DSE Mathematics · Core

Past paper questions

Sample · Practise · Paper 1 & Paper 2 · 2012–2024

Topic
173 questions match · Clear all
2015 · Paper 2 Q1 More about polynomials

(x+1)(x2+x+1)=(x+1)(x^{2}+x+1)=

A

x3+1x^{3}+1.

B

(x+1)3(x+1)^{3}.

C

x3+x2+x+1x^{3}+x^{2}+x+1.

D

x3+2x2+2x+1x^{3}+2x^{2}+2x+1.

2015 · Paper 2 Q2 Laws of integral indices

(3y6)43y2=\frac{(3y^6)^4}{3y^2} =

A

4y54y^5.

B

4y84y^8.

C

27y1227y^{12}.

D

27y2227y^{22}.

2015 · Paper 2 Q3 Linear equations in two unknowns

If p+3q=4p+3q=4 and 5p+9q=25p+9q=2, then p=p=

A

5-5.

B

3-3.

C

33.

D

55.

2015 · Paper 2 Q4 Approximate values and numerical estimation

0.0023456789=0.0023456789 =

A

0.002350.00235 (correct to 6 decimal places).

B

0.0023450.002345 (correct to 6 decimal places).

C

0.0023460.002346 (correct to 6 significant figures).

D

0.002345680.00234568 (correct to 6 significant figures).

2015 · Paper 2 Q5 Identities

If mm and nn are constants such that x2+mx+n(x+4)(xm)+6x^{2}+mx+n\equiv(x+4)(x-m)+6, then n=n=

A

8-8.

B

2-2.

C

22.

D

66.

2015 · Paper 2 Q6 Linear inequalities in one unknown

The solution of 18+7x>418+7x>4 or 52x<35-2x<3 is

A

x>2x>-2

B

x>1x>-1

C

x>1x>1

D

2<x<1-2<x<1

2015 · Paper 2 Q7 Quadratic equations in one unknown

If β\beta is a root of the equation 4x25x1=04x^{2}-5x-1=0, then 7+10β8β2=7+10\beta-8\beta^{2}=

A

55.

B

77.

C

99.

D

1111.

2015 · Paper 2 Q8 More about graphs of functions

The figure shows the graph of y=a(x+b)2y = a(x + b)^2, where a and b are constants. Which of the following is true?

Figure
A

a<0a < 0 and b<0b < 0

B

a<0a < 0 and b>0b > 0

C

a>0a > 0 and b<0b < 0

D

a>0a > 0 and b>0b > 0

2015 · Paper 2 Q9 Using percentages

If the price of a souvenir is increased by 70%70\% and then decreased by 60%60\%, find the percentage change in the price of the souvenir.

A

58%-58\%

B

32%-32\%

C

2%2\%

D

10%10\%

2015 · Paper 2 Q10 Using percentages

A sum of $50000$50\,000 is deposited at an interest rate of 6%6\% per annum for 3 years, compounded quarterly. Find the amount correct to the nearest dollar.

A

$59000$59\,000

B

$59551$59\,551

C

$59755$59\,755

D

$59781$59\,781

2015 · Paper 2 Q11 Rates, ratios and proportions

Let a,ba, b and cc be non-zero numbers. If a:c=5:3a:c=5:3 and b:c=3:2b:c=3:2, then (a+c):(b+c)=(a+c):(b+c)=

A

7:57:5.

B

8:58:5.

C

16:1516:15.

D

19:1519:15.

2015 · Paper 2 Q12 Variations

It is given that zz varies as x3x^{3} and y2y^{2}. When x=2x=2 and y=1y=1, z=14z=14. When x=3x=3 and y=2y=-2, z=z=

A

189-189

B

126-126

C

126-126

D

189-189

2015 · Paper 2 Q13 Arithmetic and geometric sequences and their summations

In the figure, the 1st pattern consists of 5 dots. For any positive integer nn, the (n+1)(n+1)th pattern is formed by adding 4 dots to the nnth pattern. Find the number of dots in the 6th pattern.

Figure
A

25

B

29

C

33

D

37

2015 · Paper 2 Q14 Errors in measurement

There is a bag of white sugar. The weight of white sugar in the bag is measured as 5extkg5 ext{ kg} correct to the nearest kg. If the bag of white sugar is packed into nn packets such that the weight of white sugar in each packet is measured as 10extg10 ext{ g} correct to the nearest g, find the greatest possible value of nn.

