EXPLANATION FOR MODULE 2

QUANTITATIVE SECTION-PROBLEM SOLVING

1.When Leo imported a certain item, he paid a 7 percent import tax on the portion of the total
value of the item
in excess of $1,000. If the amount of the import tax that Leo paid was $87.50, what was the total
value of
the item?
(A) $1,600
(B) $1,850
(C) $2,250
(D) $2,400
(E) $2,750
Algebra First-degree equations
Letting x represent the total value of the item,convert the words to symbols and solve the
equation. 7% of value in excess of
$1,000 = 87.50
0.07(x – 1,000) = 87.50
x – 1,000 = 1,250
x = 2,250
The correct answer is C.

2. On Monday, a person mailed 8 packages weighing an average (arithmetic mean) of 12(3/8)

pounds, and on
Tuesday, 4 packages weighing an average of 15(1/4) pounds. What was the average weight, in
pounds,
of all the packages the person mailed on both days?
(A) 13(1/3)
(B) 13(13/16)
(C) 15(1/2)
(D) 15(15/16)
(E) 16(1/2)
Arithmetic Statistics
Since average= sum of values /number of values ,the information about the two shipments
of packages can be expressed as
average =[8(12(3/8))+4(15(1/4))]/12
=13(1/3)
The correct answer is A.

3.0.1 + (0.1) 2 + (0.1) 3 =

(A) 0.1
(B) 0.111
(C) 0.1211
(D) 0.2341
(E) 0.3
Arithmetic Operations on rational numbers
Calculate the squared and the cubed term, and then add the three terms.
0.1 + (0.1)2 + (0.1)3 = 0.1 + 0.01 + 0.001 = 0.111
The correct answer is B.

4. A carpenter constructed a rectangular sandbox with a capacity of 10 cubic feet. If the carpenter
were to make a similar sandbox twice as long, twice as wide, and twice as high as the first
sandbox, what would be
the capacity, in cubic feet, of the second sandbox?
(A) 20
(B) 40
(C) 60
(D) 80
(E) 100
Geometry Volume
When all the dimensions of a three-dimensional object are changed by a factor of 2, the
Capacity, or volume, changes by a factor of (2)(2)(2) = 23 =8. Thus the capacity of the second
sandbox is 10(8) = 80 cubic feet.
The correct answer is D.

5. A bakery opened yesterday with its daily supply of 40 dozen rolls. Half of the rolls were sold
by noon, and
80 percent of the remaining rolls were sold between noon and closing time. How many dozen
rolls had not
been sold when the bakery closed yesterday?
(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 3
(D) 4
(E) 5
Arithmetic Operations on rational numbers;Percents
Since half of the 40 dozen rolls were sold by noon, then 1/2 (40) = 20 dozen rolls were left to be
sold after noon. Because 80 percent of those 20 were sold, 100 – 80 = 20 percent of them or
20(0.20) = 4 dozen rolls had not been sold when the bakery closed.
The correct answer is D.

6. If the area of a square region having sides of length 6 centimeters is equal to the area of a
rectangular
region having width 2.5 centimeters, then the length of the rectangle, in centimeters, is
(A) 8.5
(B) 9.5
(C) 9.6
(D) 10.5
(E) 14.4
Geometry Quadrilaterals
The area of a square region with side length 6 is 36 and the area of a rectangular region with
width 2.5 and length x is 2.5x. The two areas are equal, so
36 = 2.5x
36 = 5/2x
36.(2/5)= x
72/5= x
14.4 = x
The correct answer is E.

7.150 is what percent of 30 ?

(A) 5%
(B) 20%
(C) 50%
(D) 200%
(E) 500%
Arithmetic Percents
Let x be the desired percent in the problem.The given information can be expressed by the
following equation, which can then be solved for x.
150 = 30x
(15)(10)/(3)(10)=x
5=x
Then, 5 expressed as a percent is 500%.
The correct answer is E.

8. The ratio 2 to 1/3 is equal to the ratio

(A) 6 to 1
(B) 5 to 1
(C) 3 to 2
(D) 2 to 3
(E) 1 to 6
Arithmetic Operations on rational numbers
The ratio 2 to 1/3 is the same as 2(3/1)=6which is the same as a ratio of 6 to 1.
The correct answer is A.

