All GRE Math Resources
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?
$1.50
$5.00
$7.00
$8.50
$3.00
$3.00
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?
$9.25
$3.70
$7.40
$5.50
$6.75
$7.40
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?
2 hours
1 hour
2.5 hours
3 hours
1.5 hours
3 hours
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?
6 hours
2 hours
4 hours
3 hours
5 hours
6 hours
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
Quantity A:
Quantity B:
The relationship cannot be determined from the information given
Quantity A is greater
The two quantities are equal
Quantity B is greater
The relationship cannot be determined from the information given
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?
12
18
15
9
7
18
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
Quantity B is greater
Quantity A is greater
The two quantities are equal
The relationship cannot be determined from the information given
The two quantities are equal
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?
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?
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.
3 : 4
1 : 3
1 : 1
2 : 3
2 : 3
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.