ASVAB; ARITHMETIC REASONING EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
If a car is hauled 12 miles to a repair shop and the tow price is $3.50 per mile,
how much will it cost?
(a) $12.00 (b) $3.50
(c) $42.00 (d) $100.00 - ANSWER C. Multiply 12 miles by $3.50 per mile to
get $42.00.
The total of two numbers equals 70. One number is eight greater than the other.
What is the smaller number?
(a) 31 (b) 33 (c) 35 (d) 36 - ANSWER A. x + x + 8 = 70, solve for x: x = 31.
A sales manager purchases antacids in bottles for the gross. How long would the
gross remain if he uses three bottles of antacids every day?
There are four options: 144 days, 3 days, 20 days, and ANSWER D: 48 days. A
bulk has 144 bottles, and 144 ÷ 3 (bottles each day) is equal to 48 days.
Jenny's test grades are 93, 89, 96, and 98. If she wants to boost her average to
95, how many points must she get on her next test?
Answer B: (a) 100, (b) 99, (c) 97, or (d) 95. x represents the unknown score. (93
+ 89 + 96 + 98 + x) ÷ 5 or (376 + x) ÷ 5. Now solve for x.
A waitress makes an average of 12% of the cost of the dish she serves. If she
serves $375 worth of food in one evening, how much money will she make in
tips on average?
(a) $37 (b) $45 (c) $42 (d) $420 - Answer B. To calculate tips, multiply the
$375 spent on drinks by 12% (or 0.12).
$375 × 0.12 = $45
How much carpeting is needed to cover a 12-foot x 12-foot room?
(a) 24 (b) 120 (c) 48 (d) 144 - Answer D. To calculate square footage, multiply
length by width.
12 x 12 equals 144 square feet.
, Joe received an hourly pay of $8.15. His supervisor granted him a 7% rise. How
much does Joe earn each hour now?
(a) $0.57 (b) $8.90 (c) $8.72 (d) $13.85 - Answer C.To compute the new wage,
first multiply $8.15 by 0.07, which equals $0.57. Add $0.57 to the original pay
($8.15) to get $8.72.
Alice leaves her residence and drives east at 45 mph. Thirty minutes later, her
husband Dave notices she's forgotten her cell phone and follows her. How
quickly must Dave travel to catch up with Alice three hours after he departs?
Possible speeds include 49 mph, 50.5 mph, 52.5 mph, and 54 mph. - ANSWER
C: Distance = Speed × Time. First, calculate Alice's distance traveled in 3½
hours at 45 mph (157.5 mph). Dave has three hours to travel this distance. Now,
find his speed. 157.5 miles divided by 3 hours equals 52.5 mph.
Miriam purchased five cases of motor oil on discount. A case of motor oil
generally costs $24.00, but she was able to get it for $22.50 per case. How much
money did Miriam save on her whole purchase?
(a) $7.50 (b) $1.50 (c) $8.00 (d) $22.50 - Answer A. Subtracting the sale price
from the original price yields $1.50, or $24.00 minus $22.50. Now, multiply
that number by the number of cases to get the final solution. $1.50 × 5 = $7.50
A security guard walks the equivalent of six city blocks around the structure. If
he walks eight city blocks every 30 minutes, how long will it take him to
complete a circuit around the building, assuming he does not encounter any
thieves?
Answer C: 20.00 minutes, 3.75 minutes, 22.50 minutes, or 7.5 minutes. Divide
30 by 8 to get the time it takes to walk one city block: 3.75 minutes. The
number required to complete the circuit is then multiplied by six. The answer is
22.50 minutes.
Between 1995 and 2005, the population of Grand Island, Nebraska, increased
by 600,000 people, one-fifth higher than the town council anticipated. The town
expected a population growth of (a) 400,000, (b) 500,000, (c) 300,000, or (d)
100,000 (answer B). Let x be the original projected number. A ¹/₅ would result
in population growth of ⁶/₅, or 120% of x. Express the problem as 1.2x =
600,000 and solve for x, which equals 500,000.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
If a car is hauled 12 miles to a repair shop and the tow price is $3.50 per mile,
how much will it cost?
