2020/2021 ASVAB FOR DUMMIES (PAPER VERSION 1)

Darla spent $120.37 on groceries in January, $108.45 in February, and $114.86 in March. What was the average monthly cost of Darla's groceries?

$114.56 Add the three monthly amounts to determine the total amount Darla spent on groceries: $120.37 + $108.45 + $114.86 = $343.68. Divide the total by 3 to determine the average monthly cost: $114.56.

Kiya had only one coupon for 10% off one frozen turkey breast. The turkey breasts cost $8.50 each, and Kiya wanted to buy two. How much did she pay?

$16.15 One turkey breast costs $8.50 minus 10% of $8.50, or $8.50 - $0.85 = $7.65. The other turkey breast is full price, so add the two costs: $7.65 + $8.50 = $16.15.

Carpet stain protector costs $0.65 per square yard to apply. How much will it cost to apply the protector to a 16-foot-x-18-foot carpet?

$20.80 16 ft. × 18 ft. = 288 ft^2 288 ft^2 ÷ 9 ft^2/yd^2 = 32 yd^2 32 yd^2 × $0.65/yd^2 = $20.80

Stan bought a monster truck for $2,000 down and payments of $450 a month for five years. What's the total cost of the monster truck?

$29,000 The total cost is the down payment plus 5 years' worth of monthly payments. Five years contain 60 months, so multiply $450 (monthly payment) × 60 = $27,000 (total payments). Then add $27,000 (total payments) + $2,000 (down payment) = $29,000 (total cost).

A teacher deposits $3,000 in a retirement fund. If she doesn't add any more money to the fund, which earns an annual interest rate of 6%, how much money will she have in 1 year?

$3180 To determine the amount of interest earned, multiply the principal ($3,000) by the interest rate (6%) and the number of years interest accrues (1 year):$3,000 × 0.06 × 1 = $180. Add the interest earned to the principal to show how much total money the teacher would have: $180 + $3,000 = $3,180.

If a car is towed 12 miles to the repair shop and the tow charge is $3.50 per mile, how much did the tow cost?

$42.00 12 x $3.50 = $42.00

A waitress earns an average tip of 12% of the cost of the food she serves. If she serves $375 worth of food in one evening, how much money in tips will she earn on average?

$45 Multiply the total amount spent on food, $375, by 12% (or 0.12) to determine the amount of tips: $375 × 0.12 = $45

Your car uses gasoline at the rate of 21 miles per gallon. If gasoline costs $2.82 per gallon and you drive for 7 hours at a speed of 48 miles per hour, how much will you pay for gasoline for the trip?

$45.12 Your first step is to determine the number of miles traveled. Multiply the rate of travel by the time:48 × 7 = 336 mi.The amount of gas used is the total miles driven divided by the number of miles per gallon:336 ÷ 21 = 16 gal. usedAt the price of $2.82 per gallon, you spent $45.12 for gas:$2.82 × 16 = $45.12

Miriam bought five cases of motor oil on sale. A case of motor oil normally costs $24.00, but she was able to purchase the oil for $22.50 a case. How much money did Miriam save on her entire purchase?

$7.50 Subtract the sale price from the regular price to find how much she saves on each case: $24.00 - $22.50 = $1.50. Multiply the answer by the total number of cases to get your final answer: $1.50 × 5 = $7.50.

Joe received an hourly wage of $8.15. His boss gave him a 7% raise. How much does Joe make per hour now?

$8.72 Joe gets a 7% raise. To calculate the new wage, start off by multiplying $8.15 × 0.07 = $0.57. Then add that number (the amount of Joe's raise) to his original hourly wage. Joe's new hourly wage is $8.15 + $0.57 = $8.72.

A meter consists of

100 centimeters

The high school track measures one-quarter of a mile around. How many laps would you have to run in order to run three and a half miles?

14 Recognize that if the track is one-quarter of a mile long, then 1 mile equals four laps. Therefore, multiply 4 laps/mile × 3.5 miles, making the answer 14 laps.

