The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Based on the pun and the structure of the worksheet, the correct answer to the riddle is:
IT HAS SQUARE ROOTS
Explanation
This is a classic riddle worksheet that combines mathematics with a word puzzle. The humor lies in a pun that connects a mathematical term with a biological one.
The riddle asks, “HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE MATHEMATICAL PLANT?” The solution is a witty phrase that uses a term from both math and botany. The most fitting answer is “IT HAS SQUARE ROOTS,” which plays on the mathematical concept of a square root and the physical roots of a plant. When written without spaces, this phrase, “ITHASSQUAREROOTS,” contains exactly 15 letters, perfectly filling the 15 blanks provided on the worksheet.
The puzzle’s mechanism requires the student to solve a series of math problems, which are not visible in the image but are numbered below the answer blanks (e.g., 7, 6, 1, 9, 10). The student would find the numerical answer to each problem in the letter-to-number key at the top of the page. For example, if the answer to problem number 9 was -11, they would look at the key, find that S corresponds to -11, and write “S” in the blank above the number 9.
The handwritten text in the image, “I T I S S Q U A R E N O O T S,” is the student’s attempt at solving the puzzle. It is incorrect but reveals their process. By comparing their answer to the correct one, we can see where they likely made calculation errors. For instance, they wrote an “I” and an “S” instead of an “H” and an “A” for the word “HAS,” and “N O O” instead of “R O T” for the word “ROOTS.” However, they correctly identified several letters, including the word “SQUARE,” which confirms the core of the pun.
