Regarding the elementary one, there's a good reason for the larger numbers though. With 4x3, a student can get the right answer through a counting process. 1-2

Regarding the elementary one, there's a good reason for the larger numbers though. With 4x3, a student can get the right answer through a counting process. 1-2-3-4 5-6-7-8 9-10-11-12 For someone who hasn't either memorized multiplication tables or learned faster ways of working out the answer, that's likely the approach they will take. With 6x7 on the other hand, it's natural to look for a faster (better) way to solve the problem. I agree that the last question was vague / poorly state.