CAST Testing Specialized Technologies 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: On the CAST mechanical concepts section, if a smaller pulley drives a larger pulley by a belt, what happens to the larger pulley's rotational speed?
- It rotates faster than the smaller pulley
- It rotates slower than the smaller pulley (Correct answer)
- It rotates at the same speed
- It stops rotating entirely
Correct answer: It rotates slower than the smaller pulley
A larger driven pulley turns slower than the smaller driving pulley because its greater circumference covers the same belt distance in more time.
Question 2: In the CAST Reading for Information section, what should you do first when answering a question about a passage?
- Guess based on prior knowledge
- Read the question, then locate the relevant text in the passage (Correct answer)
- Answer from memory of similar documents
- Skip to the last paragraph only
Correct answer: Read the question, then locate the relevant text in the passage
You should identify what the question asks and then find the supporting information directly in the provided passage rather than relying on outside knowledge.
Question 3: The CAST Graphic Arithmetic section primarily tests the ability to do what?
- Memorize formulas without diagrams
- Read drawings and perform calculations using the data shown (Correct answer)
- Write computer code
- Translate foreign languages
Correct answer: Read drawings and perform calculations using the data shown
Graphic Arithmetic requires extracting numeric values from drawings or diagrams and performing arithmetic to solve practical problems.
Question 4: A gear with 20 teeth meshes with a gear having 40 teeth. For each full turn of the 20-tooth gear, how much does the 40-tooth gear turn?
- Two full turns
- One full turn
- One-half turn (Correct answer)
- One-quarter turn
Correct answer: One-half turn
The larger 40-tooth gear turns half a revolution for each full turn of the smaller 20-tooth gear because it has twice as many teeth.
Question 5: In Mechanical Concepts, which arrangement of a lever gives the greatest mechanical advantage for lifting a load?
- Effort close to the fulcrum, load far away
- Effort far from the fulcrum, load close to it (Correct answer)
- Effort and load equidistant from the fulcrum
- No fulcrum at all
Correct answer: Effort far from the fulcrum, load close to it
Placing the effort far from the fulcrum and the load close to it maximizes mechanical advantage, requiring less force to lift the load.
Question 6: On the CAST test, what is the recommended approach when you encounter a difficult question within a timed section?
- Spend unlimited time until solved
- Skip it, answer easier ones, and return if time allows (Correct answer)
- Leave the entire section blank
- Always pick choice C
Correct answer: Skip it, answer easier ones, and return if time allows
Skipping a hard question to secure points on easier ones and returning later maximizes your score within the time limit.
Question 7: In Graphic Arithmetic, a scale drawing shows 1 inch equals 4 feet. A wall measured at 3 inches on the drawing represents how many feet?
- 7 feet
- 12 feet (Correct answer)
- 4 feet
- 16 feet
Correct answer: 12 feet
Multiplying 3 inches by the scale of 4 feet per inch gives an actual wall length of 12 feet.
CAST Testing Specialized Technologies 2
On the CAST mechanical concepts section, if a smaller pulley drives a larger pulley by a belt, what happens to the larger pulley's rotational speed?