A

429

B

500

C

578

D

579

2015 · Paper 2 Q15 Mensuration

In the figure, NN is a point lying on ACAC and EE is a point lying on DNDN. If DN=6extcmDN = 6 ext{ cm} and EN=5extcmEN = 5 ext{ cm}, then the area of ΔABC\Delta ABC is

Figure
A

24 cm224\text{ cm}^{2}

B

30 cm230\text{ cm}^{2}

C

96 cm296\text{ cm}^{2}

D

192 cm2192\text{ cm}^{2}

2015 · Paper 2 Q16 Mensuration

The height and the base radius of a right circular cone are 12 cm12\text{ cm} and 9 cm9\text{ cm} respectively. The figure shows a frustum which is made by cutting off the upper part of the circular cone. The height of the frustum is 8 cm8\text{ cm}. Find the volume of the frustum.

Figure
A

210π cm3210\pi\text{ cm}^{3}

B

312π cm3312\pi\text{ cm}^{3}

C

324π cm3324\pi\text{ cm}^{3}

D

936π cm3936\pi\text{ cm}^{3}

2015 · Paper 2 Q17 Similar triangles

In the figure, ABCDABCD is a parallelogram. EE is a point lying on CDCD such that DE:EC=2:3DE:EC=2:3. ADAD produced and BEBE produced meet at FF while AEAE produced and BCBC produced meet at GG. If the area of ΔDEF\Delta DEF is 8 cm28\text{ cm}^{2}, then the area of ΔCEG\Delta CEG is

Figure
A

12 cm212\text{ cm}^{2}

B

18 cm218\text{ cm}^{2}

C

20 cm220\text{ cm}^{2}

D

27 cm227\text{ cm}^{2}

2015 · Paper 2 Q18 Trigonometry

In the figure, ADAB=\frac{AD}{AB} =

Figure
A

cosαtanβ\cos \alpha \tan \beta

B

sinαtanβ\sin \alpha \tan \beta

C

cosαtanβ\frac{\cos \alpha}{\tan \beta}

D

sinαtanβ\frac{\sin \alpha}{\tan \beta}

2015 · Paper 2 Q19 Trigonometry

cos1801+sin(90+θ)+cos3601+sin(270+θ)=\frac{\cos 180^{\circ}}{1+\sin(90^{\circ}+\theta)}+\frac{\cos 360^{\circ}}{1+\sin(270^{\circ}+\theta)}=

A
B

2cosθ\frac{2}{\cos\theta}

C

2cosθsin2θ\frac{2\cos\theta}{\sin^{2}\theta}

D

2sinθcos2θ\frac{2\sin\theta}{\cos^{2}\theta}

2015 · Paper 2 Q20 Basic properties of circles

In the figure, AD is a diameter of the circle ABCDE. If BAD=58\angle BAD=58^{\circ} and BC=CDBC=CD, then AEC=\angle AEC=

Figure
A

3232^{\circ}.

B

5858^{\circ}.

C

6161^{\circ}.

D

6464^{\circ}.

2015 · Paper 2 Q21 Basic properties of circles

The diameters AC and BD of the circle ABCD intersect at the point E. If AEB=90\angle AEB = 90^{\circ} and AC = 24 cm 24\text{ cm }, then the area of AEB\triangle AEB is

Figure
A

41 cm241\text{ cm}^{2}

B

72 cm272\text{ cm}^{2}

C

144 cm2144\text{ cm}^{2}

D

288 cm2288\text{ cm}^{2}

2015 · Paper 2 Q22 Polygons

If an interior angle of a regular polygon is 5 times an exterior angle of the polygon, which of the following is/are true?

I. Each interior angle of the polygon is 150150^{\circ}.

II. The number of diagonals of the polygon is 6.

III. The number of folds of rotational symmetry of the polygon is 6.

A

I only.

B

II only.

C

I and III only.

D

II and III only.

2015 · Paper 2 Q23 Trigonometry

The rectangular coordinates of the point AA are (3,1)(\sqrt{3}, -1). If AA is reflected with respect to the yy-axis, then the polar coordinates of its image are

A

(1,210)(1, 210^{\circ}).

B

(1,240)(1, 240^{\circ}).

C

(2,210)(2, 210^{\circ}).

D

(2,240)(2, 240^{\circ}).

2015 · Paper 2 Q24 Loci

The coordinates of the points AA and BB are (2,0)(2, 0) and (1,5)(1, 5) respectively. If PP is a moving point in the rectangular coordinate plane such that PP is equidistant from AA and BB, then the locus of PP is

A

the perpendicular bisector of ABAB.

B

the circle with ABAB as a diameter.

C

the straight line which passes through AA and BB.

D

the angle bisector of AOB\angle AOB, where OO is the origin.

2015 · Paper 2 Q25 Equations of straight lines

In the figure, the equations of the straight lines L1L_{1} and L2L_{2} are ax=1ax = 1 and bx+cy=1bx + cy = 1 respectively. Which of the following are true?

