Larry Elder: Math Ebonics

"1. Easy E and his friend, M.C. Ren, went to the corner store to buy a pack of Old English Soda Pop. If the Soda cost $3.85 and between the two old friends they had a ten dollar bill, how much change would they receive.

"2. E-40 was concerned with his friend, Too-Short's dental problems so E-40 decided to buy Too Short his missing teeth. If a set of dentures cost 560 dollars, and E-40 has 332 dollars, does E-40 have enough money. If E-40 does not have enough money, how much more does he need.

"3. Ice Cube was looking to shoot his new video from his next album, "I Know I'm Just a Has-Been Studio Gangster," and he had 72 dollars to complete his video. If Ice Cube was using 6 dollar bills to pay his staff on a daily basis, how many persons does he have working for him. The key is dividing 72 by 6.

"4. Mack 10 was driving down the strip in his Cutlass sitting on a brand new set of Daytons listening to his West Side Connection tape when one of his four huge speakers blew out. If one of Mack 10's speakers cost 7 dollars, how much would 4 cost. The key is multiplication.

"5. Dodo Stain and Nappy were best friends who each weighed 500 pounds apiece. Everybody at their work said they were fat slobs so they decided to lose some weight, so they could go to the local clubs and "mack" to all the local momies in town. If both men vowed to lose 20 pounds each week, how many pounds would they lose in 3 months? What will be their combined weight after the 3 months?

"6. Biggie Little was a rapper who was 2 feet tall and had an ashy forehead. If Biggie needed to grow another 4 feet to be taken serious in the rap game, and there was a doctor who charged 2 dollars an inch, how much money would Biggie Little have to spend to grow the extra 4 feet? There are 12 inches in a foot.

"7. Dapper Dan was a man who took great pride in his Tuff Skin polyester suits. He owned 9 of them in all different colors. If Dapper Dan's wife left him because he treated her bad and his feet smelled, and when she left she took 3 of his Tuff Skin suits, how many does he have left? If each suit cost 15 dollars, how much will it cost to replace the stolen suits?

"Unfortunately, the assignment is not a joke. It is real, and was handed out to the children, some of whose parents were not amused."