Texas Success Initiative (TSI) Sample Questions.
Mathematics and Statistics.
The Texas Success Initiative (TSI) Mathematics and Statistics test contains questions that
measure proficiency in four content areas. The four content areas are as follows:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Elementary Algebra and Functions — Topics covered in this category include:
 Algebraic expressions and equations
• Linear equations, inequalities and systems
• Word problems and applications
Intermediate Algebra and Functions — Topics covered in this category include:
• Quadratic and other polynomial expressions, equations and functions
• Expressions, equations and functions involving powers, roots and radicals
• Rational and exponential expressions, equations and functions
Geometry and Measurement — Topics covered in this category include:
• Plane geometry
• Transformations and symmetry
• Linear, area and three-dimensional measurements
Data Analysis, Statistics and Probability — Topics covered in this category include:
 Interpreting categorical and quantitative data
• Statistical measures
• Probabilistic reasoning.
Practice Questions:
Elementary Algebra and Functions
1
If 3t − 7 = 5t , then 6t =
A) 21
2
3
C) −21
D) −42
Find the values for a and b that satisfy both of the following equations, add the values found together
to get one number:
3a + 4b = 11
and
b = 2a
A) 3
B) 7
C) 11
D) 2
The variables x and y are directly proportional, and y = 2 when x = 3.
What is the value of y when x = 9 ?
A) 4
4
B) −7
B) 6
C) 8
D) 12
A group of 18 people ordered soup and sandwiches for lunch. Each person in the group had either
one soup or one sandwich. The sandwiches cost $7.75 each and the soups cost $4.50 each. If the total
cost of all 18 lunches was $113.50, how many sandwiches were ordered?
A) 7
B) 8
C) 9
D) 10
5
In the xy -plane above, point C has coordinates (6, 9).
Which of the following is an equation of the line that contains points O and C ?
A) y = x – 3
6
3x³ - 2x² + 10
C) 234
B) [10, 20]
C) (-2.5, ∞)
D) 150
10 – 4Z ≤ 20
D) [-2.5, ∞)
B) 6
C) 2/3
D) 3/2
B) 2
C) 8
D) 4
A group of 100 people, some students and some faculty, attended a museum opening. Each student
paid $10 per person for entrance to the museum and each of the faculty paid $25 per person for
entrance. If the total paid, for all 100 people, was $1300, how many students attended the museum
opening?
A) 20
12
B) 170
D) x = 11
If 6m + 4 = 8m, then 4m =
A) 6
11
D) y = (3/2)x
The variables x and y are inversely proportional, and y = 2 when x = 3.
What is the value of y when x = 9?
A) 54
10
C) x = 2
Solve for Z and express your answer in interval notation:
A) (∞, 2.5]
9
B) x = 5
Evaluate the following expression for x = 4:
A) 10
8
C) y = (2/3)x
Solve for x in 3x + 5 = 11
A) x = 3
7
B) y = x + 3
B) 50
C) 70
D) 80
Sales of frozen pizza for a club fundraiser increased from 500 one year to 705 the next year. What was
the percent increase?
A) 70.9%
B) 59%
C) 41%
D) 29.1%
Intermediate Algebra and Functions
1
There are 3x − 2 trees planted in each row of a rectangular parcel of land.
If there are a total of 24x −16 trees planted in the parcel, how many rows of trees are there in the
parcel?
A) 21x −18
2
B) 21x −14
B) x² + 2x − 3 = 0
B) −12
D) x² + 4x + 3 = 0
C) −2
D) 12
x⁴ −1 =
A) (x +1)(x −1)(x² +1)
5
C) x²− 4x + 3 = 0
In the xy -plane, what is the y -intercept of the graph of the equation y = 2(x + 3)(x − 4)?
A) −24
4
D) 8
Which of the following equations has both 1 and −3 as solutions?
A) x² − 2x − 3 = 0
3
C) 8x
B) (x +1)² (x −1)²
C) (x +1)³ (x −1)
D) (x −1)⁴
(3x² y³ )³ =
6
If √5 − x = 4,
then x =
A) −21
B) −11
C) 1
D) 11
A) −21
B) −19
C) –(1/19)
D) (1/21)
7
8
A ball was kicked into the air from a balcony 20 feet above the ground, and the ball’s height above
the ground, in feet, t seconds after the ball was kicked was h(t) = 20 −16t² + 32t. What was the
maximum height, in feet, of the ball above the ground after it was kicked?
A) 32
B) 34
C) 36
D) 40
9
What is the domain of the function:
f(x) = 2x + 7
3x - 9
A) x ≠ 3
B) x ≠ 9
C) x ≠ - (7/2)
D) R
10
Solve this Quadratic Equation by factoring. Add the two answers together to determine a final
answer.
3x² + 10x = 8
11
A softball is tossed into the air upward from a first floor balcony. The distance of the ball above the
ground at any time is given by the function, h(t) = 14 + 32t – 16t² , where h(t) is the height of the
softball above the ground (in feet) and t is the time (in seconds). What was the maximum height, in
feet, of the softball above the ground after it was thrown?
A) 28
B) 30
C) 32
D) 34
12
In the xy-plane, what is the y-intercept of the graph of the equation y = √4 - x?
A) 2
B) 4
C) 16
D) There is no y-intercept.
C) 5
D) 1/7
13
14
If x + 1 = 6, then
x
A) 7
15
B) (x² + 4)(x² +9)
C) (x-2)(x+2)(x-3)(x+3)
D) (x²-4)(x²+9)
Which of the following equations has both 2 and −4 as solutions?
