ASVAB - Arithmetic
Reasoning/Mathematics Knowledge
Questions and Answers (Graded A)
John bought a camera on sale that normally costs $160. If the price was reduced 20%
during the sale, what was the sale price of the camera?
(a) $120
(b) $124
(c) $128
(d) $140 - ANSWER-(c) $128
This question asks you to determine the sale price of a camera that normally sells at
$160 and is discounted 20%. To solve, determine what 20% of $160 equals. Rewrite
20% as a decimal.
20% = 0.20. So 20% of $160 = 0.20 x $160 = $32.
The sale price of the camera would be $160 - $32 = $128, choice (c)
A subway car passes 3 stations every 10 minutes. At this rate, how many stations will it
pass in one hour?
(a) 15
(b) 18
(c) 20
(d) 30 - ANSWER-(b) 18
First, set up the rate as a proportion, where (x) is the number of stations.
3 stations/10 minutes = (x) stations/1 hour
Then, convert the units.
3 stations/10 minutes = (x) stations/60 minutes
Cross multiply and solve for (x).
180 = 10(x)
18 = (x)
,On a certain map, 3/4 inch represents one mile. What distance, in miles, is presented by
1 3/4 inches?
(a) 1 1/2
(b) 2 1/3
(c) 2 1/2
(d) 5 1/4 - ANSWER-(b) 2 1/3
In this question, the ratio is implied: for every 3/4 inch of map there is 1 real mile, so the
ratio of inches to the miles they represent is always 3/4 to 1. Therefore, you can set up
the proportion:
number of inches/ number of miles = 3/ = 3/4
Now 1 3/4 inches = 7/4 inches.
Set up a proportion:
7/4 inches
7/4 inches / number of miles = 3/4
Cross-multiply:
7/4(4) = 3 (number of miles)
7= 3(number of miles)
7/3 = number of miles or 2 1/3 = number of miles
A certain box contains baseballs and golf balls. If the ratio of baseballs to golf balls is
2:3 and there are 30 baseballs in the box, how many golf balls are in the box?
(a) 18
(b) 20
(c) 36
(d) 45 - ANSWER-(d) 45
You can express the ratio of baseballs to golf balls as 2/3. Since you know the number
of baseballs, you can set up a proportion: 2/3 = 30/ (x) where (x) is the number of golf
balls. To solve, cross-multiply to get 2(x) = 90, or x = 45.
Four people shared a taxi to the airport. The fare was $36.00, and they gave the driver
a tip equal to 25% of the fare. If they equally shared the cost of the fare and tip, how
much did each person pay?
,(a) $9.75
(b) $10.25
(c) $10.75
(d) $11.25 - ANSWER-(d) $11.25
The total cost of the taxi ride equals $36 + (25% of $36), or $36 + (.25 x $36) = $36 + $9
= $45. If four people split the cost equally, then each person paid $45/4, or $11.25 each.
If a car travels 1/100 of a kilometer each second, how many kilometers does it travel in
an hour?
(a) 36
(b) 60
(c) 72
(d) 100 - ANSWER-(a) 36
Find the number of seconds in an hour and then multiply this by the distance the car is
traveling each second. There are 60 seconds in a minute and 60 minute in one hour;
therefore, there are 60 x 60, or 3,600, seconds in an hour. In one second the car travels
1/100 kilometers; in one hour the car will travel 3,600 x 1/100 or 36 kilometers.
20 - (-5) = __.
(a) -25
(b) 25
(c) 15
(d) -15 - ANSWER-(b) 25
Subtracting a negative number is the same as addition, so 20 - (-5) is really 20 + 5 = 25.
Ms. Smith drove a total of 700 miles on a business trip. If her car averaged 35 miles per
gallon of gasoline and gasoline cost $1.25 per gallon, what was the cost in dollars of the
gasoline for the trip?
(a) $20.00
(b) $ 24.00
(c) $ 25.00
(d) $40.00 - ANSWER-(c) $25.00
If Ms. Smith's car average 35 miles per gallon, she can go 35 miles on 1 gallon. To go
700 miles she will need 700/35, or 20 gallons of gasoline. The price of gasoline was
$1.25 per gallon, so she spent 20 x $1.25, or $25, for her trip.
After eating 25% of the jelly beans, Brett had 72 left. How many jelly beans did Brett
have originally?
, (a) 90
(b) 94
(c) 95
(d) 96 - ANSWER-(d) 96
Be careful with a question like this one. You're given the percent decrease (25%) and
the new number (72), and you're asked to reconstruct the original number. Don't just
take 25% of 72 and add it on. That 25% is based not on the new number, 72, but on the
original number - the number you're looking for. The best way to do a problem like this
is to set up an equation:
(original number) - (25% of original number) = new number
(x) - 0.25(x) = 72
0.75x = 72
x = 96
Alternatively, you can use the answer choices to determine the correct answer. The
original number of jelly beans has to be reducible by 25%, or 1/4. That means the
original number of jelly beans has to be a multiple of 4 (or else you'd be reducing by
pieces of jelly beans). Only the correct answer, 96, is a multiple of 4.
A student finishes the first half of an exam in 2/3 the time it takes him to finish the
second half. If the entire exam takes him an hour, how many minutes does he spend on
the first half of the exam?
(a) 20
(b) s4
(c) 27
(d) 36 - ANSWER-(b) 24
The time it takes to complete the entire exam is the sum of the time spent on the first
half of the exam and the time spent on the second half. The time spent on the first half
is 2/3 of the time spent on he second half. If (S) represents the time spent on the
second half, then the total time spent is 2/3(S) + (S) or 5/3 (S). You know this total time
is one hour, or 60 minutes. Set up a simple equation and solve for (S).
5/3(S) = 60
3/5 x 5/3(S) = 3/5 x 60
(S) = 36
So the second half takes 36 minutes. The first half takes 2/3 of this, or 24 minutes. You
could also find the first half by subtracting 36 minutes from the total time, 60 minutes.
