Basic Word Problems

  1. A man goes to a casino with $125. He loses $30 on blackjack, then loses another $40 on roulette. How much money does he have left?
  1. $35
  2. $40
  3. $55
  4. $70
Show Answer
The correct answer is C!

First, calculate how much the man lost by adding his losses together:

\($40 + $30 = $70\)

Then, subtract that amount from the amount he had originally:

\($125 – $70 = $55\)

 

  1. A baker uses six eggs to bake a cake. How many cakes will he be able to bake with 145 eggs?
  1. 23
  2. 24
  3. 25
  4. 26
Show Answer
The correct answer is B!

To find out how many cakes the baker will be able to make, divide the total number of eggs by the number needed to make a single cake:

\(145 \div 6 = 24\tfrac{1}{6}\)

Therefore, the baker will be able to make 24 cakes and will have one egg left over.

 

  1. A woman must drive 298 miles to reach her destination. If she travels 42 miles during the first hour, how many miles will she have yet to travel?
  1. 225
  2. 256
  3. 271
  4. 286
Show Answer
The correct answer is B!

To calculate how many miles the woman still has to travel, subtract the distance she has traveled (42 miles) from the distance of the entire trip (298 miles):

\(298 \text{ mi} – 42 \text{ mi} = 256 \text{ mi}\)

 

  1. Jamie had $6.50 in his wallet when he left home. He spent $4.25 on drinks and $2.00 on a magazine. Later, his friend repaid him $2.50 that he had borrowed the previous day. How much money does Jamie have in his wallet?
  1. $12.25
  2. $14.25
  3. $3.25
  4. $2.75
Show Answer
The correct answer is D!

To solve this problem, first subtract $4.25 and $2.00 from the initial sum of $6.50, leaving $0.25. Then add $2.50, arriving at the final answer of $2.75:

\($6.50 – $4.25 – $2.00 = $0.25\)

\($0.25 + $2.50 = $2.75\)

 

  1. Tom works 25 hours a week and earns $7.75 per hour. He received a raise that increases his weekly pay to $206.25. What is the increase in Tom’s weekly pay?
  1. $12.50
  2. $13.25
  3. $13.75
  4. $14.50
Show Answer
The correct answer is A!

First, calculate Tom’s current weekly pay. Multiply the number of hours worked by his hourly wage:

\(25 \times $7.75 = $193.75\)

The increase in pay is the new total wage minus the previous total wage:

\($206.25 – $193.75 = $12.50\)

 

  1. How many seconds are there in 36 hours?
  1. 2,160
  2. 51,840
  3. 129,600
  4. 132,200
Show Answer
The correct answer is C!

Convert the units from hours to seconds:

\(36 \text{ hr} \times \dfrac{60 \text{ min}}{\text{hr}} \times \dfrac{60 \text{ sec}}{\text{min}} = 129,600\)

 

  1. You purchase a car making a down payment of $3,000 and six monthly payments of $225. How much have you paid so far for the car?
  1. $3,225
  2. $4,350
  3. $5,375
  4. $6,550
Show Answer
The correct answer is B!

To solve, multiply the monthly payment amount by 6 and add the down payment amount.

\($225 \times 6 = $1,350\)

\($1,350 + $3,000 = $4,350\)

 

  1. A pizza dough recipe calls for two cups of flour and 1.5 teaspoons of salt. How much salt would you need if you wanted to triple the recipe?
  1. 1 tablespoon
  2. 3 teaspoons
  3. 4.5 teaspoons
  4. 6 teaspoons
Show Answer
The correct answer is C!

To solve, simply multiply the amount of salt by 3:

\(1.5 \times 3 = 4.5\)

 

  1. If a local grocery store last year had a total income of $7,056,238 and expenses of $3,998,100, how much profit did it make?
  1. $3,058,138
  2. $3,158,138
  3. $2,738,188
  4. $4,158,188
Show Answer
The correct answer is A!

Remember, profit is income minus expenses.

\($7,056,238 – $3,998,100 = $3,058,138\)

 

  1. Kael goes to the grocery store with $40. He buys a gallon of milk for $3.20, a loaf of bread for $1.85, and a bunch of bananas for $3.05. How much money does he have left?
  1. $30.95
  2. $31.90
  3. $32.10
  4. $34.95
Show Answer
The correct answer isB!

To calculate how much money Kael has left, simply subtract the money spent from the original figure:

\($40 – $1.85 – $3.20 – $3.05 = $31.90\)

If you wanted to, you could also add them up and subtract the sum from 40:

\($1.85 + $3.20 + $3.05 = $8.10\)

\($40-$8.10 = $31.90\)