Education Quality And Accountability Office (EQAO) Grade 9 Practice Exam

If you unfold a prism, the lateral surface forms what shape?

A circle A square A triangle A rectangle

Correct Answer:

A rectangle

Explanation:

Unfolding the lateral surface shows why it forms a rectangle. The side faces around the base of a prism are all rectangles, each with height equal to the prism’s height and width equal to a base edge. When you lay these faces flat in a row, their heights align, and their widths add up to the base’s perimeter. That entire flattened strip is a single rectangle, with height the prism’s height and width equal to the base perimeter. A circle or triangle wouldn’t fit because the lateral surface is made of straight faces, and a square wouldn’t accommodate the continuous strip of side faces. So the unfolded lateral surface is a rectangle.

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