GCAT Arithmetic Word Problems 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A school bought 25 calculators at $14.40 each and received a 10% bulk discount. How much did the school pay in total?
- $300
- $310
- $320
- $324 (Correct answer)
Correct answer: $324
25 × $14.40 = $360; $360 × 0.90 = $324.
Question 2: A town's population of 48,000 decreased 5% one year, then increased 10% the next year. What is the population after two years?
- 49,920
- 50,160 (Correct answer)
- 50,400
- 50,760
Correct answer: 50,160
48,000 × 0.95 = 45,600; 45,600 × 1.10 = 50,160.
Question 3: Three friends share a $156 restaurant bill. Alex pays twice as much as Ben, and Chris pays $12 more than Ben. How much does Alex pay?
- $48
- $56
- $72 (Correct answer)
- $84
Correct answer: $72
Let Ben = b; 2b + b + (b + 12) = 156 → 4b = 144 → b = 36; Alex = 2 × 36 = $72.
Question 4: A rectangular garden is 18 m long and 12 m wide. A path 1.5 m wide is built all around the outside. What is the area of the path alone?
- 99 m² (Correct answer)
- 108 m²
- 117 m²
- 126 m²
Correct answer: 99 m²
Outer area = 21 × 15 = 315 m²; inner area = 18 × 12 = 216 m²; path = 315 − 216 = 99 m².
Question 5: A salesperson earns a $1,200 monthly base salary plus 6% commission on all sales. In one month she sold $18,500 in goods. What were her total earnings?
- $2,110
- $2,220
- $2,310 (Correct answer)
- $2,430
Correct answer: $2,310
$1,200 + (0.06 × $18,500) = $1,200 + $1,110 = $2,310.
Question 6: Pipe A fills a cistern in 4 hours; Pipe B empties it in 6 hours. If both are open at the same time, how long does it take to fill the cistern?
- 8 hours
- 10 hours
- 12 hours (Correct answer)
- 14 hours
Correct answer: 12 hours
Net fill rate = 1/4 − 1/6 = 1/12; the cistern fills in 12 hours.
Question 7: A TV is sold for $640 at a loss of 20%. What was the original cost price?
- $750
- $780
- $800 (Correct answer)
- $840
Correct answer: $800
Cost × 0.80 = $640; cost = $640 ÷ 0.80 = $800.
GCAT Arithmetic Word Problems 4
A school bought 25 calculators at $14.40 each and received a 10% bulk discount.
How much did the school pay in total?