Grade 10 Math Instinct

Difficult
Problems
Challenging
What
Interesting is Math? Fun
Everywhere Important
Solving
1. The writing on the board was obliterated by
the class secretary.
Obliterated means erased completely.
2. Ruth’s debts were reckoned at $20M.

Reckoned means calculated.
3. The main impetus to develop accurate
clocks came from the experts.
Impetus means motivating force or incentive.
4. The child suddenly stumbles across the

remain of a dead dog.
Stumbles means loses one’s balance.
5. The bird has started a bewildered search
for its nest, puzzled where to start.
Bewildered means baffled/confused/puzzled.
6. Huge penalties were imposed for trivial

offenses.
Trivial means insignificant/unimportant/minor.
7. Its tiny brain might have a very limited
repertoire.
Repertoire means a set of skills, abilities or functions.
Who’s Keith
Devlin?
Keith Devlin
■ An award-winning author of numerous

popular Mathematics books.
■ In this Math essay, he explains the idea of an
innate math instinct.
Time Starts:
■ As you read, please take note of the words
and ideas you will encounter.
■ Consider the WH questions (Who, What,
When, Where, Why and How).
Determining
Central Idea &
Meaning
&
Analyzing Ideas
Writers develop an idea
throughout a text.
How do writers do it?

■ Using Lines 1-13, what does the author find
remarkable about Ahmed?
■ Ahmed finds his food by going in “one

direction, then another.” However, he is able
to return to his home not by “retracing his
steps,” but by setting “off in a straight line.”
■ In the essay, Devlin explains that Ahmed
cannot retrace his steps because they were
erased completely.
■ What may have erased Ahmed’s footprints

in the sand?
■ The spellings and meanings of
words can change over time
and according to context.
■ Writers may share these details
in order for readers to better
understand the meanings of
words.
■ Using Lines 17-29, what is the original term for
“dead reckoning”? Explain it.
The original term was “deductive reckoning” [Line 18].

“Deductive” means “based on reasoning or using
available facts.” “Reckoning” is the process of
calculating. “Dead reckoning” is a method of
calculating your position by moving in straight lines
and keeping track of speed and time of travel in order
to determine the exact distance traveled and position
of the starting point [Lines 21–29].
■ Writers develop their ideas
with words, phrases,
sentences, and paragraphs.
■ Using Lines 42-51, what word does the author
use to describe Ahmed?
■ How does the author develop the idea that
Ahmed is remarkable in this paragraph?
■ Remarkable
■ The author reveals that Ahmed is a “Tunisian
desert ant,” with “none of the aids that
mariners and lunar astronauts” have.
Using Lines 30-41, why did the use of dead
reckoning serve as the impetus for the
development of accurate clocks?
Dead reckoning requires precise measurement of

time in order to calculate distance traveled and
position relative to a starting point.
■ A writer may structure
paragraphs to show how
ideas relate.
For example, an author may

use comparison and contrast
to show similarities and
differences.
■ Using Lines 52-57, what are the subjects that
the author compares and contrasts?
■ What are the words that signal the
comparison?
■ The navigational strategies of other kinds of

ants are compared and contrasted with
Tunisian desert ants.
■ The signal word is Not.
Are you familiar with
anecdote?
■ A writer may develop an

idea with an anecdote.
What are the other means

that a writer uses to develop
an idea?
■ Using Lines 52-67, how does Devlin support
the idea that desert ants use dead reckoning?
He uses an anecdote [Lines 58–67] about an ant

that finds food and is then moved to another
location by researchers. The ant becomes
confused only after it has traveled the distance it
thought it should to return home.
■ Using Lines 73-91, how would you compare the
way humans and Tunisian ants learn to carry
out mathematical navigation?
Humans go to school to learn how to operate

relevant equipment and perform necessary
computations. Tunisian ants follow their instincts,
which are based on “hundreds of thousands of
years of evolution” [Lines 79–81].
■ Using Lines 82-91, what is the familiar
modern-day object Devlin compares with
Ahmed’s brain?
■ What human ability does Devlin compare with
Ahmed’s actions?
■ a computer
■ the ability to run or jump without thinking
about how to control the body systems
involved
■ Using Lines 92-103, which part of the text
does Devlin give clues to the meaning of
trivial? What kind of clue is this?
In Lines 91–96, Devlin uses contrast. He

contrasts “trivial” with the complexities of
walking.”
Are you still familiar with the different types of

context clues?
■ Writers often restate
previous ideas in the
conclusion.
Why do writers often do it?

What is that for?
■ Using Lines 103-111, why is the desert ant’s
navigational instinct not trivial?
The desert ant’s ability to use dead reckoning

”ensures the desert ant’s survival.”
Finale
■What part of the text does indicate
that Ahmed is an ant and NOT a
human?
Writing Activity:
■ Conduct research on the use of dead reckoning
and summarize your findings in a one-page
essay using yellow pad paper.
■ Use the following questions as your guide in
writing.
Guide Questions in
Writing
1. Research how dead reckoning was used to navigate
before the invention of GPS. How were sailors able to
orient a ship correctly?
2. Compare the usefulness and accuracy of dead
reckoning with GPS.
3. End your conclusion that explains the pros and cons of
each (Dead reckoning and GPS).
4. List your sources at the end of the essay.
What have you
learned?

Grade 10 Math Instinct

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Difficult

Obliterated means erased completely.

2. Ruth’s debts were reckoned at $20M.

4. The child suddenly stumbles across the

6. Huge penalties were imposed for trivial

■ An award-winning author of numerous

How do writers do it?

■ Ahmed finds his food by going in “one

■ What may have erased Ahmed’s footprints

The original term was “deductive reckoning” [Line 18].

Dead reckoning requires precise measurement of

For example, an author may

■ The navigational strategies of other kinds of

■ A writer may develop an

What are the other means

He uses an anecdote [Lines 58–67] about an ant

Humans go to school to learn how to operate

In Lines 91–96, Devlin uses contrast. He

Are you still familiar with the different types of

Why do writers often do it?

The desert ant’s ability to use dead reckoning

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