Completing symmetric figures · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Lines of symmetry

Mathematics · Geometry · ages 8-9
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Half a pattern has 5 crosses. It is mirrored across a vertical line. How many crosses does the full pattern have?

    Answer: ______________

  2. One wing of a butterfly has 6 spots. The mirror line runs down its body. How many spots will the whole butterfly have?

    • 6 spots
    • 8 spots
    • 12 spots
    • 10 spots

  3. What is the best way to check if you finished a symmetric drawing correctly?

    • Fold the paper along the mirror line
    • Count the colors used
    • Measure the whole page

  4. You are completing a pattern on squared paper. A square on the left side is shaded 2 squares away from the mirror line. Where should you shade the matching square on the right side?

    • 2 squares away from the mirror line
    • 3 squares away from the mirror line
    • Right next to the mirror line

  5. A symmetric pattern holds 14 dots in total. How many dots sit on one side of the mirror line?

    Answer: ______________

  6. Priya folds her finished drawing along the mirror line and one part does not line up. What should she do?

    • Leave it, because folding does not matter
    • Draw a new mirror line somewhere else
    • Fix that part so it matches the other side

  7. Which of these has a vertical line of symmetry?

    • The letter F
    • The heart shape
    • The letter G
    • A lopsided blob

  8. Sofia copies a square 2 units from the line, placing the copy 5 units away on the other side. She says distance from the line does not matter. Is Sofia right?

    Circle one:   True   False

  9. Dan shades a square 4 squares from the mirror line on the left, then shades a square 4 squares from the mirror line on the right, but one row higher. Did Dan complete the pattern correctly?

    • Yes, as long as both squares are shaded
    • No, the second square is in the wrong row
    • Yes, distance from the mirror line is all that matters

  10. Half a butterfly uses 9 red squares and 4 blue squares. The other half mirrors it exactly. How many squares does the whole butterfly use?

    Answer: ______________

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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Lines of symmetry W1-mt_hR2Y7NhMSY-s1

  1. 10 · The full pattern has 10 crosses because 5 + 5 = 10.
  2. 12 spots · 12 spots is correct because the mirror copies each spot once: 6 + 6 = 12.
  3. Fold the paper along the mirror line · Folding shows right away if both halves match.
  4. 2 squares away from the mirror line · Matching squares sit the same distance from the mirror line on each side.
  5. 7 · One side holds 7 dots because 14 shared equally is 14 / 2 = 7.
  6. Fix that part so it matches the other side · If a part does not match after folding, that part needs correcting so both halves are equal.
  7. The heart shape · The heart shape is correct because its left and right halves mirror each other. F, G and lopsided blobs do not fold into matching halves.
  8. False · Sofia is wrong because a mirror keeps every distance equal: the twin must sit 2 units out, not 5.
  9. No, the second square is in the wrong row · Matching squares need the same distance from the line and the same row. Dan moved his square up one row, so it does not match.
  10. 26 · The whole butterfly uses 26 squares because one half uses 9 + 4 = 13, and 13 doubled is 26.
Worksheet · LightMySky