More Sideways Arithmetic From Wayside School Read online

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  Rondi (minus five)

  1. Greece

  2. Chile

  3. Iceland

  4. Turkey

  5. Australia

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  Allison (minus five)

  1. Chile

  2. Turkey

  3. Iceland

  4. Australia

  5. Greece

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  Jason (minus five)

  1. Greece

  2. Chile

  3. Australia

  4. Iceland

  5. Turkey

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  Stephen (minus five)

  1. Greece

  2. Australia

  3. Iceland

  4. Turkey

  5. Chile

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  Mrs. Jewls remembered the questions she asked, but she didn’t remember what order she asked them.

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  (a) What country sounds spicy?

  (b) In what country would you expect to find a lot of Australians?

  (c) What country sounds like a bird or a nerd?

  (d) What country sounds like oily dirt?

  (e) What country sounds like a great place to have an ice skating party?

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  Here is Benjamin’s answer sheet. What was his grade?

  Benjamin

  1. Turkey

  2. Iceland

  3. Chile

  4. Greece

  5. Australia

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  (Clue on page 43. Hint on page 45.)

  PROBLEM 37

  Mrs. Jewls found all the answer sheets from a test on transportation. However, only four had the grades marked. Eric Fry, Eric Bacon, and Eric Ovens each got two right. Sue only got one right.

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  Eric Fry (two right)

  1. rocket ship

  2. airplane

  3. bus

  4. train

  5. boat

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  Eric Bacon (two right)

  1. airplane

  2. boat

  3. rocket ship

  4. bus

  5. train

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  Eric Ovens (two right)

  1. boat

  2. train

  3. bus

  4. airplane

  5. rocket ship

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  Sue (one right)

  1. airplane

  2. train

  3. bus

  4. rocket ship

  5. boat

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  Mrs. Jewls remembered the questions she asked for the test, but unfortunately, she couldn’t remember the order in which she asked them.

  These were the questions she asked.

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  (a) What form of transportation should you take, if you are in a hurry to get from Alaska to Florida?

  (b) What form of transportation runs on tracks?

  (c) What takes kids to school, is often yellow, and smells terrible?

  (d) What form of transportation would you take to get to the moon?

  (e) What form of transportation should you take to get across a lake?

  Mrs. Jewls needs to figure out the order in which she asked those questions, so she could grade the rest of the class’s tests. In what order were they asked?

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  (Clue on page 44. Hint on page 45.)

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  Chapter 12

  The New Flagpole

  The flagpole in front of Wayside School was struck by lightning.

  Mrs. Jewls’s class got to choose a new one.

  “I think we should get a taller one this time,” said Deedee. “Because our school is so tall. Next to the school, the old flagpole looked kind of puny.”

  “The taller the better!” agreed Ron.

  “Right on!” hollered Mac.

  “Hold on a second,” said Eric Fry. “If we get it too tall, then the people standing at the bottom won’t be able to see the flag way up on top.”

  “He’s right,” said Dana. “We can’t get it too tall.” Dana had trouble seeing the flag without her glasses.

  “We don’t need a shorter flagpole,” said Sharie. “We need a bigger flag! I say we get a real tall pole, and a giant flag!”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that,” said Stephen. “It will take a lot of work to raise a giant flag up a tall flagpole every day.”

  It was Stephen’s job to raise the flag.

  “Don’t be so unpatriotic!” said Jason. “You should be willing to work hard to show you love your country.”

  “Let’s see you raise the flag,” said Stephen.

  “I would,” said Jason, “but my arm hurts from playing Nintendo.”

  “I agree with Stephen,” said Todd. “We should get a short flagpole. That way it won’t get hit by lightning again.”

  “Lightning never strikes the same place twice,” said Deedee.

  “Sometimes it does,” said Todd. “I heard about a man who was struck by lightning twice. The first time he lived, but the second time he died. And then, fifty years later, lightning struck his tombstone.”

  “Yeah, but he was in a different place all three times,” Deedee pointed out. “The flagpole is always in the same place.”

  “But it’s a different flagpole,” said Dameon.

  “So, that doesn’t make any difference,” said Deedee. “Does it, Mrs. Jewls?”

  “Huh?” asked Mrs. Jewls.

  “If lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice, which is more important: the place; or the thing being struck by it?”

  “Say what?” asked Mrs. Jewls. She told everyone to write down what he or she thought would be the perfect flagpole height.

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  This chart shows the results.