How many square feet of carpeting are needed to carpet a 12-foot-x-12-foot room?

144 Determine square footage by multiplying length by width, or 12 × 12 = 144.

A carpenter needs to cut four sections, each 3 feet, 8 inches long, from a piece of molding. If the board is only sold by the foot, what's the shortest length of board she can buy?

15 feet Convert the mixed number to inches: 3 feet, 8 inches equals 44 inches (12 in./ft. × 3 ft. = 36 in., and 36 in. + 8 in. = 44 in.). Then find the amount of molding needed in inches: 44 inches (the length each section needs to be) × 4 (the number of sections needed) = 176 inches (total molding needed). To determine the amount of molding needed in feet, convert 176 inches into feet by dividing 176 inches by 12 inches. You get feet, so the shortest board length is 15 feet.Tip: The board is sold by the foot, so a slightly faster approach is to handle the full feet and inches separately — that is, don't bother converting the feet to inches. Each section is 3 feet, 8 inches, so first multiply full feet: 3 ft. × 4 sections = 12 ft. Then multiply the additional inches: 8 in. × 4 sections = 32 in. That's a little more than 2 feet (it's 2 feet, 8 inches), so the carpenter needs an additional 3 feet, for a total of 15 feet.

Light waves travel at a rate of about

186,000 miles per second

As a member of FEMA, you're required to set up a contingency plan to supply meals to residents of a town devastated by a tornado. A breakfast ration weighs 12 ounces, and the lunch and dinner rations weigh 18 ounces each. Assuming a food truck can carry 3 tons and that each resident will receive 3 meals per day, how many residents can you feed from one truck during a 10-day period? A. 150 residents B. 200 residents C. 250 residents D. 300 residents

200 Residents First find how many ounces of rations each truck can hold. One ton = 2,000 pounds, so one truck can carry three times that, or 6,000 pounds. There are 16 ounces in a pound, so one truck can carry 96,000 ounces (6,000 lbs. × 16 oz/lb. = 96,000 oz.).Then figure out how many daily rations are in a truckload. The total daily ration for each resident is 12 ounces + 18 ounces + 18 ounces, or 48 ounces. You can express the number of daily rations supplied as96,000 oz. ÷ 48 oz./daily ration = 2,000 daily rationsThese rations need to last 10 days. Dividing 2,000 by 10 days results in 200 residents who can be fed by one truck during this 10-day period.

A security guard walks the equivalent of six city blocks when he makes a circuit around the building. If he walks at a pace of eight city blocks every 30 minutes, how long will it take him to complete a circuit around the building, assuming he doesn't run into any thieves?

22.5 minutes Divide 30 by 8 to determine how long the security guard takes to walk one city block:30 ÷ 8 = 3.75 minutesThen multiply 3.75 by 6, the number of blocks it takes to complete the circuit. The answer is 22.50, or minutes.

The sum of two numbers is 70. One number is 8 more than the other. What's the smaller number?

31 x + (x + 8) = 70

Keith is driving from Reno to Kansas City to meet his girlfriend. The distance between the two cities is 1,650 miles. If Keith can average 50 miles per hour, how many hours will it take him to complete his trip?

33 hours Distance equals speed times time, so divide the total distance by Keith's average speed to find how long the trip took:1,650 mi. ÷ 50 mph = 33 hr.

The human heart includes

4 chambers

A sales manager buys antacid in bottles by the gross. If he goes through 3 bottles of antacid every day, how long will the gross last?

48 144 bottles are in a gross, and 144 ÷ 3 (bottles per day) = 48 days.

A baker made 20 pies. A Boy Scout troop buys one-fourth of his pies, a preschool teacher buys one-third of his pies, and a caterer buys one-sixth of his pies. How many pies does the baker have left?

