A seemingly simple mathematics question has snowballed into a viral talking point on social media after glaring errors were found in half-yearly exam papers at primary schools in Uttar Pradesh. The issue
surfaced during mathematics examinations for Classes 7 and 8, triggering criticism of the question paper-setting process.
The controversy centres on a multiple-choice question that asked, if 4 kg of rice cost Rs 420, how much would 12 kg cost? The correct answer, which is Rs 1,260, was missing from the list of options provided. Instead, students were given four incorrect choices: Rs 1,000, Rs 760, Rs 1,160 and Rs 1,360. The error, now widely circulated online as a meme, has prompted sarcastic comments suggesting either a sudden spike in rice prices or a change in basic arithmetic.
The incident occurred at an upper primary school in Ghaziabad, where a Class 7 student first noticed that two questions in the mathematics paper appeared incorrect. After discussing the matter with classmates, the students brought it to the attention of teachers, who verified the mistakes. Officials later confirmed that two questions in the Class 7 paper and one in the Class 8 paper were flawed.
Another erroneous Class 7 question asked students to identify the side opposite the 90-degree angle in a right-angled triangle. While “hypotenuse” was the correct answer, it did not feature among the options, which included base, diagonal and chord, suggesting a possible printing or proofreading lapse.
In the Class 8 paper, a question asked students to calculate the remaining angles of a polygon when two angles were given as 60 degrees and 120 degrees. Teachers pointed out that the question itself was invalid, as the given angles already exceed the possible sum for a triangle, rendering the problem mathematically incorrect.
Teachers supervising the examination instructed students to skip the faulty questions and assured them that full marks would be awarded during evaluation. Education officials later confirmed that no student would be penalised for the errors.
However, the episode has drawn sharp criticism from teachers, who have accused the committee responsible for setting and vetting the papers of carelessness. They said such mistakes highlight the need for stricter scrutiny in examination processes, warning that repeated lapses could undermine students’ confidence in the system.