9. If T = 5/9(K – 32), and if T = 290, then K =

(A) 1,738/9
(B) 322
(C) 490
(D) 554
(E) 2,898/5
Algebra First-degree equations
Substitute 290 for T in the equation, and solve for K.
T=5/9(K-32)
290=5/9(K-32)
(290/1)(9/5)=K-32
((29)(5)(2))/1(9/5)=K-32
522=K-32
K=554
The correct answer is D.

10. A toy store regularly sells all stock at a discount of 20 percent to 40 percent. If an additional
25 percent were deducted from the discount price during a special sale, what would be the lowest
possible price of a toy costing $16 before any discount?
(A) $ 5.60
(B) $ 7.20
(C) $ 8.80
(D) $ 9.60
(E) $15.20
Arithmetic Percents
The lowest possible price is paid when the maximum initial discount of 40% is received.
$16(0.6) = $9.60 calculate the first 40% discount
$9.60(0.75) = $7.20 calculate the second 25% discount
The correct answer is B.

11. Jack is now 14 years older than Bill. If in 10 years Jack will be twice as old as Bill, how old
will Jack be in
5 years?
(A) 9
(B) 19
(C) 21
(D) 23
(E) 33
Algebra Applied problems
Let J and B be Jack’s and Bill’s current ages. Then the information from the problem can be
expressed in the following two equations:
J = B + 14, or equivalently B = J – 14 and J + 10 = 2(B + 10).
Since Jack’s age is to be determined, replace B in the second equation with J – 14 to get an
equation that can be solved for J:
J + 10 = 2(J – 14 + 10)
J + 10 = 2J – 8
18 = J
Therefore, Jack’s current age is 18, and hence Jack’s age in 5 years will be 18 + 5 = 23.
The correct answer is D.

12. An empty pool being filled with water at a constant rate takes 8 hours to fill to 3/5 of its
capacity. How much more time will it take to finish filling the pool?
(A) 5 hr 30 min
(B) 5 hr 20 min
(C) 4 hr 48 min
(D) 3 hr 12 min
(E) 2 hr 40 min
Algebra Applied problems
Build an equation to express the given information and solve for the answer. Let t = the total
time needed to fill the pool. Since it is given that it takes 8 hours to fill 3/5 of the pool:
3/5 t = 8
t = 40/3 solve for t
t = 13 (1/3)
Thus, to calculate the time it will take to finish filling the pool:
13(1/3)-8=5(1/3) hours ,or 5 hours 20 mins
The correct answer is B.

13. A positive number x is multiplied by 2, and this product is then divided by 3. If the positive
square root of the result of these two operations equals x, what is the value of x ?
(A) 9/4
(B) 3/2
(C) 4/3
(D) 2/3
(E) 1/2
Algebra Second-degree equations
Set up an equation according to the given information, and then solve for x. First, multiply x by
2, divide that by 3, and set the square root of that equal to x:
Root of(2x/3)=x
To solve this equation:
2x/3 = x 2 square both sides
2x = 3x 2
0 = 3x 2 – 2x solve for possible values of x
0 = x (3x − 2)
x = 0, 3x − 2 = 0
since x > 0, use 3x – 2 = 0 to solve for x:
3x – 2 = 0
3x = 2
x = 2/3
The correct answer is D.

14. A tank contains 10,000 gallons of a solution that is 5 percent sodium chloride by volume. If
2,500 gallons
of water evaporate from the tank, the remaining solution will be approximately what percent
sodium chloride?
(A) 1.25%
(B) 3.75%
(C) 6.25%
(D) 6.67%
(E) 11.7%
Arithmetic Operations on rational numbers; Percents
Before the evaporation occurs, the tank contains 10,000 (0.05) = 500 gallons of sodium chloride.
After the evaporation occurs, the tank contains 10,000 – 2,500 = 7,500 gallons of solution, of
which 500 gallons are known to be sodium chloride. Calculate the percentage based on these
post evaporation amounts: 500/7500=6.67%
The correct answer is D.