5 To find the amount of pie purchased (which, by the way, is not going to give you the final answer), you first have to add the fractions. But first the fractions need to have a common denominator. The denominators (4, 3, and 6) all divide evenly into 12, so use 12 as the common denominator.To convert the fractions to the least common denominator of 12, do the following:Now you can add the fractions together as shown:Nine-twelfths of 20 pies is the same as , or 75%, of the 20 pies. That equals 15 pies. But that is not what the question asks. One more step: Subtract the pies sold (15) from the original 20, leaving 5 pies, which makes Choice (D) correct.

A printing plant that produces baseball cards has a monthly overhead of $6,000. It costs 18 cents to print each card, and the cards sell for 30 cents each. How many cards must the printing plant sell each month in order to make a profit?

50,000 Let x = the number of cards printed and sold each month. Each card costs $0.18 to print and sells for $0.30. Therefore, the cost is equal to 6,000 + 0.18x, and revenue is equal to 0.30x. You're looking for the point where revenue is greater than the cost (revenue > cost). The inequality is0.30x > 6,000 + 0.18xNow solve for x. Subtract 0.18x from both sides of the inequality and then divide both sides by 0.12:The printing plant would have to print and sell 50,000 cards per month to make a profit.

The population of Grand Island, Nebraska, grew by 600,000 people between 1995 and 2005, one-fifth more than the town council predicted. The town council originally predicted the city's population would grow by

500,000 Let x = the original prediction of how much Grand Island would grow. An additional would make the population growth , or 120%, of x. You can express the equation as1.2x = 600,000To solve for x, divide both sides of the equation by 1.2, which gives you x = 500,000.

Alice leaves her house, driving east at 45 miles per hour (mph). Thirty minutes later, her husband Dave notices she forgot her cell phone and sets off after her. How fast must Dave travel in order to catch up with Alice 3 hours after he leaves?

52.5 MPH To find distance, you multiply speed by time. First find how far Alice travels before Dave catches up with her. By the time Dave leaves, Alice has already been traveling for half an hour. Three hours later, she would've been traveling for 3.5 hours at 45 mph, or 157.5 miles:3.5 hr. × 45 mph = 157.5 mi.Dave has three hours to cover this distance. Now find his speed. To travel 157.5 miles in 3 hours, Dave would have to travel at 52.5 mph:157.5 mi. ÷ 3 hr. = 52.5 mph

An office building has 30 employees and provides 42 square feet of work space per employee. If five more employees are hired, how much less work space will each employee have?

6 The office has 1,260 square feet of space (multiply 42 square feet by 30 employees). With 35 employees, each employee will have 36 square feet of work space (1,260 ÷ 35), which is 6 square feet less than originally.

A carpenter earns $12.30 an hour for a 40-hour week. His overtime pay is times his base pay. If he puts in a 46-hour week, how much is his weekly pay?

602.70 You need to add the carpenter's base pay and overtime pay to find his total pay for the week. First find his base pay per week:$12.30/hr. × 40 hr. = $492. Then find his overtime rate per hour, which is 1.5 times his base pay: $12.30/hr. × 1.5 = $18.45/hr. Multiply this rate by the number of hours of overtime to find his overtime pay: $18.45/hr. × 6 hr. = $110.70. Finally, add his base pay and overtime pay to find his total pay for the week:$492.00 + $110.70 = $602.70

Joan is taking an admissions examination. If she has to get at least 40 of the 60 questions right to pass, what percent of the questions does she need to answer correctly?

66 2/3% Divide the number of questions she must get right (40) by the total number of questions (60) to reach 66 2/3.%

Jenny's test grades are 93, 89, 96, and 98. If she wishes to raise her average to 95, what does she need to score on her next test?

99 (93 + 89 + 96 + 98 + x) ÷ 5 = 95

Furtherance most nearly means A. advancement. B. finance. C. practicality. D. destruction.

