Could You Finish a 3rd-Grade Homework Assignment?

By: Torrance Grey
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Could You Finish a 3rd-Grade Homework Assignment?
Image: Jose Luis Pelaez Inc / DigitalVision / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Could you finish a 3rd-grader's homework? If you've got young kids at home, maybe you already have! 

If that's the case, you know that 3rd grade is a time in a child's school career that he or she starts learning and dealing with more complex concepts. These include handling multiple-digit numbers (numbers higher than 9) in math, whether it's adding, subtracting, multiplying or dividing them. They might also learn what a fraction or a decimal is. In reading and writing, students start working on reading-comprehension exercises -- they aren't just learning to sound out single words, or spell them, anymore. Instead, they're given short paragraphs to read and asked questions about them. 

In what's called "social sciences" or "civics," students are learning about the U.S. presidents and the branches of government. In regular science, they might be studying the continents and climates of the world, or learning about the solar system and the motions of the planets.

Finally, in many schools, 3rd graders may well be taking their first steps into coding, learning the very basics of HTML. This might make mom and dad feel insecure ... for some, it's an area in which they can't provide any help. Don't worry -- pretty soon, your kid will be jailbreaking your phone for you. Won't you feel proud! 

In the meantime, try our quiz on the basics of a 3rd-grade curriculum. Don't be overconfident -- we think you'll get stuck at least once!

Social studies: How many branches does the U.S. government have?
Two
Three
Four
It isn't divided into branches.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The three branches are the executive, legislative and judicial branch. In the third grade, children are just starting to learn about the "checks and "balances" this system provides.

Advertisement

Social studies: How many Houses does Congress have?
One
Two
Three
Four
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Congress is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Students usually learn this around the 3rd grade, and also learn that this is called a "bicameral" legislature, for "two houses."

Advertisement

Grammar: Which one of these is NOT a consonant?
R
W
Y
They are all consonants.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The trickster here is "y." It's often a consonant, but sometimes a vowel, when it's pronounced like a long "i." For example, in the word "by."

Advertisement

Geography: How many continents are there?
Two
Four
Six
Seven
Maybe six, maybe seven
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The parents of children who are in third grade probably grew up with the idea that there are seven continents. However, many geography teachers now tell children there are six because Europe and Asia have no natural barriers dividing them. Rather, the "Europe/Asia" distinction came from the ancient Greeks, who viewed everything east of Greece as an entirely different world.

Advertisement

Geography: Is Antarctica one of the continents?
Yes, it is.
No, it's not.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Just because almost nobody lives there doesn't mean it's not a continent. It has thriving ecosystems of plants, animals, fungi and more. Some schoolchildren mistakenly believe that because Antarctica is a continent, the Arctic region must be one too -- but that's not so. Up north, there's an ocean and an ice cap, but not a true landmass.

Advertisement

Math: What is 8 times 8?
16
32
64
88
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Third-graders usually aren't taught about squaring numbers, but the above multiplication could also be called "8 squared." Later, they'll learn about this, and about cubing numbers (raising them to the power of 3).

Advertisement

Science: One of these objects in the sky has "seas." Which is it?
A comet
A meteor
The moon
Saturn, the planet
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The side of the moon from which we see Earth has seas, also known by their Latin name, "maria." That's plural for "mar," by the way (which means seas). It wasn't as if some lovelorn astronomer named the moon's seas after a character in "West Side Story." Early astronomers thought they were actual seas.

Advertisement

Grammar: What is the opposite of a vowel?
A consonant
A labial
A preposition
A schwa
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Third-graders usually aren't taught about vowels and consonants in this kind of detail, but here's the difference: Vowels are the "body" of the word, or sounds made in the throat. Consonants reflect how the lips and tongue "shape" the vowels, with sounds like "p" and "t" before or after.

Advertisement

Grammar: What part of speech identifies a "person, place, thing or idea"?
Article
Noun
Pronoun
Verb
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Older parents of third-graders, or grandparents, might have been taught a noun is a "person, place or thing." Later, "idea" was added to indicate that not all "things" are solid and material. "Morality," for example, is more an idea than a ​thing.

