The problem asks for the gradient (slope) of the straight line passing through the points $(3, 1)$ and $(8, 36)$.

The formula to calculate the gradient $m$ between two points $(x_1, y_1)$ and $(x_2, y_2)$ is:

$m = \frac{y_2 - y_1}{x_2 - x_1}$

Substituting the given points:

$m = \frac{36 - 1}{8 - 3} = \frac{35}{5} = 7$

So, the gradient of the line is $7$.

Would you like more details or have any questions?

Here are some related questions for further practice:

1. How would the gradient change if one of the points had different coordinates?
2. Can you find the equation of the line passing through $(3, 1)$ and $(8, 36)$?
3. What is the significance of the gradient in real-world problems?
4. How do you calculate the gradient if the line is vertical or horizontal?
5. What happens to the gradient if the x-coordinates are swapped?

Tip: The steeper the line, the greater the gradient's absolute value. If the line goes downwards, the gradient will be negative!