A. advancement.

Assimilate most nearly means A. absorb B. react C. pretend D. lie

A. Absorb

Indo-European languages consist of those languages spoken by most of Europe and in those parts of the world that Europeans have colonized since the 16th century (such as the United States). Indo-European languages are also spoken in India, Iran, parts of western Afghanistan, and in some areas of Asia. The author of this passage would agree that A. Indo-European languages are spoken in areas all over the world. B. Indo-European languages include all the languages spoken in the world. C. only Europeans speak Indo-European languages. D. Indo-European language speakers can easily understand one anothe

A. Indo-European languages are spoken in areas all over the world.

Tim promised to meet us at the apex. A. top B. bottom C. canyon D. river

A. Top

Mary went to the store and bought peanuts galore. A. abundant B. salty C. on sale D. roasted

A. abundant

Chasm most nearly means A. abyss. B. sky. C. mountain. D. valley.

A. abyss.

Cloud seeding is accomplished by dropping particles of dry ice (solid carbon dioxide) from a plane onto super-cooled clouds. This process encourages condensation of water droplets in the clouds, which usually, but not always, results in rain or snow. From this passage, it's reasonable to assume that A. cloud seeding could be used to end a drought. B. cloud seeding is prohibitively expensive. C. cloud seeding is rarely used. D. cloud seeding can be accomplished by using regular ice.

A. cloud seeding could be used to end a drought.

The word most opposite in meaning to hypocrisy is A. honesty. B. happy. C. angry. D. threatening.

A. honesty.

Her motives were contrived. A. premeditated B. emotional C. obscure D. amusing

A. premeditated

The commodity was sold. A. product B. stock C. idea D. table

A. product

Emblem most nearly means A. symbol. B. picture. C. statue. D. religion.

A. symbol.

Surveys show that the average child under the age of 18 watches four hours of television per day. Although some of the programming may be educational, most isn't. Spending this much time watching television interferes with a child's ability to pursue other interests, such as reading, participating in sports, and playing with friends. The author of this passage would agree that A. television viewing should be restricted. B. parents who let their children watch this much television are neglectful. C. reading, participating in sports, playing with friends, and watching television should all be given equal time. D. adults over 18 can watch as much television as they want.

A. television viewing should be restricted.

A measureable amount of protein can be found in all of the following foods EXCEPT

Apples

Michael needs 55 gallons of paint to paint an apartment building. He would like to purchase the paint for the least amount of money possible. Which of the following should he buy? A. two 25-gallon buckets at $550 each B. eleven 5-gallon buckets at $108 each C. six 10-gallon buckets at $215 each D. fifty-five 1-gallon buckets at $23 each

B. Choice (A) doesn't provide enough paint (2 × 25 gallons = 50 gallons), so it's wrong. Now determine the cost of each of the other options: Choice (B): 11 × $108 = $1,188 Choice (C): 6 × $215 = $1,290 Choice (D): 55 × $23 = $1,265 The lowest price is $1,188, Choice (B).

I returned from the City about three o'clock on that May afternoon pretty well disgusted with life. I had been three months in the Old Country and was fed up with it. If people had told me a year ago that I would've been feeling like that I should've laughed at them; but there was the fact. The weather made me liverish, the talk of the ordinary Englishman made me sick, I couldn't get enough exercise, and the amusements of London seemed as flat as soda water that had been standing in the sun. The author is speaking of his travels in A. Spain B. Great Britain C. Germany D. Scotland

B. Great Britain

The exchange student was proficient in French, German, and English. A. poor B. knowledgeable C. adept D. exacting

B. adept

The word most opposite in meaning to stimulate is A. support. B. arrest. C. travel. D. dislike.

B. arrest

Compensation most nearly means A. religion. B. commission. C. boathouse. D. shower.

B. commission.

The vote resulted in the demise of the proposed new law. A. passage B. death C. postponement D. abatement

B. death

Brittle most nearly means A. soft. B. fragile. C. study. D. hard.

B. fragile

Licit most nearly means A. historical. B. lawful. C. storied. D. willfully.