I. a<0a < 0

II. a<ba < b

III. c>0c > 0

Figure
A

I and II only

B

I and III only

C

II and III only

D

I, II and III

2015 · Paper 2 Q26 Equations of circles

A circle CC passes through the point (0,3)(0, 3). If the coordinates of the centre of CC are (4,3)(-4, 3), then the equation of CC is

A

x2+y28x+6y+9=0x^2 + y^2 - 8x + 6y + 9 = 0.

B

x2+y28x+6y+16=0x^2 + y^2 - 8x + 6y + 16 = 0.

C

x2+y2+8x6y+9=0x^2 + y^2 + 8x - 6y + 9 = 0.

D

x2+y2+8x6y+16=0x^2 + y^2 + 8x - 6y + 16 = 0.

2015 · Paper 2 Q27 More about probability

Two fair dice are thrown in a game. If the sum of the two numbers thrown is 7, $36$36 will be gained; otherwise, $6$6 will be gained. Find the expected gain of the game.

A

$11$11

B

$12$12

C

$30$30

D

$31$31

2015 · Paper 2 Q28 Probability

The bar chart below shows the distribution of the numbers of keys owned by the students in a class. Find the probability that a randomly selected student from the class owns 3 keys.

Figure
A

15\frac{1}{5}.

B

211\frac{2}{11}.

C

411\frac{4}{11}.

D

911\frac{9}{11}.

2015 · Paper 2 Q29 Measures of dispersion

The box-and-whisker diagram below shows the distribution of the numbers of books read by some teachers in a term. Find the inter-quartile range of the distribution.

Figure
A
B
C
D
2015 · Paper 2 Q30 Measures of dispersion

Consider the following integers:

Let pp, qq and rr be the mean, the median and the mode of the above integers respectively. If 3qmq53 \le q m \le q 5, which of the following must be true?

I. p>qp > q

II. p>rp > r

III. q>rq > r

A

II only.

B

IIII only.

C

II and IIIIII only.

D

IIII and IIIIII only.

2015 · Paper 2 Q31 More about polynomials

1x22x+11x2+x2=\frac{1}{x^2 - 2x + 1} - \frac{1}{x^2 + x - 2} =

A

1(x1)(x+2)\frac{1}{(x-1)(x+2)}.

B

1(x1)2(x+2)\frac{1}{(x-1)^2(x+2)}.

C

3(x1)2(x+2)\frac{3}{(x-1)^2(x+2)}.

D

2x+1(x1)2(x+2)\frac{2x + 1}{(x-1)^2(x+2)}.

2015 · Paper 2 Q32 Exponential and logarithmic functions

The graph in the figure shows the linear relation between log3x\log_3 x and log3y\log_3 y. Which of the following must be true?

Figure
A

x2y3=729x^2 y^3 = 729.

B

x3y2=729x^3 y^2 = 729.

C

x2+y3=729x^2 + y^3 = 729.

D

x3+y2=729x^3 + y^2 = 729.

2015 · Paper 2 Q33 Laws of integral indices

11+26+210+211=11 + 2^{6} + 2^{10} + 2^{11} =

A

1100010010112110001001011_{2}.

B

1101001000112110100100011_{2}.

C

110000100101121100001001011_{2}.

D

110100100001121101001000011_{2}.

2015 · Paper 2 Q34 Quadratic equations in one unknown

Let kk be a constant. If the roots of the quadratic equation x2+kx2=0x^{2}+kx-2=0 are α\alpha and β\beta, then α2+β2=\alpha^{2}+\beta^{2}=

A

k2k^{2}.

B

k2+4k^{2}+4.

C

k24k^{2}-4.

D

k28k^{2}-8.

2015 · Paper 2 Q35 Laws of integral indices

Let z=(a+5)i6+(a3)i7z = (a+5)i^{6} + (a-3)i^{7}, where aa is a real number. If zz is a real number, then a=a=

A

5-5.

B

33.

C

33.

D

55.

2015 · Paper 2 Q36 Inequalities and linear programming

The figure shows a shaded region (including the boundary). If (a,b)(a,b) is a point lying in the shaded region, which of the following are true?

Figure
A

I and II only.

B

I and III only.

C

II and III only.

D

I, II and III.

2015 · Paper 2 Q37 Arithmetic and geometric sequences and their summations

Let xnx_n be the nnth term of a geometric sequence. If x6=216x_6 = 216 and x8=96x_8 = 96, which of the following must be true?

I. x3=729x_3 = 729

II. x5x7>1\frac{x_5}{x_7} > 1

III. x2+x4+x6+s+x2n<2015x_2 + x_4 + x_6 + \cdot s + x_{2n} < 2015

A

I only.

B

II only.

C

I and III only.

