TOWES - Test of Workplace Essential Skills Workplace Numeracy: Calculations Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A machinist needs to cut a 4.5-foot piece of steel from a 12-foot stock bar. After the cut is made, how much of the stock bar will be left?
- 8.5 feet
- 7.5 feet (Correct answer)
- 16.5 feet
- 6.5 feet
Correct answer: 7.5 feet
To find the remaining length of the stock bar, subtract the length of the piece being cut from the original length: 12 feet - 4.5 feet = 7.5 feet.
Question 2: A quality control inspector checks a batch of 500 widgets and finds that 15 are defective. What percentage of the batch is defective?
- 0.03%
- 30%
- 3% (Correct answer)
- 15%
Correct answer: 3%
To find the percentage, divide the number of defective widgets by the total number of widgets in the batch, and then multiply by 100. (15 ÷ 500) * 100 = 0.03 * 100 = 3%.
Question 3: A carpenter is purchasing supplies. She buys 3 lengths of lumber at $12.50 each and 2 boxes of screws at $8.75 each. What is the total cost of the supplies before tax?
- $21.25
- $62.50
- $46.25
- $55.00 (Correct answer)
Correct answer: $55.00
First, calculate the cost of the lumber: 3 * $12.50 = $37.50. Next, calculate the cost of the screws: 2 * $8.75 = $17.50. Finally, add the two amounts together for the total cost: $37.50 + $17.50 = $55.00.
Question 4: A machine operator produced the following number of units over a five-day work week: Monday (150), Tuesday (165), Wednesday (158), Thursday (162), Friday (145). What was the average number of units produced per day?
- 156 (Correct answer)
- 780
- 158
- 162
Correct answer: 156
To find the average, first sum the total units produced: 150 + 165 + 158 + 162 + 145 = 780. Then, divide the total by the number of days (5): 780 ÷ 5 = 156 units per day.
Question 5: A warehouse worker needs to pack 460 small items into boxes. Each box can hold exactly 24 items. How many full boxes can be packed, and how many items will be left over?
- 19 boxes and 4 items left over (Correct answer)
- 20 boxes and 0 items left over
- 18 boxes and 28 items left over
- 19 boxes and 14 items left over
Correct answer: 19 boxes and 4 items left over
Divide the total number of items by the box capacity: 460 ÷ 24 = 19.166... This indicates 19 full boxes. To find the remainder, multiply the number of full boxes by the capacity (19 * 24 = 456) and subtract this from the total number of items (460 - 456 = 4).
Question 6: An employee's time card shows the following hours worked: Monday: 7.5, Tuesday: 8, Wednesday: 6.5, Thursday: 8.25, Friday: 4. What is the total number of hours the employee worked for the week?
- 33.75 hours
- 34.5 hours
- 34.25 hours (Correct answer)
- 35 hours
Correct answer: 34.25 hours
To find the total hours, add the hours worked each day: 7.5 + 8 + 6.5 + 8.25 + 4 = 34.25 hours.
A machinist needs to cut a 4.5-foot piece of steel from a 12-foot stock bar.
After the cut is made, how much of the stock bar will be left?