Chapter 8 Trigonometry — Topic Test

Year 10 | Time allowed: 50–55 minutes | Total: 50 marks

Name: _________________________________ Date: _______________

Class: _________________________________ Score: / 50

Instructions: Answer ALL questions. Show all working. Calculators are permitted. Round to 2
decimal places unless stated otherwise.

Section A — Multiple Choice (12 marks, 1 mark each)

Circle the letter of the correct answer.

1. A right-angled triangle has shorter sides of 6 m and 8 m. What is the length of the
hypotenuse?
A7m B 14 m
C 10 m D 100 m

2. In a right-angled triangle with angle θ, the adjacent side is 12 cm and the hypotenuse is 13 cm.
Which ratio correctly gives cos θ?
A 5/13 B 13/12
C 5/12 D 12/13

3. In a right-angled triangle, the hypotenuse is 10 cm and the angle is 30°. Which expression
gives the length of the opposite side?
A 10 ÷ sin 30° B 10 × sin 30°
C 10 × cos 30° D 10 ÷ cos 30°

4. In a right-angled triangle, sin 40° = 7/x. What is x, correct to 2 decimal places?

A 10.89 B 4.50
C 9.19 D 5.36

5. In a right-angled triangle, the opposite side is 3 m and the adjacent side is 4 m. What is θ to
the nearest degree?
A 41° B 53°
C 37° D 49°

6. The angle formed by looking down from a cliff top to a boat at sea is called the angle of:
A elevation B depression
C inclination D bearing
 7. What is the true bearing of south-west (SW)?
A 135°T B 045°T
C 315°T D 225°T

8. In triangle ABC, angle A = 80°, angle B = 75° and side AB = 7 m. Using the sine rule, which
expression gives the length of the side opposite A?
A 7 × sin 80° ÷ sin 75° B 7 × sin 75° ÷ sin 80°
C 7 ÷ (sin 80° × sin 75°) D sin 80° ÷ (7 × sin 75°)

9. Two sides of a triangle are 4 cm and 7 cm, with an included angle of 120°. Using the cosine
rule, what is the third side, to 1 decimal place?
A 7.4 cm B 11.0 cm
C 9.6 cm D 8.1 cm

10. What is the area of a triangle with two sides of 6 m and 9 m and an included angle of 78°?
A 27.0 m² B 26.4 m²
C 54.0 m² D 13.2 m²

11. In a triangle, a side of 10 cm is opposite an angle of 83°, and a side of 9 cm is opposite angle
θ. Using the sine rule, θ to 1 d.p. is:
A 47.2° B 70.1°
C 55.8° D 63.3°

12. A triangle has sides 5 mm, 7 mm and 8 mm. Using the cosine rule, the angle opposite the 7
mm side is:
A 41.4° B 75.5°
C 60.0° D 52.6°

Section B — Short Answer (26 marks)

13. Find the value of x in each triangle, correct to 1 decimal place.
(a) (b)

x cm
8m
xm
24°
6 cm

38° __________________________________
________________

__________________________________
________________
(marks: 2)

14. Answer the following.

(a) Find the shorter side x in this triangle, correct to 2 decimal places.

___________________________________________
_______
17 m
xm ___________________________________________
_______

15 m
(b) A 4 m ladder leans against a wall at 65° to the horizontal. How high up the wall does the
ladder reach? Round to 2 decimal places.
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
(marks: 3)

15. Find angle θ in each triangle, correct to the nearest degree.

(a) (b)

6 cm
13 m 5m
θ
8 cm

__________________________________ θ
________________
__________________________________
________________
(c) A ramp is 3.5 m long horizontally and rises 0.8 m. Find the angle the ramp makes with the
ground, to the nearest degree.
__________________________________________________
(marks: 3)
16. Answer the following problems.
(a) From a point 28 m from the base of a flagpole, the angle of elevation to the top is 38°. Find
the height of the flagpole, correct to 2 decimal places.

