Rosario Monachino
A simple exam question that a 10-year-old child is supposed to answer is leaving parents stumped.
We all remember how difficult and stressful exams were back when we were at school.
Trying to remember everything we’ve learnt throughout the year just for a two-hour test seemed impossible for some of us.
With discussions rising if exams are necessary, one question has gone viral because of how difficult it is.
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Sky News presenter Anna Botting shared her daughter’s maths homework on X (formerly known as Twitter).
The question she had been tasked with read: “At the beginning of the day Hasim counted his money. He gave his brother 1/3 of his money.
“He spent £12 on a present for his sister. He then counted what he had left and it was half what he had at the beginning of the day. How much did he give his brother?”
If you are reading that and scratching your head, don’t worry you are not alone.
One person responded: “That’s a 10-year-old’s? That’s very difficult for Year 5! I think Grade 6 at GCSE would struggle with that one.”
Someone else adds: “I’m 38 and the way I worked it out was to look in the comments and see what answers other people had because I didn’t have a clue where to even start?!”
A teacher commented and said she believes these types of questions are pointless.
“They just heighten anxiety, feelings of frustration and failure, and let’s be honest are no practical use whatsoever,” they continue.
“Thanks Anna. I’m going to be awake all night trying to work this out,” writes a fourth.
Even the people who did get the question correct claimed that it was difficult for a 10-year-old – adding that it was impossible to do without algebra.
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A lot of people thought the answer was 72, but Botting informed her followers it was actually 24.
If you are unsure how they got to this, you turn the one-third and one-half amounts into the same denomination, which gives you two-sixths and three-sixths.
That means that the £12 Hasim had spent represented the final sixth of the funds, showing that he started the day with £72.
He gave £24 to his brother, spent £12 on a gift for his sister and had £36 left over at the end of the day.
Thanks to all those who’ve attempted this! 👏👏
Answer time…kindly jotted down by daughter’s teacher in classroom:
To all who said 24 ☑️
And 72 – read the Q ☺️For those like me who couldn’t do it… 🤷♀️ pic.twitter.com/KOXHzpcI9A
— Anna Botting (@annabotting) January 4, 2023
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