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Contemporary's GED Mathematics

Jerry Howett

GED Practice Test

Directions:

The Mathematics Test consists of multiple-choice questions intended to measure general mathematics skills and problem-solving ability. The questions are based on short readings that often include a graph, chart, or figure.

You should try to complete the 25 questions on the test in 45 minutes. Work carefully, but do not spend too much time on any one question. Be sure you answer every question.

Formulas you may need are listed under the Formulas link in the sidebar on the left-hand side of your screen. Only some of the questions will require you to use a formula. Not all the formulas given will be needed.

Some questions contain more information than you will need to solve the problem; other questions do not give enough information. If the question does not give enough information to solve the problem, the correct answer choice is "Not enough information is given."

Some questions require you to choose the correct form of an answer as it appears on an alternate format grid or on a coordinate plane grid. If you need help understanding these grids, click on the Alternate Grids link in the sidebar on the left-hand side of your screen.

The use of calculators is allowed for questions 1–13. If you need help using your calculator, click on the Calculator Directions link in the sidebar on the left-hand side of your screen.

When you have finished the test, click on Submit Answers to receive feedback and results. You may also choose to e-mail your results to your instructor. Click on GED Score in the sidebar on the left-hand side of your screen to determine your GED standard score.

You may use a calculator for questions 1–13.

A 15-foot ladder is leaning against a 30-foot wall. The bottom end of the ladder is 9 feet from the wall. How many feet above the ground does the ladder touch the wall?

1.7

17.5

144

What is the probability that, by guessing at random, one can correctly guess the month of birth of a stranger?

1/12

1/9

1/6

1/4

1/3

Which of the following grids correctly shows the hourly wage of a person who earned $1,506 in three 40-hour weeks?

A cookie recipe calls for 3/4 stick of butter. Valerie has enough of the other ingredients to make 6 batches of cookies. If she has 3 sticks of butter, how many batches of the recipe can she make? (Choose the answer, marked correctly, from one of the grids below.)

Mrs. Falbo bought 9 adult tickets and 5 children’s tickets for the recital. The total she paid was $67. Mrs. Ustinov bought 7 adult tickets and paid $38.50. How much does each type of ticket cost?

adult = $7.44; children’s = $13.40

adult = $5.50; children’s = $3.50

adult = $6.59; children’s = $7.70

adult = $3.50; children’s = $5.50

adult = $13.40; children’s = $47.44

The graph above represents a time analysis of Ray's eight-hour workday. Based on the graph, approximately how many hours does Ray spend observing other employees?

1.2

1.7

2.0

2.4

3.0

On a certain compact disc, three songs have the following playing times:

Song A: 4 minutes and 56 seconds
Song B: 2 minutes and 30 seconds
Song C: 10 minutes and 16 seconds

What is the average playing time of these three songs?

5 minutes and 8 seconds

5 minutes and 54 seconds

6 minutes

6 minutes and 7 seconds

17 minutes and 42 seconds

The drawing above shows CD parallel to AB. If AB = 4 miles, BP = 3 miles, and CP = 6 miles, how many miles is it from C to D?

4.0

4.5

5.0

6.5

Karen is joining a book club. To join, she must buy two books, and then she will get one free book. The following are the prices for the 8 books being offered:

A. $29.50 E. $16.25
B. $25.00 F. $19.98
C. $18.00 G. $49.00
D. $39.50 H. $17.98

Karen wants to select her books with the maximum dollar value and yet pay as little as possible. What three books should she select?

A, C, D

A, B, G

C, E, H

E, F, G

E, G, H

A bottle of 250 vitamin tablets sells for $3.75. At this rate, what should a bottle of 30 tablets cost? (Choose the answer, marked correctly, from one of the grids below.)

One of the first electronic computers was in the shape of a huge box. It was 96 feet long and 2.5 feet wide. The amount of space inside was approximately 3,000 cubic feet. How many feet high was the computer?

1.25

12.50

27.60

125.00

276.00

The perimeter of a square flower bed is 100 feet. What is the area of the flower bed in square feet?

100

400

625

There is not enough information to solve the problem.

Armando is a barber. He gets 40% of what each of his customers is charged. If the customer leaves a tip, Armando gets 100% of the tip. How much does Armando earn on an $8.50 haircut if the customer tips him $1.30?

$9.80

$6.40

$5.30

$4.70

$3.92

You may NOT use a calculator with questions 14–25.


14	In the figure above, <RXT measures 90˚. Which other angle(s) is a complement of <a?
		A)	<b only
		B)	<d only
		C)	<c only
		D)	<c and <d
		E)	<e and <c


15	A string of Christmas tree lights has 15 lights. One of the lights does not work. What is the probability that the defective light is the third one from the plug?
		A)	1/15
		B)	1/14
		C)	1/5
		D)	12/15
		E)	14/15


16	Simplify 6(k – 3) – 5(k + 2).
		A)	k + 20
		B)	k – 1
		C)	k – 13
		D)	k – 16
		E)	k – 28


17	Lisa spends ¹/₄ of her earnings on rent and ¹/₅ of her earnings on food. Let m stand for her monthly earnings in dollars. Which of the following expressions represents the number of dollars Lisa has left at the end of the month after paying rent and buying food?
		A)	m – ^m/₄ – ^m/₅
		B)	m – ¹/₄ – ¹/₅
		C)	m(¹/₄ – ¹/₅)
		D)	¹/₅ (m – ^m/₄)
		E)	¹/₅ (m – ^m/₅)


18	Mrs. Cabrini needs 2 quarts of tomato sauce to make a large batch of her spaghetti sauce. She has 1 ¹/₄ quarts of her own. She borrows ¹/₂ quart from the neighbor across the hall and ³/₈ quart from the neighbor next door. How many quarts does she have in all? (Choose the answer, marked correctly, from one of the grids below.)
		A)
		B)
		C)
		D)
		E)


19	The four babies born at the local hospital on New Year’s Day had weights of 5 pounds 7 ounces, 6 pounds 4 ounces, 6 pounds 12 ounces, and 7 pounds 2 ounces. What was the median weight of the babies?
		A)	6 pounds 4 ounces
		B)	6 pounds 8 ounces
		C)	6 pounds 10 ounces
		D)	6 pounds 14 ounces
		E)	6 pounds 15 ounces

Questions 20 and 21 refer to the graph below.


20	The greatest increase in number of employees occurred during which year?
		A)	1996
		B)	1999
		C)	2001
		D)	2002
		E)	Not enough information is given.


21	To the nearest whole number, what was the average annual increase in employees over the 10-year period shown on the graph?
		A)	12
		B)	19
		C)	20
		D)	30
		E)	35


22	At what point does the graph of 2x + y = 4 cross the x-axis? (Choose the appropriate point, marked correctly, from one of the grids below.)
		A)
		B)
		C)
		D)
		E)


23	Samantha is buying ground beef for her club’s picnic. They will make 76 hamburgers; each hamburger will contain 5 ounces of meat. Which of the following expressions can Samantha use to find out how many pounds of ground beef she must buy?
		A)	5 x 76
		B)	5 + 76
		C)	5 x 76 x 16
		D)	(5 x 76) ÷ 16
		E)	76(5 + 16)


24	What are the factors of 6x – 6?
		A)	(3x – 2)(2x + 3)
		B)	6(x – 1)
		C)	(2x – 3)(3x + 2)
		D)	(6x + 1)( x – 1)
		E)	6(x + 1)


25	In ∆ABC above, how many degrees are in <B?
		A)	42˚
		B)	48˚
		C)	58˚
		D)	138˚
		E)	180˚

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