Advertisement

Geography: Juneau is the capital of which state?
Alaska
California
Louisiana
Mississippi
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The city is named for a mining prospector, Joe Juneau. For a while, it was called Harrisburg, which might have caused some drastic detours for people trying to buy tickets to the city in Pennsylvania.

Advertisement

Social studies: Who is at the head of the executive branch of government?
The chief justice
The president
The governor
The head of the joint chiefs of staff
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The executive branch of the government is the presidency, vice-presidency and the president's cabinet. A governor is also an executive, but at the state level, not the federal one.

Advertisement

Spelling: Which of these is a synonym of "prettiness"?
Beuty
Beauty
Biuty
Booty
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Perhaps we weren't exact enough in our definition. Many people consider "prettiness" to be a lower level of "beauty," or, in math terms, "beauty" > "prettiness." At any rate, the spelling isn't up for debate.

Advertisement

Math: If a number does not divide evenly, what are you left with?
A product
A ray
A remainder
A failing grade
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

An example: If you try to divide 17 by 4, you get 4 with a remainder of 1. This is because 4 times 4 is 16, and 1 is left over. Or, in other words, 1 is the remainder.

Advertisement

History: Which early culture is known for building the pyramids?
China
Egypt
Mesopotamia
Rome
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Of course, it's Egypt, where you can still see the pyramids of Giza, which are approximately 4,500 years old. The pyramids were essentially giant monuments to the dead. It is said the pharaohs believed they would be gods in the afterlife and the pyramids were built to prepare them for that.

Advertisement

History: How many colonies were there at the time of the American Revolution?
Nine
10
12
13
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Most schoolchildren know there were 13 colonies, as represented on the early U.S. flag. They might be hard-pressed, though, to name all 13. So are we, TBH.

Advertisement

Math: What is 13 times 3?
4.333
16
36
39
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Generally, children are taught the multiplication table through 12, so the highest operation you're likely to have memorized is "12 x 12 = 144." Likewise, you'd also know off the top of your head that 12 x 3 = 36, so you only have to add 3 to get 39. That is probably the easiest way to reach the answer above.

Advertisement

Science: What is the main purpose of a flower?
Converting sunlight to energy
Defense against predators
Reproduction of the plant
Trapping water for hydration
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A flower is a reproductive structure. It's colorful in order to attract bees, which are an essential part of the pollination process.

Advertisement

History: The last state admitted to the Union was _________.
Alaska
Florida
North and South Dakota, before they split into two states
Hawaii
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Hawaii was only admitted to the Union in 1959. It is the only state which is not part of the continent of North America, and the only one where you can see a palace that housed a king and queen.

Advertisement

Spelling: Which of these is a state of mind closely related to envy?
Jelosy
Gelosy
Jealousy
Jellusy
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Fun fact: "Jealousy" and "envy" aren't exactly the same thing. Word lovers will tell you that "jealousy" is fear that another will take away what you have, and being defensive of it (like a boyfriend or girlfriend), while "envy" is coveting what someone else has. (Like a boyfriend or a girlfriend). This isn't taught in third grade; in fact, many people never learn this black-belt-in-English distinction.

Advertisement

Social studies: Who in the federal government has "veto power"?
The chief justice of the Supreme Court
Any justice of the Supreme Court
The president
The House majority leader
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

People of a certain age might remember this from a PSA series called "Schoolhouse Rock." In these musical animations that aired during children's cartoon programming, a bill goes through the legislative process, hoping not to be vetoed by the president.

Advertisement

Math: What has a numerator and a denominator?
A circle
A fraction
A prime number
A trapezoid
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Third grade is approximately when students begin learning about fractions. The "numerator" is the top number, and the "denominator" the bottom one.

Advertisement

Math: How is a square different from a rectangle?
A square is smaller.
A rectangle is smaller.
A rectangle's length is always twice its height.
A square is a rectangle, only with four equal sides.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A square is a rectangle. It's that we rarely refer to it that way, reserving the word "rectangle" for those with two sets of sides of equal length, but not four equal sides. Clear?