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  6 Ft............................ Stephen

  10 Ft.......................... Dana

  25 Ft.......................... Todd, Eric Fry, Allison, Rondi, Myron, Benjamin, Sue

  30 Ft.......................... Dameon

  50 Ft.......................... Bebe, Calvin

  60 Ft.......................... Joe, John

  65 Ft.......................... Kathy

  75 Ft.......................... Sharie, Mac, Joy

  80 Ft., 6 inches.......... D.J.

  85 Ft.......................... Leslie, Paul, Eric Ovens, Terrence

  91 Ft.......................... Eric Bacon

  100 Ft........................ Deedee, Ron, Jenny, Maurecia,

  Jason

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  (You will need to refer to the chart in order to answer the next 6 questions. There are no clues or hints for this set of problems.)

  PROBLEM 38

  Which height was chosen by the most students?

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  “I guess the flagpole will be 25 feet tall,” said Mrs. Jewls. “Since more people chose that height than any other.”

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  (I know. I just gave away the answer to problem 38, but it was a pretty easy question.)

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  “Hey that’s not fair,” said Jenny. “ ‘A hundred feet’ came in second! There should be a vote between ‘twenty-five feet’ and ‘a hundred feet.’ ”

  “That sounds fair,” agreed Mrs. Jewls.

  PROBLEM 39

  They voted. Each student had to vote for either “25 feet” or “100 feet.”

  Naturally each child voted for the number that was closer to his or her original choice. For example, Eric Bacon voted for “100 ft.” because 91 is closer to 100. Stephe
n voted for 25 ft. because it was closer to 6 ft.

  What was the outcome of the vote?

  “So that will be the height of the new flagpole,” said Mrs. Jewls.

  “But that’s not fair!” said Terrence. “Four people liked ‘85 feet.’ We’re entitled to a vote too.”

  “I guess you’re right,” said Mrs. Jewls.

  PROBLEM 40

  There was another vote. This time it was between “the winner of problem 39” and “85 feet.” Again each child voted for the number closer to his or her original choice. What was the outcome of this vote?

  “We should compromise,” said Bebe and Calvin. “Fifty feet is right in the middle. If we get a fifty foot flagpole everyone will be happy.”

  “Let’s vote,” said Mrs. Jewls.

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  PROBLEM 41

  This time everyone voted for either “50 feet” or “the winner of problem 40.” What was the outcome of this vote?

  As you might guess, everyone in the class demanded that his or her number be given a fair chance. So they continued having elections. It was very much like a game of tether ball at recess. After each vote, another number was given a chance to “play the winner,” until at last every number was voted upon.

  PROBLEM 42

  In every vote, between any two heights on the chart, it turned out that one child always voted for the height that won. Who was that child?

  PROBLEM 43

  What will be the height of the new flagpole? (Which height wins against any other height?)

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  Chapter 13

  Strange Facts

  (In each of the following problems you will be given a set of facts. You are to accept those facts as true, even if you think they’re preposterous.

  You will then be asked to come up with a conclusion based on those facts.

  There are no clues or hints for this set of problems.)

  PROBLEM 44

  Facts:

  1. All the girls in Mrs. Jewls’s class like unicorns.

  2. All the boys in Mrs. Jewls’s class like spaghetti.

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  Based on those two facts, which of the following conclusions must be true? (There may be more than one.)

  a: Jenny likes spaghetti.

  b: Rondi likes unicorns.

  c: Myron doesn’t like unicorns.

  d: Kathy hates unicorns.

  PROBLEM 45

  Using the same facts as in problem 44, Which of those four conclusions must be false? (There may be more than one.)

  PROBLEM 46

  Facts:

  1. Dana’s hair is longer than Joe’s hair.

  2. Joe has more hairs on his head than Dana.

  3. John’s hair is shorter than Joe’s.

  4. Dana has more hairs on her head than John.

  5. All of Joe’s, John’s, and Dana’s hairs are exactly the same thickness. In other words, if you plucked a hair from each of their heads, and cut each hair to the same length, the three hairs would all weigh the same.

  (If the hairs are not cut, then one of Dana’s hairs will weigh more than one of Joe’s hairs because Dana’s hairs are longer.)

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  (You might think a single hair doesn’t weigh anything, but imagine if you had a million hairs piled on a scale. That would certainly weigh something. Therefore each individual hair has to have some weight to it.)

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  Based on those facts, which of the following conclusions must be true? (There may be more than one.)

  a: John has more hairs than Joe.

  b: Dana’s hair is shorter than John’s.

  c: If Joe shaved his head and put all the pieces of hair in a pile, and if John shaved his head and put all the pieces in a different pile, and if Dana shaved her head and put all the pieces in a pile, Joe’s pile would weigh the most.

  d: If Joe shaved his head and put all the pieces of hair in a pile, and if John shaved his head and put all the pieces in a different pile, and if Dana shaved her head and put all the pieces in a pile, John’s pile would weigh the least.

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  e: If Joe shaved his head and put all the pieces of hair in a pile, and if John shaved his head and put all the pieces in a different pile, and if Dana shaved her head and put all the pieces in a pile, Dana’s pile would weigh the most.

