NBT Quantitative Literacy: Measurement and Estimation

Question 1

A piece of fabric is 3.5 m long. A seamstress needs to cut it into strips that are each 25 cm long. How many complete strips can she cut?

Accepted Answer

14

Answer

First convert 3.5 m to centimetres: 3.5 × 100 = 350 cm. Then divide: 350 ÷ 25 = 14 complete strips.

Question 2

On a map drawn to a scale of 1 : 250 000, two towns are 8 cm apart. What is the actual distance between them in kilometres?

Accepted Answer

20 km

Answer

Actual distance = map distance × scale factor = 8 cm × 250 000 = 2 000 000 cm. Convert to km: 2 000 000 ÷ 100 000 = 20 km.

Question 3

A rectangular water tank measures 2 m long × 1.5 m wide × 0.8 m high. How many litres does the tank hold when completely full? (1 m³ = 1 000 litres)

Accepted Answer

2 400 litres

Answer

Volume = length × width × height = 2 × 1.5 × 0.8 = 2.4 m³. Convert: 2.4 × 1 000 = 2 400 litres.

Question 4

A student wants to estimate the cost of tiling a bathroom floor. The floor is approximately 3 m × 2.5 m. Tiles cost R85 per m². About how much will the tiles cost?

Accepted Answer

About R640

Answer

Area = 3 × 2.5 = 7.5 m². Cost = 7.5 × R85 = R637.50, which rounds to about R640. This is a real-world estimation that requires multiplying area by a rate per unit area.

Question 5

A cyclist travels 45 km at an average speed of 18 km/h. How long does the journey take?

Accepted Answer

2 hours 30 minutes

Answer

Time = Distance ÷ Speed = 45 ÷ 18 = 2.5 hours = 2 hours 30 minutes. Remember that 0.5 hours = 30 minutes.

(NBT) National Benchmark Test Practice Test

(NBT) National Benchmark Test Practice Test

NBT Quantitative Literacy: Measurement and Estimation