15. For any positive integer n, the sum of the first n positive integers equals n(n+1)/2 . What is
the sum
of all the even integers between 99 and 301 ?
(A) 10,100
(B) 20,200
(C) 22,650
(D) 40,200
(E) 45,150
Algebra Simplifying expressions; Arithmetic Computation with integers
The given formula translates into 1 + 2 + … + n = ∑k=n(n+1)/2.
The sum of the even integers between 99 and 301 is the sum of the even integers from 100
through 300, or the sum of the 50th even integer through the 150th even integer. To get this sum,
find the sum of the first 150 even integers and subtract the sum of the first 49 even
integers. In symbols,
= 150(151) – 49(50)
= 50[3(151) – 49]
= 50(453 – 49)
= 50(404)
= 20,200
The correct answer is B.

16. A committee is composed of w women and m men. If 3 women and 2 men are added to the
committee, and if one person is selected at random from the enlarged committee, then the
probability that a woman is
selected can be represented by
(A) w/m
(B) w/w + m
(C) w + 3/m + 2
(D) w + 3/w + m + 3
(E) w + 3/w + m + 5
Arithmetic Probability
Set up an equation according to the given information regarding the values of w and m.The total
number of women on the enlarged committee can be expressed as w + 3. The total number of
members on the enlarged committee can be expressed as w + m + 3 + 2 or thus w + m + 5. Th en,
the probability that the one person selected at random from the enlarged committee is a woman is
equal to (total num of women)/total num of members=(w+3)/(w+m+5)
The correct answer is E.

17. How many prime numbers between 1 and 100 are factors of 7,150 ?
(A) One
(B) Two
(C) Three
(D) Four
(E) Five
Arithmetic Properties of numbers
To find the number of prime numbers between 1 and 100 that are factors of 7,150, find the prime
factorization of 7,150 using a method similar to the following:
7,150 = 10 × 715
= (2 × 5) × (5 × 143)
= 2 × 5 × 5 × (11 × 13)
Thus, 7,150 has four prime factors: 2, 5, 11, and 13.
The correct answer is D.

18. A fruit-salad mixture consists of apples, peaches, and grapes in the ratio 6:5:2, respectively,
by weight.
If 39 pounds of the mixture is prepared, the mixture includes how many more pounds of apples
than grapes?
(A) 15
(B) 12
(C) 9
(D) 6
(E) 4
Algebra Applied problems
Using the given ratios, the information about the fruits in the mixture can be expressed as
6x + 5x + 2x = 39, or 13x = 39 and thus x = 3.There are 6x or 6(3) = 18 pounds of apples and
2x or 2(3) = 6 pounds of grapes. Therefore, there are 18 – 6 = 12 more pounds of apples than
pounds of grapes in 39 pounds of the mixture.
The correct answer is B.

19. This year Henry will save a certain amount of his income, and he will spend the rest. Next
year Henry
will have no income, but for each dollar that he saves this year, he will have 1 + r dollars
available to spend.
In terms of r, what fraction of his income should Henry save this year so that next year the
amount he has
available to spend will be equal to half the amount that he spends this year?
(A) 1/(r+2)
(B) 1/(2r+2)
(C) 1/(3r+2)
(D) 1/(r+3)
(E) 1/(2r+3)
Algebra Simplifying algebraic expressions
Let s be the amount Henry will save this year and let I be Henry’s income this year. Then, I – s is
the amount he will spend this year. For each of the s dollars he saves this year, he will have (1 +
r) dollars to spend next year. Thus, he will have s(1 + r) dollars to spend next year. This amount
is to be 12 the amount he spends this year. The task is to find s/I , where I and s satisfy the
condition s(1 + r) = 1/2(I – s). Solve for I as follows:
s(1 + r) = 1/2(I – s)
2s(1 + r) = I – s
2s + 2rs = I – s
3s + 2rs = I
s(3 + 2r) = I
Then, s
I=s
s(3+2r)= 1
2r +3.
The correct answer is E.

20. Lois has x dollars more than Jim has, and together they have a total of y dollars. Which of the
following
represents the number of dollars that Jim has?
(A) y – x/2
(B) y – x/2
(C)y/2− x
(D) 2y – x
(E) y – 2x
Algebra Simplifying algebraic expressions
Let J be the number of dollars that Jim has. Then, the amount that Lois has can be expressed
as J + x dollars. If Lois and Jim together have a total of y dollars, then:
y = J + ( J + x) total dollars =Jim’s dollars + Lois’s dollars
Solve this for J to determine the number of dollars that Jim has:
y=2J+x
y−x=2J
y – x/2 = J
The correct answer is A.