Apr 21, 2013

time shock

 
If a package containing twenty cigarettes costs fifteen cents, how many cigarettes can be bought for ninety cents?

A question for High School students on the very first SAT...in 1926.
See the entire test in Smithsonian.

4 comments:

  1. 120 cigarettes.

    But, I don't smoke.

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  2. Te he to Jay. I, too, got it within a few seconds BUT, as a teacher, I can unfortunately tell you that many of my high school students couldn't figure it out in their heads within the 10 seconds, I'd say, it took me to get 120!

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  3. I was careful about this. If the number of cig packs was not divisible into 15, the number of cigarettes would not be proportionate. You can't buy a partial pack (unless, I suppose, you're a prison inmate).

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  4. Truse me y'all, I'll be the last to actually try to ANSWER a math question. I just thought it was interesting that they used cigarettes in a question for high School kids!

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