To calculate the gradient of a straight line passing through two points, you can use the formula:

$\text{Gradient (m)} = \frac{y_2 - y_1}{x_2 - x_1}$

In this case, the two points given are $(3, 1)$ and $(8, 36)$.

1. $(x_1, y_1) = (3, 1)$
2. $(x_2, y_2) = (8, 36)$

Substitute these values into the formula:

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

Thus, the gradient of the line is 7.

Would you like more details on this, or do you have any further questions?

Here are some related questions for further practice:

1. What is the gradient of a line passing through the points $(4, 5)$ and $(7, 11)$?
2. How do you calculate the y-intercept of a line if the gradient is known?
3. Can a gradient be negative? What does a negative gradient indicate about the line?
4. What is the equation of the line that passes through $(3, 1)$ and $(8, 36)$?
5. How would the gradient change if the two points were closer together?

Tip: The gradient tells you how steep a line is. A larger gradient means the line is steeper!