  PROBLEM 47

  Using the same facts as in the last problem, which of those five conclusions must be false? (There may be more than one.)

  PROBLEM 48

  Facts:

  1. Deedee cannot eat just one baloneo. Aftershe eats one, she has to eat another. (And after she eats that one, she then has to eat another one, and after she eats that one, she has to eat another, and so on.)

  2. Ron likes to play kickball after eating lunch.

  3. Deedee is the only person in the school who will eat a baloneo.

  4. If Louis, the Yard Teacher, has to mop something up during lunch, then nobody will get to play kickball.

  5. If Miss Mush makes baloneos, then Deedee will eat one.

  6. If anybody throws up during lunch, then Louis will have to mop it up right away.

  7. A baloneo is similar to an Oreo cookie, except instead of the white part, there is a round hunk of baloney.

  8. If Deedee eats five baloneos, then she will throw up.

  9. Today at school, after they finished eating lunch, Ron played kickball and Deedee played four-square.

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  Based on those nine facts, which of the following conclusions must be true? (There may be more than one.)

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  a: Miss Mush did not make a big batch of baloneos for lunch.

  b: Deedee threw up.

  c: Baloneos taste great.

  d: Deedee throws up a lot.

  e: Deedee was absent.

  f: Ron was absent.

  PROBLEM 49

  Facts:

  1. If it rains in the morning, then Jenny will get wet on her way to school.

  2. If Jenny gets wet on the way to school, then she will sneeze in class.

  3. Mrs. Jewls will give a tissue to anyone who sneezes in class.

  4. If one person sneezes in Mrs. Jewls’s class, then at least three other children will also sneeze.

  5. Jason sneezed in Mrs. Jewls’s class yesterday.

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  Based on those facts, which of the following conclusions must be true? (There may be more than one.)

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  a: It rained yesterday morning.

  b: Mrs. Jewls gave Jenny a tissue yesterday.

  c: Mrs. Jewls didn’t give Jenny a tissue yesterday.

  d: Allison said, “God bless you, Jason.”

  e: Allison said, “Yuck, you’re gross, Jason!”

  f: Mrs. Jewls gave tissues to at least four children yesterday.

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  Chapter 14

  Game Day

  On the last day of school before vacation, the children got to compete in the “Wayside Olympics.” They had all kinds of races and other contests of great skill and courage.

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  Problems 50, 51, and 52 are based on the following set of facts. (There are no clues or hints for problems 50–52.)

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  1. Deedee is the fastest girl in Mrs. Jewls’s class.

  2. Dameon is the fastest boy in Mrs. Jewls’s class.

  3. The fastest runner in Mrs. Jewls’s class likes to read.

  4. Dameon likes to read.

  5. The second fastest runner in Mrs. Jewls’s class doesn’t like to read.

  6. The fastest runner in the class is shor
ter than Joe.

  7. Myron is taller than Joe.

  8. Dameon is taller than Myron.

  PROBLEM 50

  Who is the fastest runner in the class?

  PROBLEM 51

  Is the second fastest runner in Mrs. Jewls’s class a boy or a girl?

  PROBLEM 52

  Who is taller, Deedee or Myron?

  PROBLEM 53

  The Relay Race

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  Eight children raced in a relay race, four on each team. They were Todd, Paul, Leslie, Deedee, Joy, Maurecia, Sue, and Benjamin.

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  1. Leslie and Paul were on the same team.

  2. Todd and Joy were on different teams.

  3. Sue and Benjamin were on the same team.

  4. Deedee and Todd were on different teams.

  5. Benjamin and Maurecia were on different teams.

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  What were the two teams?

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  (Clue on page 44. Hint on page 45.)

  PROBLEM 54

  The Sack Race

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  Eight children ran in the sack race (four teams of two): Eric Fry, Eric Bacon, Eric Ovens, Terrence, Allison, Rondi, Jenny, and Sharie.

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  1. None of the Erics were together.

  2. A team with two girls finished ahead of Eric Ovens’s team.

  3. Eric Bacon’s team finished ahead of Terrence’s team.

  4. Sharie’s team finished ahead of Eric Fry’s team.

  5. Terrence’s team finished ahead of Jenny’s team.

  6. Jenny’s team finished ahead of Allison’s team.

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  What were the four teams, and in what order did they finish?

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  (Clue on page 44. Hint on page 45.)

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  PROBLEM 55

  The Stairway Races

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  There were two stairway races. In the first race, the children started at the bottom of the stairs and raced to the top. In the second race, they started at the top and raced to the bottom.

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  The racers were Dameon, Deedee, Ron, Allison, and Kathy.

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  1. The person who was the last to the top, turned out to be the winner of the race to the bottom.

  2. The person who won the race to the top, came in third in the race to the bottom.