STAAR (State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness) Algebra I

And now for something completely different.

While I'm waiting for new Regents exams to come along, I looked to other states for standardized tests that have been made public.

It's nice to say how other states live, right?

More STAAR problems.

Administered May 2019

Read each question carefully. For a multiple-choice question, determine the best answer to the question from the four answer choices provided. For a griddable question, determine the best answer to the question.


1. What is the slope of the graph of y = 12x - 19?

A -19
B -12/19
C 19/12
D 12

Answer: D 12
The exquation is in slope-intercept form, y = mx + b. The slope, m, is the coefficient of the variable x, which in this case is 12.
The 19 represents the y-intercept and isn't relevant to this questions.

2. A golfer hit a golf ball from a tee box that is 6 yards above the ground. The graph shows the height in yards of the golf ball above the ground as a quadratic function of x, the horizontal distance in yards of the golf ball from the tee box.

What is the domain of the function for this situation?
F 0 < x < 230
G 6 < y < 36
H 0 < x < 36
J 6 < y < 230

Answer: F 0 < x < 230
The domain refers to the x values, not the y values, so choices G and J are immediately eliminated. Also, the 36 refers to the height, which is y. The horizontal distance is 230.



3. Which value of x makes the equation 1.25(4x − 10) = 7.5 true?

A 3.5
B -1
C -0.5
D 4

Answer: D 4
Since it is multiple choice, you could just check each solution.
In fact, with the TI calucluators you could enter

1.25(4*{3.5 -1 -0.5 4} - 10) and see which value gives you 7.5.\

Or you can solve it

1.25(4x - 10) = 7.5
4x - 10 = 6
4x = 16
x = 4

4.Which function is equivalent to g(x) = x² + 15x - 54 ?
F g(x) = (x + 9)(x - 6)
G g(x) = (x + 18)(x - 3)
H g(x) = (x - 9)(x + 6)
J g(x) = (x - 18)(x + 3)

Answer: G g(x) = (x + 18)(x - 3)
Which pair of binomials has a product that is equivalent to the given statement? Or, how do you factor the given quadratic function?

The factors of -54 are -6 and +9, +9 and -9, -3 and + 18, and +3 and -18. Of those pairs, which sums to +15? The answer is +18 and -3.

Tricky question because they could have asked about x² + 15x + 54 and got an entirely different answer that doesn't involve just flipping signs.



5. The table shows the linear relationship between the average height in feet of trees on a tree farm and the number of years since the trees were planted.

What is the rate of change of the average height in feet of the trees on the farm with respect to the number of years since the trees were planted?

A 14 ft/yr
B 3 ft/yr
C 7 ft/yr
D 10 ft/yr

Answer: C 7 ft/yr
To find the average, find the rate of change from the first and the last point, (1, 10) and (15, 108).
So m = (108 - 10) / (15 - 1) = 98 / 14 = 7.



More to come. Comments and questions welcome.

More STAAR problems.

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