This question was reported to be the most unpopular question among the candidates. Very few of them attempted this question. Their performance was also described as fair.
In part (a), candidates were expected to substitute 222 Solving this equation gave
In a similar manner, 22
g Therefore,
In part (b), candidates were expected to show that if the operation was commutative then for . Therefore, if m = -3 and n = - 10, then=
Since then the operation (*) is not commutative.
It was also reported that some candidates who were able to solve this problem did not conclude as expected. Teachers as well as candidates were encouraged to take note of this. Candidates were encouraged to go through their work to ensure that all the demands of the questions were met before submitting their scripts.