GRE Math : Arithmetic

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Math

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Example Questions

Example Question #3 : Proportion / Ratio / Rate

Erin went to the movies with her friends.  She spent 1/4 of her allowance on movie tickets and 3/5 of the remaining money on popcorn.  If her allowance is $10, how much money remains?

Possible Answers:

$1.50

$5.00

$7.00

$8.50

$3.00

Correct answer:

$3.00

Explanation:

Since she spent 1/4 on the ticket, 3/5 of the remaining 3/4 of the money was spent on popcorn: 3/5 x 3/4 = 9/20.  This means 9/20 of the money was spent on popcorn so in total: 1/4 + 9/20 = 14/20 = 7/10 of her money was spent.  This leaves 3/10 of her money behind: 3/10x 10 = 3.00.

Example Question #6 : Proportion / Ratio / Rate

Fudge sells at $18.50 for 5 pounds.  What is the cost for 2 pounds?

Possible Answers:

$9.25

$3.70

$7.40

$5.50

$6.75

Correct answer:

$7.40

Explanation:

Set up a proportion: 18.50/5 = x/2.  Cross multiply and solve for x: 37 = 5x.... x = 7.40.

Example Question #512 : Arithmetic

3 men can paint 3 rooms in 3 hours. How long would it take 1 man to paint 1 room?

Possible Answers:

2 hours

1 hour

2.5 hours

3 hours

1.5 hours

Correct answer:

3 hours

Explanation:

It's tempting to pick 1 hour, but that is a trick answer! Picture 3 men each painting 1 room. All 3 of the rooms are done after 3 hours, so each man actually spends 3 hours painting his room, not 1 hour. 

Example Question #1 : How To Find Proportion

Bob can paint a house in 3 hours. If Bob and his friend Ron work together to paint the house, it takes 2 hours. How long would it take Ron to paint the house if he worked alone?

Possible Answers:

6 hours

2 hours

4 hours

3 hours

5 hours

Correct answer:

6 hours

Explanation:

The easiest way to solve this is with a rate formula: 1 / combined time = 1 / Bob's time + 1 / Ron's time.  We know the combined time and Bob's time, so we can solve for Ron's time:

1/2 = 1/3 + 1/Ron's time

1/Ron's time = 1/2 – 1/3 = 1/6

Ron's time = 6 hours 

Example Question #3 : How To Find Proportion

\frac{x}{y}=\frac{3}{5}

Quantity A:

Quantity B:

Possible Answers:

The relationship cannot be determined from the information given

Quantity A is greater

The two quantities are equal

Quantity B is greater

Correct answer:

The relationship cannot be determined from the information given

Explanation:

Although it seems as though "Quantity B is greater" is the correct answer at first glance, a further analysis indicates that this answer is a trap. If  and  are negative numbers, such as  and , then  would be the larger number. Similarly,  is larger if both  and  are positive numbers. Thus, it cannot be determined which variable is larger simply based on the information given.

Example Question #11 : Proportion / Ratio / Rate

Jane has a collection of coins consisting of pennies, nickels, and dimes in the ratio 6:3:5.

If there are 42 coins in total, how many pennies are in the collection?

Possible Answers:

12

18

15

9

7

Correct answer:

18

Explanation:

First count the total number of parts in the ratio.

Then we can set up a proportion representing

As the initial ratio shows, there are 6 pennies for every 14 total coins. In the total set, we have X pennies and 42 total coins. Plugging these numbers into the proportion gives .

Finally, we multiply both sides times 42 to isolate x.

Example Question #12 : Proportion / Ratio / Rate

16 ounces of lemonade mix makes 2 gallons of lemonade (one gallon is equivalent to 4 quarts).

Quantity A: Amount of mix needed to make 3 quarts of lemonade

Quantity B: 6 ounces of mix

Possible Answers:

Quantity B is greater

Quantity A is greater

The two quantities are equal

The relationship cannot be determined from the information given

Correct answer:

The two quantities are equal

Explanation:

2 gallons of lemonade equals 8 quarts of lemonade. To make 3 quarts of lemonade, you need  of the amount needed to make 2 gallons of lemonade, or 6 ounces of mix.

Example Question #101 : Fractions

In a class with  students, if  are taking Calculus and  are taking Chinese, what is the lowest amount of students possible in the class that are taking both Calculus and Chinese?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

This problem states that there are  students in the class taking Calculus. Because the class has a total of  students, that means there are only  students in the class not taking Calculus. The problem also states that there are  students in the class taking Chinese. Because only  students in the class aren't taking Calculus, this means that there is a minimum of  students in the class that are taking both Calculus and Chinese.

Example Question #511 : Arithmetic

If an a train is traveling at 8 feet per second, how many feet does it travel in 2 hours?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

For this problem, you must do conversions of from hours to seconds.  

Two hours is equal 120 minutes 

.  

120 minutes is equal to 7200 second 

.

The train travels 8 feet per second so in 7200 seconds it travels 57600 feet 

.

Example Question #1 : How To Find A Ratio

1 : 1

2 : 3

3 : 4

1 : 3

There are 28 students in a room. The ratio of boys to girls cannot be which of the above.

Possible Answers:

3 : 4

1 : 3

1 : 1

2 : 3

Correct answer:

2 : 3

Explanation:

When selecting ratios for two variables (boys and girls) the two sides of the ratio must add up to be a factor of the total student count.  The factors of 28 include 14, 7, 4, and 2.  (1 + 1 = 2), (2 + 3 = 5), (3 + 4 = 7), and (1 + 3 = 4). 5 is the only nonfactor and cannot be the ratio of boys to girls, thus making 2 : 3 the correct answer.

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