Advertisement

Grammar: A sentence can be divided into ______ and predicate.
Basis
Range
Object
Subject
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the third grade, students are taught this basic division of a sentence. Later, things get more complex. They then learn about the ​"subject-verb-object" structure, and also about "indirect objects."

Advertisement

Math: Division with numbers of more than one digit is called what?
Compound division
Long division
Rational division
Hard
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

We feel you if you said "hard" but like most third graders, you'll catch on if you keep trying. Or you could just use a calculator for your long division. In our wired world, the likelihood that you'll ever go too long without a smartphone with a calculator function is pretty slim.

Advertisement

Geography: Which of these oceans is the deepest?
Atlantic
Arctic
Indian
Pacific
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Pacific Ocean is generally the deepest and contains the Mariana Trench, the lowest elevation​ point in the world. However, the Pacific is also quite mountainous. All those islands are, after all, just mountains rising from the sea floor.

Advertisement

Coding: What does the "/" mean in "

"? (Note: the quote marks are not part of the code).
Start
End
Extra
Italic
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A slash before a command ends that command. So, in coding, just "

" makes what follows into a paragraph, and "

" ends that process.

Advertisement

Punctuation: Which sentence has the most appropriate punctuation mark at the end?
"I'm telling you for the last time, I'm not leaving!"
"I'm telling you for last time, I'm not leaving:"
"I'm telling you for last time, I'm not leaving?"
"'I'm telling you for last time, I'm not leaving;'"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The sentence carries a sense of strong emotion, so the exclamation point is right. A period might have worked as well. But a question mark doesn't make sense, and the other two can't end a sentence; they are linking punctuation marks.

Advertisement

Social studies: If the president vetoes a bill, how large a Congressional majority is needed to override it?
51 percent
Two-thirds
70 percent
None. Once the president vetoes something, that's the end.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Both the House and the Senate must reach two-thirds majorities to override a presidential veto. This is part of the "checks and balances" system, so that a president cannot steamroll over an initiative about which Congress feels strongly.

Advertisement

Science: Which of these is NOT one of the three main parts of the Earth's composition?
Core
Crust
Magma
Mantle
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The core is the innermost part of the earth, and, as you'd guess, the crust the outermost. "Magma" is a term for lava, but it's lava in the ground before it surfaces via volcanic eruption.

Advertisement

Science: Which of these does NOT orbit the sun?
Meteors
The moon
The Earth
Venus
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

OK, we should have said "orbit the Sun directly," since the moon does so by orbiting the Earth -- which goes around the Sun. But you get our point ... we hope!

Advertisement

History: Which was signed first, the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution?
The Constitution
The Declaration of Independence
They were signed at the same time.
They have yet to be signed.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Declaration of Independence was written at the beginning of the American Revolution, in 1776. The Constitution -- a master plan for how the American government should work -- was signed in 1787.

Advertisement

What do most people call the men who signed the Declaration of Independence and led the American Revolution?
The Decemberists
The Founding Fathers
The Parliament
The Freedom Fighters
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Unfortunately, the name is accurate -- women weren't really in the mix of late 18th-century politics. However, women like Abigail Adams often counseled their powerful husbands. She urged John Adams to "remember the ladies" in his policy making.

Advertisement

Which of these wars was fought on American soil?
The Civil War
The Revolutionary War
The War of 1812
All of them
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Naturally, the American Revolution was fought on American soil. And so was the Civil War, in which both sides were (nominally) American. The War of 1812 is lesser-known, but it was part of a British attempt to retake territory in the U.S. It was fought in locations like Lake Erie and Washington, D.C.

Advertisement

Coding: Which of these elements creates a link?
div
href
img
tagname
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If the letters "ref" tipped you off, they're meant to! A hyperlink is a reference to another page or item somewhere on the World Wide Web. The element "href" has the letter "a" before it, an equal sign after it​, then the target address.

Advertisement

Spelling: Which of these is a word meaning "in the country"?
Reral
Rural
Rurral
Rurrell
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Rural" is a word meaning "related to the countryside or farmland." Although it sounds sophisticated, it's easy to spell -- just five letters.

Advertisement

You Got:
/35
Jose Luis Pelaez Inc / DigitalVision / Getty Images