The minute hand is between the 3 (15 min) and the 4 (20 min), exactly 2 tick marks past the 3. What is the minute reading?
A15 — the minute hand just passed the 3
B17 — start at the 3's value (15) and count 2 ticks forward
C20 — the minute hand is close to the 4
D32 — multiply the tick count by the nearby number
The strategy is: identify the last 5-minute landmark the minute hand passed (the 3 = 15 minutes), then count tick marks forward. Two ticks past 15 = 17 minutes. Option A ignores the tick marks entirely. Option C jumps ahead to the next landmark. Option D applies an invented calculation. The key skill is using the 5-minute landmark as a base and adding the extra ticks.
Question 2 Multiple Choice
The hour hand is very close to the 5 but has not quite reached it. The minute hand reads 47 minutes. What is the correct time?
A5:47 — the hour hand is almost at 5, so the hour must be 5
B4:47 — the hour hand has not yet passed 5, so the hour is still 4
C4:53 — it is 13 minutes before 5 o'clock
DYou cannot read the hour because the hand is between numbers
The hour hand reads the number it has most recently passed — not the nearest number. Even when the hand is very close to the 5, if it hasn't crossed the 5, the hour is 4. At 4:47, the hour hand has traveled about 78% of the way from 4 to 5, which is why it appears close to 5. Option C describes the same time correctly as '13 minutes to 5' but isn't one of the standard time formats asked here. Option A is the classic trap — proximity to a number is not the same as having passed it.
Question 3 True / False
The hour hand on an analog clock moves continuously and is between two numbers for most of each hour, not just at the exact o'clock position.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: True
The hour hand completes one full rotation in 12 hours, moving constantly. It is pointing directly at a number only at the exact o'clock moment (e.g., exactly 3:00). For the remaining 59 minutes of each hour, it is between two numbers. This is why reading the hour hand to the minute requires identifying the number it has most recently passed, not the number it is closest to.
Question 4 True / False
To find the minutes on an analog clock, you multiply the number the minute hand points to by 10.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: False
The multiplier is 5, not 10. The clock face is divided into 60 minutes and 12 numbered positions, and 60 ÷ 12 = 5. So the minute hand at the 3 = 15 minutes (3 × 5), at the 6 = 30 minutes (6 × 5), at the 9 = 45 minutes (9 × 5). Multiplying by 10 would give impossible values — the 6 would mean 60 minutes, which is a full hour, not half-past.
Question 5 Short Answer
A clock shows the hour hand between 7 and 8, and the minute hand is 2 tick marks past the 3. Describe step by step how you would read this time.
Think about your answer, then reveal below.
Model answer: Step 1: Read the hour hand — it is between 7 and 8 but has not yet reached 8, so the hour is 7. Step 2: Read the minute hand — it is past the 3, which represents 15 minutes (3 × 5 = 15). Count 2 tick marks forward: 15 + 2 = 17 minutes. Step 3: Combine: the time is 7:17.
The two-step process — hour hand first (read the number last passed), minute hand second (5-minute landmark plus extra ticks) — applies to any time on an analog clock. It extends directly from reading time at 5-minute intervals: the only new skill is counting the additional tick marks between landmarks. Practicing naming both steps aloud builds the habit of checking both hands systematically.