___________________________________________
_______
hm ___________________________________________
_______
38°
28 m

(b) From the top of a cliff 45 m above sea level, the angle of depression to a boat 90 m out to
sea is found. Find this angle to 1 decimal place.

___________________________________________
θ _______
45 m ___________________________________________
_______

90 m
(marks: 3)

17. A bushwalker travels 8 km from point A on a bearing of 060°T.

N (a) Find how far north of A the bushwalker is, to 1
d.p.

60° 8 km ___________________________________________
W E _______
(b) Find how far east of A the bushwalker is, to 1
d.p.

___________________________________________
S
_______
(c) State the true bearing of A from the
bushwalker's final position.

___________________________________________
_______
(marks: 3)
18. Use the sine rule to find the unknown in each triangle. Round to 1 decimal place.
Sine rule: a/sin A = b/sin B = c/sin C

(a) Find x. (b) Find θ (acute).

7m 10 cm

75° 80° θ 83°

xm 9 cm

__________________________________ __________________________________
________________ ________________
__________________________________ __________________________________
________________ ________________
(marks: 4)

19. Use the cosine rule to find the unknown in each triangle. Round to 1 decimal place.
Cosine rule: a² = b² + c² − 2bc cos A and cos A = (b² + c² − a²) / 2bc

(a) Find x. (b) Find θ.

11 cm
7 cm 7 mm
5 mm

38° θ
x cm
8 mm
__________________________________
________________ __________________________________
________________
__________________________________
________________ __________________________________
________________
(marks: 4)
 20. Find the area of each triangle, correct to 1 decimal place.
Area = ½ab sin C

(a) (b) Triangle XYZ with XY = 5 cm, XZ =

7 cm and ∠X = 43°.

__________________________________
________________
10 m
__________________________________
________________
78°
9m

__________________________________
________________
(marks: 3)

Section C — Extended Response (12 marks)

21. Two buildings face each other across a 24.5 m wide street. The shorter building is 18 m tall.
From the top of the shorter building, the angle of elevation to the top of the taller building is 32°.
(a) Draw a clearly labelled diagram.

(b) Find the extra height of the taller building above the shorter building's roof, correct to 2
decimal places.
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
(c) Hence find the total height of the taller building, to 2 decimal places.
__________________________________________________
(d) Find the angle of depression from the top of the taller building to the base of the shorter
building, to the nearest degree.
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
(marks: 4)
22. A triangular paddock ABC is fenced off, as shown. AB = 155 m, AC = 74 m and BC = 102 m.
(a) Use the cosine rule to find ∠A, to 1 decimal
place.

C ___________________________________________
_______
102 m
74 m ___________________________________________
_______
(b) Hence find the area of the paddock, to the
nearest m².
A B
155 m ___________________________________________
_______
___________________________________________
_______
(c) Use the sine rule to find ∠B, to 1 decimal place.
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
(d) A fence is built from C perpendicular to AB at point D. Find the length of this fence CD, to
the nearest metre.
Hint: Area = ½ × base × height

__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
(marks: 4)
23. An aeroplane is flying due north but, to avoid a storm, it flies 150 km on a bearing of 060°T
from point A to point B, and then continues on a bearing of 320°T until it reaches point C directly
north of A.
(a) Draw a clearly labelled diagram showing A, B, C and all given information.

(b) Find angle ABC (the angle at B inside triangle ABC).

__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
(c) Find angle ACB (the angle at C inside triangle ABC).
__________________________________________________
(d) Use the sine rule to find the distance BC, correct to 1 decimal place.
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
(e) Find the total extra distance the aeroplane flew due to the detour, compared to flying
directly from A to C. Round to 1 decimal place.
Hint: Find AC first using the sine rule.

__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
(marks: 4)

CambridgeMATHS NSW Stage 5 · Year 10 Standard · Chapter 8 Trigonometry | Topics: 8A–8I · 8K Sine Rule · 8L Cosine Rule · 8M Area of
Triangle