A) x² + 6x + 8 = 0
17
B) 1/5
x⁴ - 13x² + 36 =
A) (x-2)² (x-3)²
16
x=
B) x² - 2x – 8 = 0
C) x² + 2x - 8 = 0
D) x² - 2x + 8 = 0
Which of the following quadratic functions has a maximum?
A) 2x² - y = 3x – 2
B) y = x² + 4x + 16
C) y - x² + 6 = 9x
D) y + 3x² = 9
Geometry and Measurement
1
The yard behind the Cindy’s house is rectangular in shape and has a perimeter of 72 feet. If the length
l of the yard is 18 feet longer than the width w of the yard, what is the area of the yard, in square
feet?
A) 36
2
C) 8√3
D) √12
B) 4
C) 8
D) 6
B) 11
C) 0
D) 55
The perimeter of a square is 20 ft. If you increase the length of the square by 2 feet and decrease the
width by 1 foot, what is the area, in square feet, of the new figure?
A) 22
6
B) 3√8
A farmer has 1235 trees to be planted on a rectangular parcel of land. If there are 24 trees planted in
each row and each row must be complete before it is planted, how many trees will be left over after
planting?
A) 21
5
D) 486
The length of a rectangle is eight centimeters less than twice the width.
The area of the rectangle is 24 centimeters squared.
Determine the dimensions of the rectangle in centimeters.
A) 2
4
C) 243
The hypotenuse of a right triangle is 14 in. If the base of the triangle is 2 in, determine the length of
the remaining side.
A) 8
3
B) 144
B) 28
C) 35
D) 40
In the xy−coordinate plane shown below, point P has coordinates (8, −6). Which of the following is an
equation of the line that contains points O and P?
7
Ms. Hill wants to carpet her rectangular living room, which measures 14 feet by 11 feet. If the carpet
she wants to purchase costs $1.50 per square foot, including tax, how much will it cost to carpet her
living room?
A) $50
8
B) 352 cm²
C) 2 cm²
D) 658 cm²
B) Point R
C) Point S
D) Point T
What is the value of x in the diagram?
A) 13
11
D) $231
Which point on the number line below is farthest away from √6
A) Point Q
10
C) $154
The three squares shown below are joined at their vertices to form a right triangle.
What is the area of the shaded square?
A) 80 cm²
9
B) $75
B) 18
C) 33
D) Not enough information
What is the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle with leg lengths of 8 inches and 15 inches?
A) 13 inches
B) 17 inches
C 21 inches
D 25 inches
12
What is the area of a right triangle with a leg length of 15 feet and a hypotenuse length of 39 feet?
A) 270 ft2
B) 292.5 ft2
C) 540 ft2
D) 585 ft2
Data Analysis, Statistics and Probability
1
2
The table shows the high temperature last Thursday for five cities, A through E. If the median of the
Thursday high temperatures for these cities was 81°F, which of the following could NOT have been
the high temperature last Thursday for City A ?
A) 85°F
B) 75°F
C) 65°F
D) 55°F
There are 20 children in the cast of a class play, and 8 of the children are boys. Of the boys, 4 have a
speaking part in the play, and of the girls, 8 do not have a speaking part in the play. If a child from the
cast of the play is chosen at random, what is the probability that the child has a speaking part?
A) 2/5
3
B) ½
B) Standard deviation will increased by 5
D) Standard deviation will not change
Melanie and Marlene are among ten students who have applied for a Dallas Cowboy game.
Two students from the group will be selected at random for the trip.
What is the probability that Melanie and Marlene will be the two lucky students selected?
A) 1/45
5
D) ¾
Joselyn found the mean and standard deviation of the set of numbers given below:
3, 6, 2, 1, 7, 5
If she adds 5 to each number which of the following will result?
A) The mean will be multiplied by 5
C) The mean will not change
4
C) 3/5
B) 2/45
C) 1/5
D) 2/5
The table below shows the cost of purchasing a standard stapler at five office supply stores, A
through E. If the median cost of purchasing a standard stapler for these stores was $17.99, which of
the following could NOT have been the cost of the stapler for Store A?
A) $ 19.95
B) $ 18.95
C) $ 16.95
D) $ 19.25
6
The ratio of Sam's age to Hank's age is 5 to 3. If the sum of their ages is 24, how old is Hank?
A) 21
7
B) 80
C) 96
D) 107
B) $ 91.53
C) $ 93.27
D) $ 78.26
B) White
C) Blue
D) Yellow
B) 25
C) 15
D) 12
The math club at MECHS surveyed 180 students and found that 36 of them have a March birthday.
Based on this information, which is the best prediction of the number of students at MECHS who
have a March birthday if there are 867 students enrolled?
A) 289
13
D) ¼
At an automobile dealership, 2 out of every 12 cars sold are red. Which is the best prediction of the
number of red cars sold when the automobile dealer sells 150 cars?
A) 75
12
C) ½
A spinner was spun 20 times. The results are shown in the table below.
Which color on the spinner has the same experimental probability as theoretical probability?
A) Red
11
B) 0
John Lee's savings account has a balance of $1,373. After 15 months, what will the amount of interest
be at 5.7% per year?
A) $ 97.83
10
D) 9
Find the average of 99, 107, 87, 103, and 84.
A) 99
9
C) 19
A six−sided die, with sides numbered 1,2, 3,4,5, and 6, is tossed. What is the probability of tossing a
number less than three?
A) 1/3
8
B) 15
B) 173
C) 72
D) 24
Given the set of data {20, 15, 10, 20, 15, 10, 20, 20, 50}, which statement best interprets the data?
A) Only the mean is 20.
C) The mean, median, and mode are all 20.
B) The range of the set of data is 20.
D) The mode and median are not the same.