The Pyramid Arc · Issue 1 · Year 3
MATH BLAST
PYRAMID OF ECHOES
The Whisper Beneath the Sand
A missing chamber. A whisper in the stone. Someone wants Blaze to look the wrong way.
Scroll down to read the complete story, view every illustration and try all ten maths questions and five speed challenges. Answers and hints are at the end.
This reading view needs no buttons or scripts. Speed challenges can be self-timed for 8 seconds. To use automatic scoring and timers, open this file in a browser and select “Play interactive mission”.
Narrated by Eric · Blaze voiced by Jessica · Silas Vane voiced by Blackwood
Take your time with the main questions. Each chapter ends with one 8-second speed challenge. An answer or time-out lets you continue.
Read all five chapters without interactive controls →The whisper nobody heard
The pyramid whispered before the wind arrived. Blaze stopped beside the expedition table. Beneath it, something breathed through a crack in the sand: three low notes, then silence. She crouched. On the old survey above her, a passage ended in a room missing from the team's modern plan.
Blaze: You're hiding something.
She had expected a morning of sketches and photographs. Now she was holding her breath, waiting for a sound that should not be there.
A shadow crossed the paper. When she turned, nobody was there. Only a sharp shoeprint beside her boots. The supervisor called from the entrance. Their measuring equipment was ready. Blaze photographed the survey, then checked the water gauge. If the strange sound changed, she wanted a reading she could trust.
Check the entrance test gauge. Read the capacity instrument. What measurement does its pointer show?
Diagram description
A horizontal scale in L has five equal intervals. All ticks are labelled. The endpoints are zero and 50. The pointer is at tick 2 after zero.
Count equal gaps, not the tick marks. Read the label at the pointer.
Each gap is 10 L. The pointer is 2 gaps from zero: 2 × 10 = 20 L.
She wrote the reading down. Behind her, the whisper stopped halfway through its third note.
One quick fact. You have 8 seconds. Complete this challenge to continue; a wrong answer or time-out will not stop the story.
⚡ Speed Challenge!
Think fast, then follow the next clue.
The man with the camera
Inside the tent, a silver-haired visitor was photographing the survey. His plum coat brushed the table. A gold sun gleamed on his calling card: Silas Vane, Extraordinary Discoveries.
Vane: A charming little mystery. Though some discoveries need someone with experience.
Blaze reached for a measuring cord. Vane's camera clicked again.
Blaze: Then you'll know why we measure before we guess.
She needed enough cord for the inspection frame and the narrow recess beyond it. Vane watched her hands instead of the map.
Prepare the measuring cord. The measuring cord is 45 cm long. The frame uses 20 cm. How much remains?
Diagram description
Whole cable: 45 cm; Used: 20 cm. Bars use the same scale.
Find the difference between the whole length and the used part.
45 − 20 = 25. There are 25 cm left for the next check.
Blaze checked the units. Vane slipped his camera away. For the first time, his smile looked less certain.
One quick fact. You have 8 seconds. Complete this challenge to continue; a wrong answer or time-out will not stop the story.
⚡ Speed Challenge!
Think fast, then follow the next clue.
The door that listened
At the crescent door, the whisper returned. Louder. Blaze pressed her palm against the cool stone. A groove curled along the floor towards a modern test tank. The team had fitted it to investigate the old air channel without disturbing the door.
Blaze: It isn't a voice. Something is moving air.
Something tapped on the other side. Once. Twice. The supervisor raised a hand: wait. Before the test, Blaze had to read the load on the removable frame.
Check the test-frame load. Read the mass instrument. What measurement does its pointer show?
Diagram description
A horizontal scale in kg has five equal intervals. All ticks are labelled. The endpoints are zero and 50. The pointer is at tick 3 after zero.
Count equal gaps, not the tick marks. Read the label at the pointer.
Each gap is 10 kg. The pointer is 3 gaps from zero: 3 × 10 = 30 kg.
The tapping stopped. From somewhere behind them came the soft click of a camera.
One quick fact. You have 8 seconds. Complete this challenge to continue; a wrong answer or time-out will not stop the story.
⚡ Speed Challenge!
Think fast, then follow the next clue.
The label that lied
Back at the tent, the supervisor's gloved hand lifted a loose label from an instrument. Fresh glue stretched beneath it. Blaze stared. Someone had covered the original markings.
Blaze: That wasn't loose this morning.
Beyond the tent, Vane stood perfectly still. Then he turned away. Blaze wanted to follow. Instead, she checked the uncovered test gauge. An accusation needed evidence.
Verify a fresh instrument reading. Read the capacity instrument. What measurement does its pointer show?
Diagram description
A horizontal scale in L has five equal intervals. All ticks are labelled. The endpoints are zero and 50. The pointer is at tick 4 after zero.
Count equal gaps, not the tick marks. Read the label at the pointer.
Each gap is 10 L. The pointer is 4 gaps from zero: 4 × 10 = 40 L.
The uncovered readings agreed with the survey. The loose label did not. This was no mistake.
One quick fact. You have 8 seconds. Complete this challenge to continue; a wrong answer or time-out will not stop the story.
