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Worksheet generator
Pick what you want, print the page. The answer key comes with it, on its own sheet, and it tells you the mistake behind every wrong choice — not just which letter is right.
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1.A three-digit code uses only the digits 1, 2 and 3, and digits may repeat. How many such codes contain at least one 3?[5]
A8
B9
C12
D19
E27
2.A number is 4 more than a third of itself. Which of the choices is that number?[5]
A3
B6
C8
D12
E18
3.How many three-digit whole numbers contain at least one digit 7?[5]
A243
B252
C271
D280
E648
4.One of nine identical-looking coins is slightly heavier. Using only a balance, what is the smallest number of weighings that is certain to find it?[5]
A1
B2
C3
D4
E8
5.You reach the ten 5-point questions with 18 minutes left. What is the best plan?[5]
AStart at the first and work through in order until time runs out
BRead all ten quickly, pick the two or three that look most doable, and fill in every answer before the end
CSpend the whole time on the last question, since it is the hardest
DAnswer the ones with the shortest statements
EDivide the time evenly, about 1.8 minutes each
6.Four children stand in a line. Ana is not first. Bo stands directly behind Ana. Cal is last. Who is first?[5]
AAna
BBo
CCal
DDee
Eit cannot be decided
7.Squares of dots grow: 1 dot, then 4, then 9, then 16. How many dots are in the seventh square?[5]
A25
B36
C42
D49
E64
8.A drawer holds 12 red socks, 10 blue socks and 8 green socks, all mixed up. You take socks out one at a time in the dark. What is the smallest number of socks you must take to be certain of having three of the same colour?[5]
A4
B7
C9
D13
E3
9.What is the last digit of 3 multiplied by itself 2026 times, that is, of 3 to the power 2026?[5]
A3
B9
C7
D1
E6
10.What is the smallest number n such that ANY collection of n whole numbers must contain two of them whose difference is divisible by 7?[5]
A8
B7
C14
D15
E4
Math Kangaroo Star · https://kangaroo-atlas.vercel.app · seed 6 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · Independent project, not affiliated with Math Kangaroo in USA, NFP.
Answer key — Math Kangaroo practice
Each wrong choice carries the thinking that produces it. When a student picks C, this is what they were doing.
1.D — 19KA-0018Complementary counting
AI counted the codes that avoid 3 entirely and gave that as my answer without subtracting.
BI counted the codes with a 3 in the first position only and forgot the other two positions.
CI counted the codes with exactly one 3 and forgot the ones with two or three of them.
EI counted every possible code and forgot to remove the ones with no 3 at all.
2.B — 6KA-0045Back-solve from the answer choices
AI tested the smallest choice first and stopped at the first one that felt about right.
CI read a third of itself as three times itself and solved the wrong equation.
DI reversed the comparison, finding a number whose third is 4 less than itself in the wrong direction.
EI picked the largest choice because dividing by three made me expect a big starting number.
3.B — 252KA-0075Complementary counting
AI counted the numbers made entirely of digits other than 7 in every position, including a leading zero.
CI counted the numbers with a 7 in each position separately and forgot that some were counted twice.
DI added three lots of 90 and one extra hundred, double counting the 700s.
EI counted the numbers with no 7 at all and gave that instead of subtracting it.
4.B — 2KA-0094Weighing and balance puzzles
AI assumed one weighing could separate nine possibilities, but it has only three outcomes.
CI split the coins into halves each time, which wastes the balance's third outcome.
DI weighed the coins one against another in pairs rather than in groups.
EI compared each coin with a known good one in turn, which always works but is nowhere near the fewest.
5.B — Read all ten quickly, pick the two or three that look most doable, and fill in every answer before the endKA-0130Managing the 5-point block
AI worked in order, so a hard early question could eat the time meant for easier later ones.
CI assumed the hardest question is worth the most, but every question in this block scores the same.
DI used length as a proxy for difficulty, which is not reliable in this block.
EI spread the time equally, which is too little for the questions I could do and wasted on the ones I could not.
6.D — DeeKA-0136Ordering and ranking from clues
AI ignored the very first clue, which rules Ana out of the front directly.
BI put Bo at the front, but Bo must have Ana immediately in front of him.
CI forgot that Cal is fixed at the back of the line.
EI stopped once two arrangements seemed possible, without testing whether the second one actually fits every clue.
7.D — 49KA-0138Growth patterns and figurate numbers
AI continued the pattern to the fifth square instead of the seventh.
BI stopped one square short, giving the sixth instead of the seventh.
CI added 6 to the sixth square's 36, treating the differences as constant.
EI continued one square too far and gave the eighth.
8.B — 7KA-0157The pigeonhole principle
AI thought that one more than the number of colours must give three of a kind, which only guarantees a PAIR.
CI got to two of each colour, then added one more for each colour instead of one more in total.
DI assumed the worst case meant emptying the largest pile of 12 reds first.
EI answered with the number of socks I want rather than the number I must take to be sure of them.
9.B — 9KA-0158Last-digit behavior of products and powers
AI used the first entry of the cycle because 2026 is even, without working out where in the cycle it lands.
CI counted the cycle starting from zero, so a remainder of 2 put me one place too far along.
DI assumed a power that large must end in 1.
EI multiplied 3 by 2 and used the last digit of that.
10.A — 8KA-0175The pigeonhole principle
BI used the number of possible remainders without adding one for the pair that must collide.
CI doubled 7, thinking I needed two full sets of remainders.
DI doubled 7 and added one, applying the pigeonhole idea to the wrong number of boxes.
EI guessed from small cases without identifying what the boxes actually are.