GED^® Practice Test

GED practice questions with answers and explanations:

1. What is the meaning of the word elusive in the following paragraph?
   There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it? She did not know; it was too subtle and elusive to name. But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air.
   • Horrible
   • Indefinable — Correct answer
   • Quiet
   • Joyful
   Explanation: The word elusive most closely means "indefinable."
2. 6 is 30% of what number?
   • 18
   • 20 — Correct answer
   • 24
   • 26
   Explanation: We can rewrite 30% as \(\frac{3}{10}\), so we can say that \(6=(\frac{3}{10})n\), where \(n\) is the unknown number.
   
   To solve, we can multiply both sides by the reciprocal fraction, \(\frac{10}{3}\):

   \(n=\dfrac{10}{3}\times 6=\dfrac{60}{3}=20\)

3. If Damian takes 48 minutes to walk three miles, how long should it take him to walk five miles maintaining the same speed?
   • 32 minutes
   • 64 minutes
   • 80 minutes — Correct answer
   • 96 minutes
   Explanation: To solve the problem, we can write a proportion consisting of ratios comparing distance and time. One way to set up the proportion is:

   \(\dfrac{3}{48} = \dfrac{5}{x}\)

   Here, \(x\) represents the unknown value of time. To solve this proportion, we can cross-multiply:

   \((3)(x)=(5)(48)\:\:\) or \(\:\:3x=240\)

   To isolate the variable, we divide by 3 on both sides, getting \(x=80\).
4. Looking at the data below, which is the final chamber that the blood flows through before entering the aorta?
   The heart is a muscle that is responsible for pumping blood through the body. It is divided into four chambers: the right atrium, right ventricle, left atrium, and left ventricle. Blood enters the atria and is then pumped into the ventricles below them. There is a valve between the atria and ventricles that prevents the blood from flowing back into the atria. The valve between the right atrium and ventricle has three folds whereas the valve between the left atrium and ventricle has two folds.
   
   Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart to the body. Veins carry oxygen-poor blood from the body back to the heart. From there, the blood gets pumped to the lungs to get re-oxygenated and then back to the heart before circulating to the body. The heart beats every second of the day. For an adult, the normal heartrate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute. For a child, a normal heartrate is between 90 and 120 beats per minute.
   
   
   • Right ventricle
   • Left ventricle — Correct answer
   • Right atrium
   • Left atrium
   Explanation: Looking at the diagram and following the arrow in the aorta backwards, the left ventricle is where the blood is coming from directly before it enters the aorta. Blood flows from the atria to the ventricles, so it enters the left atrium, Choice D, before the left ventricle. Oxygen-poor blood is on the right side of the heart and flows from the right atrium to the right ventricle before flowing to the lungs to get re-oxygenated, Choices A and C.
5. Based on the information below, which item has an elastic demand?
   One common feature of all elastic products is the availability of substitutes. A substitute is a good or service that can be used as an alternative to a good or service. Although the products may differ slightly, they ultimately can be used to accomplish similar things. If there is a significant amount of goods or services that can be substituted for a good or service, it has an elastic demand. This means a small increase in price results in a significant decrease in the quantity demanded. If there are only a few or no substitutes, the product has an inelastic demand. The price can increase without causing a significant decrease in demand.
   • Gasoline
   • Tobacco
   • Salt
   • Beef — Correct answer
   Explanation: Beef has an elastic demand because it can be substituted with other types of meat, such as pork or chicken, if its price goes up. Choice A, gasoline, is a product that has an inelastic demand. Because most cars, small lawn mowers, and airplanes, run solely on gasoline, the price can be increased and it will not have a significant decrease in demand. Tobacco is another product that does not have a substitute and has an inelastic demand. There is not a good replacement for salt, so this item is inelastic as well.