⚡ Speed Challenge!
Think fast, then follow the next clue.
A window into darkness
With the equipment checked, the supervisor opened the door's inspection hatch. Blaze leaned towards the opening. Cool air brushed her face. A crescent mark waited inside, beside a passage bending into darkness. She needed the remaining cord to measure the recess.
Blaze: The missing room is real.
Check spare cord for the survey. The measuring cord is 55 cm long. The frame uses 24 cm. How much remains?
Diagram description
Whole cable: 55 cm; Used: 24 cm. Bars use the same scale.
Find the difference between the whole length and the used part.
55 − 24 = 31. There are 31 cm left for the next check.
His note was wrong. Blaze saved the photograph. Somewhere deeper inside, stone scraped against stone.
One quick fact. You have 8 seconds. Complete this challenge to continue; a wrong answer or time-out will not stop the story.
⚡ Speed Challenge!
Think fast, then follow the next clue.
The mystery continues
At sunset, Blaze reached for the survey. Her hand met bare canvas. The tent flap snapped behind her. On the empty table lay Vane's gold-sun card. Across its back: Some treasures need a better owner. The supervisor radioed security. Blaze opened her saved photographs. The map was still there. So was the evidence.
Blaze: He stole our route. But he doesn't know what we found.
From beneath the pyramid came three low notes. This time, something answered.
Hints and worked answers
Try each question before reading its answer.
Challenge 1
Hint: Count equal gaps, not the tick marks. Read the label at the pointer.
Answer: 20 L
Each gap is 10 L. The pointer is 2 gaps from zero: 2 × 10 = 20 L.
Challenge 2
Hint: Find the difference between the whole length and the used part.
Answer: 25 cm
45 − 20 = 25. There are 25 cm left for the next check.
Challenge 3
Hint: Decide whether you are measuring length, mass or capacity.
Answer: kilograms
Mass describes how heavy an object is. Kilograms are suitable here.
Challenge 4
Hint: Count equal gaps, not the tick marks. Read the label at the pointer.
Answer: 30 kg
Each gap is 10 kg. The pointer is 3 gaps from zero: 3 × 10 = 30 kg.
Challenge 5
Hint: The bottom number counts all equal parts. The top number counts filled parts.
Answer: 3/4
3 of the 4 equal parts are filled, so the fraction is 3/4.
Challenge 6
Hint: Count equal gaps, not the tick marks. Read the label at the pointer.
Answer: 40 L
Each gap is 10 L. The pointer is 4 gaps from zero: 4 × 10 = 40 L.
Challenge 7
Hint: Decide whether you are measuring length, mass or capacity.
Answer: litres
Capacity is the amount a container can hold. Litres are suitable here.
Challenge 8
Hint: Use equal groups: one group for each frame.
Answer: 12
3 groups of 4: 3 × 4 = 12 clips.
Challenge 9
Hint: Find the difference between the whole length and the used part.
Answer: 31 cm
55 − 24 = 31. There are 31 cm left for the next check.
Challenge 10
Hint: Count equal gaps, not the tick marks. Read the label at the pointer.
Answer: 20 cm
Each gap is 10 cm. The pointer is 2 gaps from zero: 2 × 10 = 20 cm. Vane’s claim of 60 cm does not match the original measurement.
Speed challenge answers
Chapter 1: 3 × 2 = 6.
Chapter 2: 20 ÷ 4 = 5.
Chapter 3: 5 × 8 = 40.
Chapter 4: 20 ÷ 10 = 2.
Chapter 5: 2 × 5 = 10.
MISSION COMPLETE!
Results preview: scores and stars are calculated when you play the interactive mission.
Blaze has exposed a false reading at the pyramid—but Silas Vane has stolen the survey. She has saved the evidence. The mystery beneath the sand has only just begun.
What You Practised Today 🧠
- ✓ Reading labelled scales
- ✓ Choosing metric units
- ✓ Fractions of a whole
- ✓ Practical length calculations
- ✓ Multiplication and division facts
Issue #2 — The Gallery That Answered
A tempting shortcut. Footsteps that double back. A voice where nobody stands.
This is one of 4 complete adventures — Space, Jungle, Pyramid and Treasure. Get all 28 issues in the School Holidays Bundle for $29.95.
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Teacher notes and answer guide
These tasks practise selected components, not complete curriculum coverage. Decorative artwork is not mathematical evidence; use each exact diagram.
- AC9M3M01 — Choose an appropriate metric unit
- AC9M3M02 — Read labelled scales
- AC9M3N02 — Represent multiples of unit fractions
- AC9M3N03 — Solve a practical length problem
- AC9M3N04 — Multiply using equal groups
Main questions are untimed. All five chapter-end speed challenges are compulsory; a wrong answer or time-out allows progression. One combined score, maximum 200 points.
Opening a worked solution before answering removes first-try credit. Progress resets on reload.
Teacher guide · Read the complete issue · All seven issues
QCAA: Year 3 Australian Curriculum v9 alignment · checked 19 September 2026.
Reading version available. Audio will be produced separately through ElevenLabs.