ASVAB Arithmetic Reasoning Practice - 4

ASVAB Arithmetic Reasoning

Practice - 4

Lesson with questions and answers

Paying Attention to the TIME

On the ASVAB you have a little over a minute to complete each question. So as you go through these problems the timer will be set for 2 minutes. It's more time than you will have on the test but we will use it as a guide for this practice.

Multiple Choice

Mike has $5.25 in quarters and dimes. He has exactly 15 dimes. How many quarters does he have?

• 6

• 12

• 15

• 21

ANSWER IS 15

If Mike has 15 dimes, he has (15)($0.10) = $1.50 in dimes.

Subtract that from the total to find out how much he has in quarters: $5.25 – $1.50 = $3.75.

Then, divide that result by $0.25 to determine how many quarters he has: $3.75/$0.25 = 15.

Multiple Choice

Kelly used to pay $500 a month for rent. Now she pays $525 a month for rent. By what percent did her rent increase?

• 0.5 %

• 5%

• 10%

• 12.5%

ANSWER IS 5%

The percent increase is:   $\frac{amount\ of\ increase}{original\ amount}$  

So:  $\frac{25}{500}$  which equals 0.05.

  
Convert 0.05 to a percent by multiplying 0.05 by 100 to get 5 percent.
(shortcut - move the decimal two to the right)

Multiple Choice

A bag has 8 pennies, 5 dimes, and 7 nickels. A coin is randomly chosen from the bag. What is the probability that the coin chosen is a dime?

• $\frac{1}{20}$

• $\frac{1}{4}$

• $\frac{1}{3}$

• $\frac{3}{10}$

ANSWER IS  $\frac{1}{4}$  

The probability of randomly selecting a dime is equal to the number of dimes in the bag, 5,

divided by the total number of coins in the bag, 20: 

5 ÷ 20 = 1/4.

Multiple Choice

There are 2 pints in 1 quart and 4 quarts in a gallon. How many pints are in 2 gallons?

• 32 pints

• 16 pints

• 8 pints

• 4 pints

ANSWER IS 16 PINTS

1 gallon contains 4 quarts

2 gallons contain 8 quarts

1 quart contains 2 pints

So 8 x 2 = 16 pints

Multiple Choice

Paul invests $2,000 in an account that pays 4 percent annual interest. How much will he earn in interest in one year?

• $160

• $80

• $120

• $800

ANSWER IS $80

Use the interest formula I = Prt,

where I is the interest

P is the principal

r is the interest rate (as a decimal)

and t is the time in years.

I = $2,000(0.04)(1) = $80.

Multiple Choice

One mile is equal to 5,280 feet. Sergeant Jeffries walked 1.2 miles. How many feet did he walk?

• 7,392 ft

• 1,056 ft

• 5,780 ft

• 6,336 ft

ANSWER IS 6,336 ft

1 mile has 5,280 feet

Convert miles to feet by multiplying 1.2 miles by the conversion factor

1.2 x 5,280 = 6,336 ft.

Multiple Choice

A total of 200 people attended a conference. Use the chart to determine how many attendees were women.

• 94

• 212

• 53

• 106

ANSWER IS 106

According to the chart, 53 percent of the attendees were women.

Multiply the percent of women 53% as a decimal: (0.53)

by the number of attendees (200):

200 x 0.53 = 106.

Multiple Choice

Suppose you have $88 in your checking account. You pay $22 for a sweater and $8 for lunch, and then you deposit a $38 check. What is the balance in your account? (keep in mind this is without a calculator)

• $58

• $96

• $20

• $156

ANSWER IS $96

Subtract the purchase amounts ($22 and $8) from the amount in your checking account:

$88 – $22 – $8 = $58.

Then add the amount of deposit:

$58 + $38 = $96.

(again, all by hand)

Multiple Choice

There are 24 right-handed students in a class of 30. A student is chosen from the class at random. What is the probability that the student is left-handed?

• $\frac{1}{2}$

• $\frac{1}{5}$

• $\frac{4}{5}$

• $\frac{1}{4}$

ANSWER IS  $\frac{1}{5}$  

The probability of choosing one of the six left-handed students in the class (remember, it’s a class of 30, and 24 students are right-handed) is easy to find. 

Because 6/30 students are left-handed, reduce the fraction to come up with the probability. 6/30=1/5. 

You have a one-in-five chance of randomly choosing a leftie.

Multiple Choice

At a laundromat, it costs $1.75 to wash each load of laundry and $1.50 to dry each load of laundry. How much will you pay to wash and dry four loads of laundry?

• $2.25

• $20.00

• $20.25

• $13.00

ANSWER IS 13

Each total load costs $3.25 ($1.75 + $1.50).

Multiply that by 4 to get the total cost of all your laundry:

3.25 × 4 = $13.