Geometric reasoning and simple proofs worksheet — GCSE Foundation

1.Two angles lie on a straight line. One angle is 118°. Which reason correctly explains why the other angle is 62°?

2.Triangles LMN and XYZ have LM = XY, MN = YZ and LN = XZ. Give a reason why triangle LMN is congruent to triangle XYZ.

3.Lines GH and JK are parallel. A straight line crosses GH at point M and crosses JK at point N. Angle HMN = 71°. Angle HMN and angle MNK are alternate angles. Work out angle MNK.

4.A vertical flagpole casts a shadow 6 m long at the same time as a 1.2 m vertical post casts a shadow 1.8 m long. The flagpole and the post are both vertical, and the triangles formed by each object, its shadow, and the sun's ray are similar. Work out the height of the flagpole.

5.A ramp is built from two straight metal supports that rest on the flat ground and meet each other at the top, forming a triangle with the ground. One support meets the ground at 34°. The angle between the two supports where they meet is 71°. Work out the angle between the second support and the ground.

6.Triangle ABC is right-angled at B. Triangle DEF is right-angled at E. AB = DE = 6 cm and AC = DF = 10 cm (AC and DF are the hypotenuses of their triangles). A student says this is not enough information to prove the triangles are congruent, because only two sides are given. Which reason shows the student is wrong?

7.Triangle XYZ has angle X = 90°. Angle Y = 34°. Work out angle Z.

8.Two triangular offcuts of wood, PQR and STU, are cut for a construction project. PQ = 8 cm, QR = 6 cm and angle PQR = 90°. ST = 8 cm, TU = 6 cm and angle STU = 90°. A carpenter wants to check the two pieces are identical in shape and size before using them as a matching pair. Using only the measurements given, and without working out any further lengths, which condition proves that triangle PQR is congruent to triangle STU?

9.A children's slide is built as a right-angled triangle: the vertical ladder side is 2.4 m, the horizontal base along the ground is 3.2 m, and the sloping slide is the third side. Work out the exact length of the sloping slide.

10.Two straight lines AB and CD cross at point O. Angle AOC = 74°. Work out angle AOD.

11.A quadrilateral has angles of 100°, 85° and 95° at three of its vertices. Work out the fourth angle.

12.Triangle PQR has angle P = 90°. The side PQ = 9 cm and the hypotenuse QR = 15 cm. Work out the length of PR.

13.Lines AB and CD are parallel. A straight line EF crosses AB at point P and crosses CD at point Q. At P, angle APE = 65°. Angle APE and angle BPQ are vertically opposite. Angle BPQ and angle PQD are co-interior (allied) angles. Work out angle PQD.

14.A rectangular gate is braced with a diagonal strut. The gate is 1.2 m wide and 0.9 m tall. Work out the exact length of the diagonal strut.

15.In triangle ABC, point D lies on side AB and point E lies on side AC, so that DE is parallel to BC. AD = 3 cm, DB = 6 cm and DE = 4 cm. Work out the length of BC.