B. lawful

The sergeant gave his reasoned opinion. A. irate B. logical C. impressive D. uninformed

B. logical

That custom still prevails. A. angers B. persists C. surprises D. excites

B. persists

We commemorated our veterans during the ceremony. A. denied B. remembered C. thanked D. took pictures of

B. remembered

Tacit most nearly means A. loud. B. understood. C. commendable. D. transparent.

B. understood.

The transistor, a small, solid-state device that can amplify sound, was invented in 1947. At first, it was too expensive and too difficult to produce to be used in cheap, mass-market products. By 1954, though, these cost and production problems had been overcome, and the first transistor radio was put on the market. According to this passage, A. there was no market for transistors before 1954. B. when transistors could be produced cheaply and easily, the transistor radio was put on the market. C. transistors were invented in 1947 by order of the Department of Defense. D. transistors are still expensive to produce.

B. when transistors could be produced cheaply and easily, the transistor radio was put on the market.

The asteroid belt is located

Between Mars and Jupiter

The success or failure of a conference lies largely with its leader. A leader's zest and enthusiasm must be real, apparent, and contagious. The leader is responsible for getting the ball rolling and making the attendees feel as if the meeting is theirs and its success depends on their participation. A good, thorough introduction helps establish the right climate. A good title to this paragraph would be A. "Lead by Example." B. "The Importance of Proper Introductions." C. "Leading a Successful Conference." D. "Conference Participation Basics."

C. "Leading a Successful Conference."

Fundamental most nearly means A. radical. B. religious. C. basic. D. excessive.

C. basic.

Bore most nearly means A. deepen. B. hide. C. burrow. D. jump.

C. burrow.

Datum most nearly means A. fiscal year date. B. congruence. C. fact. D. positive result.

C. fact.

Domicile most nearly means A. office. B. shopping. C. home. D. vacation.

C. home.

The judge imposed a severe penalty due to Tom's actions. A. scheduled B. made an example of C. inflicted D. questioned

C. inflicted

An important stage of personal time management is to take control of appointments. Determined by external obligation, appointments constitute interaction with other people and an agreed-on interface between your activities and those of others. Start with a simple appointment diary. List all appointments, including regular and recurring ones. Now, be ruthless and eliminate the unnecessary. There may be committees where you can't productively contribute or where a subordinate may be able to participate. Eliminate the waste of your time. Effectively managing your appointments allows you to A.spend more time with your subordinates. B. delegate responsibility to subordinates. C. make more efficient use of your time. D. attend only the most important meetings.

C. make more efficient use of your time.

Defray most nearly means A. invade. B. obstruct. C. pay. D. reverse.

C. pay.

Supplicate most nearly means A. to make superior. B. to be unnecessary. C. to beg. D. to be expansive.

C. to beg.

To write or not to write — that is the question. If assigned a writing task, there's no option. However, if someone is looking for a specific answer, find out if they need a short answer or a detailed one. Can the requirement be met with a telephone call, email, or short note, or is something more necessary? A former CEO of a major corporation once commented that he had looked at 13,000 pieces of paper in a 5-day period. Think how much easier and more economical it would be if people would use the telephone, send an email, or write a short note. The main point of this passage is that A. written records are important because they provide detailed documentation. B. more business people should invest time and energy improving their writing skills. C. writing may not be the best way to communicate information. D. it's pointless for business people to spend time improving their writing skills.

C. writing may not be the best way to communicate information.

An animal that eats only meat is called a(n)

Carnivore

Joints that hold bones firmly together are called

Fixed joints

A train headed south for Wichita left the station at the same time a train headed north for Des Moines left the same station. The train headed for Wichita traveled at 55 miles per hour. The train headed for Des Moines traveled at 70 miles per hour. How many miles apart were the trains at the end of 3 hours? A. 210 miles B. 165 miles C. 125 miles D. 375 miles

D. 375 miles The train headed for Wichita traveled 55 miles per hour × 3 hours = 165 total miles. The train headed for Des Moines traveled 70 miles per hour × 3 hours = 210 total miles. Adding the distances together gives you the number of miles apart the two trains were after three hours: 210 + 165 = 375.Another option: You can add the two rates of speed (55 + 70) and multiply the sum by 3 hours (125 × 3 hours = 375)

Abrogate most nearly means A. recover. B. aid. C. foreclose. D. abolish.