D

II and III only.

2015 · Paper 2 Q38 More about trigonometry

For 0qx<3600^{\circ} \le q x < 360^{\circ}, how many roots does the equation cos2xsinx=1\cos^{2}x - \sin x = 1 have?

A

22.

B

33.

C

44.

D

55.

2015 · Paper 2 Q39 More about trigonometry

Let kk be a positive constant and 180<θ<180-180^\circ < \theta < 180^\circ. If the figure shows the graph of y=sin(kx+θ)y = \sin(kx^\circ + \theta), then

Figure
A

k=12k=\frac{1}{2} and θ=30\theta=-30^{\circ}.

B

k=12k=\frac{1}{2} and θ=30\theta=30^{\circ}.

C

k=2k=2 and θ=30\theta=-30^{\circ}.

D

k=2k=2 and θ=30\theta=30^{\circ}.

2015 · Paper 2 Q41 Equations of circles

Find the constant kk such that the circle x2+y2+2x6y+k=0x^{2}+y^{2}+2x-6y+k=0 and the straight line x+y+4=0x+y+4=0 intersect at only one point.

A

16-16

B

8-8

C

88

D

1616

2015 · Paper 2 Q42 Centres of triangles

Let OO be the origin. The coordinates of the points PP and QQ are (0,60)(0, 60) and (96,48)(96, 48) respectively. The xx-coordinate of the orthocentre of ΔOPQ\Delta OPQ is

A

66.

B

3232.

C

4545.

D

4848.

2015 · Paper 2 Q43 Permutations and combinations

A queue is formed by 6 boys and 2 girls. If no girls are next to each other, how many different queues can be formed?

A
B
C
D
2015 · Paper 2 Q44 More about probability

Bag P contains 2 red balls and 4 green balls while bag Q contains 1 red ball and 3 green balls. If a bag is randomly chosen and then a ball is randomly drawn from the bag, find the probability that a green ball is drawn.

A

310\frac{3}{10}.

B

710\frac{7}{10}.

C

724\frac{7}{24}.

D

1724\frac{17}{24}.

2015 · Paper 2 Q45 Measures of dispersion

Let x1x_{1}, y1y_{1} and z1z_{1} be the mean, the median and the variance of a group of numbers {a1,a2,a3,,a50}\{a_{1}, a_{2}, a_{3}, \ldots, a_{50}\} respectively while x2x_{2}, y2y_{2} and z2z_{2} be the mean, the median and the variance of the group of numbers {a1,a2,a3,,a49}\{a_{1}, a_{2}, a_{3}, \ldots, a_{49}\} respectively. If x1=a50x_{1} = a_{50}, which of the following must be true?

I. x1=x2x_{1}=x_{2}

II. y1qy2y_{1}\ge q y_{2}

III. z1qz2z_{1}\le q z_{2}

A

I and II only

B

I and III only

C

II and III only

D

I, II and III

2017 · Paper 1 Q1 Formulae
(a)

Make yy the subject of the formula k=3xyyk=\frac{3x-y}{y}. (3 marks)

2017 · Paper 1 Q2 Laws of integral indices
(a)

Simplify (m4n1)3(m2)5\frac{(m^{4}n^{-1})^{3}}{(m^{-2})^{5}} and express your answer with positive indices.

2017 · Paper 1 Q3 More about polynomials
(a)
(i)

x24xy+3y2x^{2}-4x y+3y^{2}

(ii)

x24xy+3y2+11x33y.x^{2}-4x y+3y^{2}+11x-33y\quad. (3 marks)

2017 · Paper 1 Q4 Linear equations in one unknown

There are only two kinds of admission tickets for a theatre: regular tickets and concessionary tickets. The prices of a regular ticket and a concessionary ticket are $126$126 and $78$78 respectively. On a certain day, the number of regular tickets sold is 5 times the number of concessionary tickets sold and the sum of money for the admission tickets sold is $50,976$50,976. Find the total number of admission tickets sold that day. (4 marks)

2017 · Paper 1 Q5 Inequalities and linear programming
(a)

Find the range of values of xx which satisfy both 7(x2)q11x+837(x-2)\le q\frac{11x+8}{3} and 6x<56-x<5.

(b)

How many integers satisfy both inequalities in (a)? (4 marks)

2017 · Paper 1 Q6 Rectangular coordinate system

The coordinates of the points AA and BB are (3,4)(-3, 4) and (9,9)(9, -9) respectively. AA is rotated anticlockwise about the origin through 9090^{\circ} to AA'. BB' is the reflection image of BB with respect to the xx-axis.

(a)

Write down the coordinates of AA' and BB'.

(b)

Prove that ABAB is perpendicular to ABA'B'. (4 marks)