Our robotics club decided to enter the county competition for the first time. (2) We only had six weeks to build a robot that could lift, carry, and placing blocks on a platform. (3) At first nobody agreed on a design, are meetings ended in arguments. (4) Then our advisor suggested a rule, every idea had to be tested before it could be rejected. (5) Testing settled the arguments quick. (6) The strongest design was also the simplest one. (7) My favorite pizza topping is mushrooms. (8) __, our robot placed third out of nineteen teams at the competition.

1. Which is the best revision of the underlined portion of sentence 2: “lift, carry, and placing blocks”? A) lift, carry, and place blocks B) lifting, carry, and placing blocks C) lift, carrying, and placing blocks D) No change. 2. In sentence 3, which change is needed? A) Change “agreed” to “agrees” B) Change “are” to “our” C) Change “design” to “designs” D) No change. 3. Which is the best revision of sentence 4? A) Then our advisor suggested a rule, every idea had to be tested before it could be rejected. B) Then our advisor suggested a rule: every idea had to be tested before it could be rejected. C) Then our advisor, suggested a rule every idea had to be tested before it could be rejected. D) Then our advisor suggested, a rule, every idea had to be tested. 4. In sentence 5, which change is needed? A) Change “quick” to “quickly” B) Change “settled” to “settles” C) Change “Testing” to “Tested” D) No change. 5. What is the best way to handle sentence 7? A) Move it before sentence 1 B) Combine it with sentence 6 C) Delete it — it does not belong in this paragraph D) Add more details about pizza 6. Which transition best fills the blank in sentence 8? A) Similarly B) In the end C) For example D) On the contrary 7. The paragraph is mainly organized by A) order of importance B) time order C) comparison and contrast D) cause listed after effect

Vocabulary — Questions 8–10

8. “The team took a methodical approach, testing one part at a time.” Methodical most nearly means A) careless B) systematic C) sudden D) secret

9. “Her persistence paid off when the motor finally worked on the fortieth try.” Persistence most nearly means A) refusal to give up B) natural talent C) impatience D) good luck

10. “The judges praised the design’s ingenuity.” Ingenuity most nearly means A) weight B) cleverness C) cost D) speed

Answers
  1. A — Parallel structure: lift, carry, place.
  2. B — “are meetings” should be “our meetings” (sound-alike error).
  3. B — A colon introduces the rule; the original comma creates a splice.
  4. A — An adverb (“quickly”) must describe how the arguments were settled.
  5. C — Pizza is off-topic; delete irrelevant sentences no matter how true.
  6. B — The sentence delivers the final result: “In the end.”
  7. B — First entry → six weeks → arguments → rule → result: chronological.
  8. B — One part at a time = systematic.
  9. A — Forty tries = refusing to give up.
  10. B — Praised design quality = cleverness.