Grade Three Homework Problem

Factual Questions
1

My 9 year old has a homework problem to solve and she asked me to help. I dont know if I am getting stupid in my old age or if the question is wrong. If it is the question, this is not the first time something was sent home that makes no sense. So here it goes…

JUST FOR FUN:CHAIN WORDS

Write the sentences below. Add the missing letter to the first sentence in each group. Use the same letter for the next sentence and add one more and so on.

  1. _n A pig lives _ _ a sty.

  2. _ _ _ If you beat a person at tennis you _ _ _

  3. _ _ _ _ A _ _ _ _ is one of two born on the same day.

  4. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ is another name for string.
    So these ones make sense when done like this.

  5. A pig lives IN a sty.

  6. If you beat a person at tennis you WIN.

  7. A TWIN is one of two born the same day.

  8. TWINE is another name for string.
    The second set is where I am having a problem.

  9. _ o I like _ _ drink lemonade.

  10. _ _ _ There are a _ _ _ of people in China.

  11. _ _ _ _ You cannot find things that are _ _ _ _ .

  12. _ _ _ _ _ The thief _ _ _ _ _ the jewels.
    I am thinking it should be this way

  13. I like TO drink lemonade.

  14. There are a TON of people in China

This is where I get lost, am I missing something very obvious or is the question wrong.

I can only think that for a grade three student the answers would be

  1. You cannot find things that are LOST.

  2. The thief STOLE the jewels.
    So what say the Dopers of the planet… I’ll give ya a quarter if you do my homework!

2

There are a lot of people in China.

3

There are a LOT of peeps in China

ninja’d!

4

I like OT drink lemonade?

5

My bad I just assumed they would do it like the other ones. The way I presented them here is backwards from the way they are on the page, meaning 1-4 was actually the second set on the page. She had no problem with the second set, numbered 1-4 here, but the first set, numbered 5-8 here are the ones that confused us. Generally with these things the complexity increases as the lesson goes on.

Thanks for the help!

6

The instructions don’t actually say that you’ve got to keep the letters in the same order, but going by the first set, it’s pretty strongly implied that you would.

The second set just has a set of mixed-up ones (surely it can’t be that hard to find a set of four words that keep adding letters only to the front or to the end of the word?)

So I’d say badly-written, rather than outright wrong, directions.

7

I was just going to ask if anyone found the directions to be more confusing than need be. I have been noticing this lately and thought maybe it was me.

8

You Canadian?

9

to, lot, lost, stole.

10

Yes…why?

11

I knew it! Canadians can never do this kind of puzzle.

Actually, you used something that I am coming to see as a shibboleth for Canadians: “grade three” (as opposed to “third grade”).

12

??? I was born and raised in the United States and I’ve always said “grade three” (or whatever) about as often as I say “third grade”. And so do most of the Americans I know. I’ve never considered the usage to be particularly odd or unusual or considered to be peculiar to a particular region.

13

The obvious answer is “14 k of g . . .” nope, can’t do it.

14

Born and raised in California and I’ve always thought the “grade three” thing was Canadian as well.

15

Grade three, haha! I thought that meant like, “really difficult.”

16

Unless there is some explicit statement that the letters must be in order it appears they can be jumbled.

“6. There are a TON of people in China” - should be "lots’

to-lot-lost-stolen