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Numerical Expressions and Whole-Number Exponents — 6th Math: Expressions & Equations practice questions

20 multiple-choice questions and 13 flashcards on Numerical Expressions and Whole-Number Exponents, about 13% of the 6th Math: Expressions & Equations bank. Every one carries a written rationale.

Written and maintained by Nick Burton · last updated 2026-08-22 · how we write and review questions

What this chapter covers

Numerical Expressions and Whole-Number Exponents is one of 6 chapters in CoStudy's 6th Math: Expressions & Equations bank, and it holds 20 of the bank's 150 multiple-choice questions — roughly 13% of the total. That proportion is not arbitrary: chapters follow the certifying body's published exam outline, and the number of questions in each is set by that domain's published weight, so the share of your practice time this chapter takes matches the share of the real exam it accounts for.

Studying by chapter is worth doing once you have a diagnostic score. A single overall percentage tells you whether you are close; it does not tell you which domain is dragging. Working a weak chapter in isolation, and re-testing it in isolation, is the fastest way to move a score that has stalled — and it is why the mock exams in CoStudy report by domain rather than as one number.

Free Numerical Expressions and Whole-Number Exponents practice questions

5 questions drawn from this chapter, with the full rationale shown — the controlling principle behind the right answer, and why each wrong option tempts and fails.

Evaluate 2³.

  1. 6
  2. 9
  3. 8
  4. 5

Answer: C — 8

2³ = 2·2·2 = 8. (A) is 2·3; (B) is 3²; (D) misreads.

Evaluate 3⁴.

  1. 81
  2. 12
  3. 64
  4. 7

Answer: A — 81

A) 3 × 3 × 3 × 3 = 81. B) Multiplied base by exponent. C) Used 4³ instead. D) Added base and exponent.

Evaluate 2³ + 5.

  1. 11
  2. 21
  3. 13
  4. 28

Answer: C — 13

Exponent first: 2³ = 8; +5 = 13. (A) misreads exponent as 6; (B), (D) misapply.

What is 4³?

  1. 12
  2. 7
  3. 64
  4. 81

Answer: C — 64

C) 4·4·4 = 64. A) Multiplied base by exponent (4·3). B) Added (4+3). D) Used 3⁴ = 81 instead.

Evaluate (2 + 3)² − 4.

  1. 9
  2. 11
  3. 17
  4. 21

Answer: D — 21

D) Parens: 5. Square: 25. Subtract 4: 21. A) Did 2² + 3² − 4. C) Subtracted before squaring: 25 − 8. B) Misadded square.

Numerical Expressions and Whole-Number Exponents flashcards

4 cards from the 13 in this chapter.

What is 2³?

8.

What is 10⁴?

10,000.

Worked example: Evaluate 2³ + 5 · 4 − 7.

Step 1 — Exponent: 2³ = 2·2·2 = 8. Step 2 — Multiplication: 5 · 4 = 20. Step 3 — Add/subtract left to right: 8 + 20 = 28; 28 − 7 = 21. Answer: 21.

What is any number to the power of 0?

1. (Special rule.)

Practise the full chapter

These are a sample. The full Numerical Expressions and Whole-Number Exponents chapter runs 33 items with per-chapter progress tracking, on the web and in the iOS app.

Open 6th Math: Expressions & Equations in CoStudy →

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