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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Many people assume that cashiers can calculate ________.

2. Which is not mentioned as being a way to teach children?

3. When a student reaches college it is impossible to take the time to teach ________.

4. Which president is mentioned in the beginning of this chapter?

5. What is often caused by childhood trauma?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the discussion regarding the number of certainties involved in math?

2. Discuss the story of the student, the professor, and UFOs.

3. Explain Paulos' example about Ronald Regan and the incorrect use of substitution values.

4. How common is innumeracy? What is the opinion of the general population regarding the subject?

5. Why is the innumeracy in this case surprising to many?

6. What is the downfall of technology in regards to innumeracy?

7. What are the most obvious causes of innumeracy?

8. What other fallacies were contributed by Freud?

9. What is another commonly overlooked skill in elementary math classes? Why is it an issue?

10. What is the author's opinion of parapsychology as a pseudoscience?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Paulos tells a story of a man who is afraid of a bomb being aboard his airplane. Recount the story and the motive behind the man's actions. Does it make sense to you? According to Paulos' explanation, was it a logical or irrational move? What are the probabilities that the man was right? What are the odds that the bomb would go off in the man's briefcase? What might you have done in a similar situation?

Essay Topic 2

Paulos talks about relating various mathematical functions and algorithms to every day life. Why? What is different about using math in the classroom as opposed to every day events? How could it benefit or hinder one's learning process? Give examples of the use of these functions in at least five scenarios.

Essay Topic 3

Choose at least three famous people. Link yourself to that person through as few intermediate links as possible. Were you surprised at the results? Write out each experiment and compare results.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 643 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample