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Circle Theorems practice questions — Honors Math

12 free multiple-choice problems on circle theorems, ordered to match Honors Math difficulty, each with a full worked solution. No account needed — and there's a fresh problem set every day.

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Problem #3578 International
Mediumeuclidean-geometry
, and are points on a circle with centre , and lies on the minor arc . It is given that . The measure of the non-reflex angle is:

Problems & worked solutions

Problem #3578 International

Problem 1 Circle Theorems

A, B and P are points on a circle with centre O, and P lies on the minor arc AB. It is given that APB=118. The measure of the non-reflex angle AOB is:

Show answer & worked solution
  1. A. 124✓ correct
  2. B. 236
  3. C. 118
  4. D. 62
  5. E. 59

Since P lies on the minor arc AB, the angle APB stands on the major arc AB. The angle at the centre standing on that same major arc is the reflex angle at O, and it is twice the angle at the circumference: reflex AOB=2×118=236.

The reflex and non-reflex angles at O together make a complete turn: AOB=360236. AOB=124.

Problem #3583 International

Problem 2 Circle Theorems

A, B, C and D lie in that order on a circle, with DA=DB. The side BC is produced beyond C to a point E, and DCE=58. The size of ADB is:

Show answer & worked solution
  1. A. 64✓ correct
  2. B. 61
  3. C. 58
  4. D. 116
  5. E. 122

B, C and E are collinear, so BCD and DCE are angles on a straight line:

BCD=18058=122.

DAB is opposite BCD in the cyclic quadrilateral ABCD, so the two are supplementary:

DAB=180122=58.

(Equivalently, the exterior angle DCE equals the interior angle at the opposite vertex A.)

In triangle ABD, the equal sides are DA and DB, so the angles opposite them — the base angles at B and at A — are equal:

DBA=DAB=58.

ADB=1805858=64.

ADB=64

Problem #3582 International

Problem 3 Circle Theorems

A, B, C and D lie in that order on a circle, and AB is a diameter of that circle. Given that ADC=126, the size of BAC is:

Show answer & worked solution
  1. A. 36✓ correct
  2. B. 54
  3. C. 27
  4. D. 45
  5. E. 126

ADC and ABC are opposite angles of the cyclic quadrilateral ABCD, so they are supplementary:

ABC=180126=54.

C lies on the circle and AB is a diameter, so AB subtends a right angle at C:

ACB=90.

In triangle ABC the three angles sum to 180:

BAC=1809054=36.

BAC=36

Problem #3579 International

Problem 4 Circle Theorems

The chords AC and BD of a circle meet at a point X inside the circle. In triangle ABX it is given that BAX=28 and AXB=96. The measure of ACD is:

Show answer & worked solution
  1. A. 56✓ correct
  2. B. 28
  3. C. 84
  4. D. 96

The interior angles of triangle ABX sum to 180: ABX=1802896=56.

The point X lies on the chord BD, so the ray BX is the ray BD and therefore ABD=ABX=56.

Because the chords AC and BD cross inside the circle, B and C lie on the same arc determined by A and D. The angles ABD and ACD both stand on the chord AD from that same segment, so they are equal: ACD=56.

Problem #3584 International

Problem 5 Circle Theorems

PQ is the tangent to a circle at the point A, and B and C are further points on the circle. P and C lie on opposite sides of the chord AB. Given that PAB=58 and ABC=47, the size of BAC is:

Show answer & worked solution
  1. A. 75✓ correct
  2. B. 58
  3. C. 86
  4. D. 122

P and C lie on opposite sides of the chord AB, so the segment containing C is the alternate segment for the tangent-chord angle PAB: ACB=PAB=58. In triangle ABC the three angles are BAC, ABC=47 and ACB=58, so BAC=1804758. BAC=75

Problem #3581 International

Problem 6 Circle Theorems

A, B, C and D lie in that order on a circle. DAB=(3x10) and BCD=(x+30). The size of BCD is:

Show answer & worked solution
  1. A. 70✓ correct
  2. B. 110
  3. C. 40
  4. D. 50
  5. E. 115

DAB and BCD sit at opposite vertices of the cyclic quadrilateral, so they are supplementary:

(3x10)+(x+30)=180

4x+20=180

4x=160, so x=40.

The question asks for BCD, so substitute into that expression only:

BCD=(40+30)=70.

Check: DAB=(34010)=110, and 110+70=180.

BCD=70

Problem #3585 International

Problem 7 Circle Theorems

ST is the tangent to a circle at the point A, and B and C are points on the circle with the chord BC parallel to ST. The rays AS, AB, AC and AT occur in this order about A, and SAB=68. The size of BAC is:

Show answer & worked solution
  1. A. 44✓ correct
  2. B. 68
  3. C. 112
  4. D. 34

The ray AC lies between AB and AT, so C is on the opposite side of the chord AB from S; the segment holding C is therefore the alternate segment for SAB: ACB=SAB=68. Since BCST and AB is a transversal, ABC and SAB are alternate angles, so ABC=68. In triangle ABC, BAC=1806868. BAC=44

Problem #3576 International

Problem 8 Circle Theorems

AB is a diameter of a circle, and C is a point on that circle distinct from A and B. In triangle ABC, ABC=27. The measure of BAC is:

Show answer & worked solution
  1. A. 63✓ correct
  2. B. 27
  3. C. 90
  4. D. 153

Because AB is a diameter, the point C lies on a semicircle, so the angle it subtends there is a right angle: ACB=90.

The interior angles of triangle ABC sum to 180: BAC=180ACBABC=1809027. BAC=63.

Problem #3580 International

Problem 9 Circle Theorems

A, B, C and D lie in that order on a circle. DAB=68 and ABC=95. The size of BCD is:

Show answer & worked solution
  1. A. 112✓ correct
  2. B. 85
  3. C. 68
  4. D. 22

Going round the circle ABCD, the vertex opposite C is A, and the vertex opposite D is B.

Opposite angles of a cyclic quadrilateral are supplementary, so DAB+BCD=180:

BCD=18068=112.

The angle ABC=95 belongs to the other pair, and it fixes the fourth angle instead: ADC=18095=85. As a check, 68+95+112+85=360.

BCD=112

Problem #3577 International

Problem 10 Circle Theorems

From a point P outside a circle with centre O, two tangents are drawn, touching the circle at A and at B. It is given that APB=48. The measure of AOB is:

Show answer & worked solution
  1. A. 132✓ correct
  2. B. 84
  3. C. 66
  4. D. 48

A tangent is perpendicular to the radius drawn to its point of contact, so OAP=OBP=90.

The four points O, A, P, B form a quadrilateral, whose interior angles sum to 360: AOB=360OAPOBPAPB=360909048. AOB=132.

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