D. abolish

He gave a brusque account of the events. A. passionate B. lengthy C. uncensored D. abrupt

D. abrupt

Frugal most nearly means A. quiet. B. uptight. C. delayed. D. economical.

D. economical.

The Army soldiers were ordered to immediate garrison duty. A. field B. combat C. latrine D. fort

D. fort

Bob found the peaches to be extremely succulent. A. large B. tasteless C. old D. juicy

D. juicy

Vacate most nearly means A. crawl. B. impel. C. exhume. D. leave.

D. leave.

The brass was not burnished. A. yellow B. dull C. expensive D. polished

D. polished

In privatization, the government relies on the private sector to provide a service. However, the government divests itself of the entire process, including all assets. With privatized functions, the government may specify quality, quantity, and timeliness requirements, but it has no control over the operations of the activity. Also, the government may not be the only customer. Whoever the government chooses to provide the services would likely provide the same services to others. This paragraph best supports the statement that A. the government must closely supervise privatized functions. B. privatized functions consist of a mixture of government employees, military personnel, and private contractors. C. privatized functions are those institutions that provide services only to a government agency. D. privatized functions provide essential services to the government.

D. privatized functions provide essential services to the government.

He ran headlong into the fight. A. stubbornly B. reluctantly C. happily D. recklessly

D. recklessly

The U.S. Congress consists of 100 senators and 435 representatives. Two senators are elected from each state. The number of representatives from each state is based on population, although each state has at least one representative. Senators serve six-year terms, and representatives serve two-year terms. According to this passage, A. there are equal numbers of senators and representatives. B. the number of representatives from each state is decided by a lottery. C. it's possible for a state to have no representatives. D. senators and representatives have different term lengths.

D. senators and representatives have different term lengths.

Susceptible most nearly means A. travel. B. resistant. C. limited. D. vulnerable.

D. vulnerable.

The intestines are part of the

Digestive

A recruiter travels 1,100 miles during a 40-hour workweek. If she spends 2/5 of her time traveling, how many hours does she spend traveling?

Don't let the number of miles traveled confuse you — you don't use them to solve the problem. Finding 2/5 of a 40-hour work week is the same thing as multiplying 40 times 2, which is 80, and then dividing 80 by 5, which equals 16 hours the recruiter travels weekly.

The largest planet in the solar system is

Jupiter

Of the levels listed, the top or broadest level of the classification system for living organisms is called the

Kingdom

Karl is driving to Austria, where the speed limit is posted in kilometers per hour. The car's speedometer shows that he's traveling at a rate of 75 kilometers per hour. Karl knows that a kilometer is about 5/8 of a mile. Approximately how many miles per hour is Karl traveling?

One kilometer is approximately 5/8 of 1 mile, so you can multiply 75 X 5/8, 75 X 5 = 375 and 375 ÷ 8 equals about 46.8. Therefore, Karl was traveling at about 47 miles per hour.

The chemical process in which electrons are removed from a molecule is called

Oxidation

What is the most abundant element, by mass, in the Earth's crust?

Oxygen

Not counting the sun, the closest star to the Earth is

Proxima Centauri

What is a single unit of quanta called?

Quantum

Which planet is named after the Greek god who personified the sky?

Uranus

Which planet is the brightest object in the sky, aside from the sun and moon?

Venus

The atmosphere of Mars is composed mostly of

carbon dioxide

Osmosis is

diffusion of water

How many planets in the solar system have rings?

four

The temperature at which a substance's solid and liquid states exist in equilibrium is its

melting point

Electrons are particles that are

negatively charged

The "control center" of a cell is called the

nucleus

The atomic number of an atom is determined by

number of protons

White blood cells

produce antibodies and fight infection

One light-year is

the distance traveled by light in one year