(a) $12.00 (b) $3.50
(c) $42.00 (d) $100.00 - ANSWER C. Multiply 12 miles by $3.50 per mile to
get $42.00.
The total of two numbers equals 70. One number is eight greater than the other.
What is the smaller number?
(a) 31 (b) 33 (c) 35 (d) 36 - ANSWER A. x + x + 8 = 70, solve for x: x = 31.
A sales manager purchases antacids in bottles for the gross. How long would the
gross remain if he uses three bottles of antacids every day?
There are four options: 144 days, 3 days, 20 days, and ANSWER D: 48 days. A
bulk has 144 bottles, and 144 ÷ 3 (bottles each day) is equal to 48 days.
Jenny's test grades are 93, 89, 96, and 98. If she wants to boost her average to
95, how many points must she get on her next test?
Answer B: (a) 100, (b) 99, (c) 97, or (d) 95. x represents the unknown score. (93
+ 89 + 96 + 98 + x) ÷ 5 or (376 + x) ÷ 5. Now solve for x.
A waitress makes an average of 12% of the cost of the dish she serves. If she
serves $375 worth of food in one evening, how much money will she make in
tips on average?
(a) $37 (b) $45 (c) $42 (d) $420 - Answer B. To calculate tips, multiply the
$375 spent on drinks by 12% (or 0.12).
$375 × 0.12 = $45
How much carpeting is needed to cover a 12-foot x 12-foot room?
(a) 24 (b) 120 (c) 48 (d) 144 - Answer D. To calculate square footage, multiply
length by width.
12 x 12 equals 144 square feet.
, Joe received an hourly pay of $8.15. His supervisor granted him a 7% rise. How
much does Joe earn each hour now?
(a) $0.57 (b) $8.90 (c) $8.72 (d) $13.85 - Answer C.To compute the new wage,
first multiply $8.15 by 0.07, which equals $0.57. Add $0.57 to the original pay
($8.15) to get $8.72.
Alice leaves her residence and drives east at 45 mph. Thirty minutes later, her
husband Dave notices she's forgotten her cell phone and follows her. How
quickly must Dave travel to catch up with Alice three hours after he departs?
Possible speeds include 49 mph, 50.5 mph, 52.5 mph, and 54 mph. - ANSWER
C: Distance = Speed × Time. First, calculate Alice's distance traveled in 3½
hours at 45 mph (157.5 mph). Dave has three hours to travel this distance. Now,
find his speed. 157.5 miles divided by 3 hours equals 52.5 mph.
Miriam purchased five cases of motor oil on discount. A case of motor oil
generally costs $24.00, but she was able to get it for $22.50 per case. How much
money did Miriam save on her whole purchase?
(a) $7.50 (b) $1.50 (c) $8.00 (d) $22.50 - Answer A. Subtracting the sale price
from the original price yields $1.50, or $24.00 minus $22.50. Now, multiply
that number by the number of cases to get the final solution. $1.50 × 5 = $7.50
A security guard walks the equivalent of six city blocks around the structure. If
he walks eight city blocks every 30 minutes, how long will it take him to
complete a circuit around the building, assuming he does not encounter any
thieves?
Answer C: 20.00 minutes, 3.75 minutes, 22.50 minutes, or 7.5 minutes. Divide
30 by 8 to get the time it takes to walk one city block: 3.75 minutes. The
number required to complete the circuit is then multiplied by six. The answer is
22.50 minutes.
Between 1995 and 2005, the population of Grand Island, Nebraska, increased
by 600,000 people, one-fifth higher than the town council anticipated. The town
expected a population growth of (a) 400,000, (b) 500,000, (c) 300,000, or (d)
100,000 (answer B). Let x be the original projected number. A ¹/₅ would result
in population growth of ⁶/₅, or 120% of x. Express the problem as 1.2x =
600,000 and solve for x, which equals 500,000.
