SSAT Upper Level Math : Number Concepts and Operations

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SSAT Upper Level Math

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Example Questions

Example Question #171 : Number Concepts And Operations

If \displaystyle 12.5\% of a certain number is \displaystyle 112, what is that number?

Possible Answers:

\displaystyle 14

\displaystyle 896

\displaystyle 900

\displaystyle 16

Correct answer:

\displaystyle 896

Explanation:

Let \displaystyle x be the number we are looking for. With the information given in the question, we can write the following equation and solve for \displaystyle x.

\displaystyle 0.125x=112

\displaystyle x=\frac{112}{0.125}

\displaystyle x=896

\displaystyle 12.5\% of \displaystyle 896 is \displaystyle 112, so \displaystyle 896 is the correct answer.

Example Question #172 : Number Concepts And Operations

If \displaystyle \frac{1}{5} of a certain number is \displaystyle 50, what is that number?

Possible Answers:

\displaystyle 10

\displaystyle 500

\displaystyle 250

\displaystyle 20

Correct answer:

\displaystyle 250

Explanation:

Let \displaystyle x be the number we are looking for. With the information given in the question, we can write the following equation and solve for \displaystyle x.

\displaystyle \frac{1}{5}x=50

\displaystyle \frac{5}{1}(\frac{1}{5}x)=(50)\frac{5}{1}

\displaystyle x=250

\displaystyle \frac{1}{5} of \displaystyle 250 is \displaystyle 50, so \displaystyle 250 is the correct answer.

Example Question #4 : Whole And Part

If \displaystyle \frac{3}{7} of a certain number is \displaystyle 60, what is that number?

Possible Answers:

\displaystyle 150

\displaystyle 140

\displaystyle 18

\displaystyle \frac{180}{7}

Correct answer:

\displaystyle 140

Explanation:

Let \displaystyle x be the number we are looking for. With the information given in the question, we can write the following equation and solve for \displaystyle x.

\displaystyle \frac{3}{7}x=60

\displaystyle \frac{7}{3}(\frac{3}{7}x)=(60)\frac{7}{3}

\displaystyle x=\frac{60\cdot 7}{3}

\displaystyle x=\frac{420}{3}

\displaystyle x=140

\displaystyle \frac{3}{7} of \displaystyle 140 is \displaystyle 60, so \displaystyle 140 is the correct answer.

Example Question #111 : Fractions

Last year, \displaystyle 70\% of students at a certain high school continued on to college. If \displaystyle 1400 students from this high school went to college, how many total students did the high school have last year?

Possible Answers:

\displaystyle 1400

\displaystyle 5000

\displaystyle 2000

\displaystyle 2800

Correct answer:

\displaystyle 2000

Explanation:

Let \displaystyle x be the total number of students enrolled last year at the high school the question describes. With the information given in the question, we can write the following equation and solve for \displaystyle x.

\displaystyle 0.7x=1400

\displaystyle x=\frac{1400}{0.7}

\displaystyle x=2000

\displaystyle 70\% of \displaystyle 2000 is \displaystyle 1400, so the high school the question describes had \displaystyle 2000 students last year.

Example Question #173 : Number Concepts And Operations

\displaystyle 24 students in a class are vegetarian. If \displaystyle 12\% of this class is vegetarian, how many total students are in the class?

Possible Answers:

\displaystyle 320

\displaystyle 200

\displaystyle 400

\displaystyle 124

Correct answer:

\displaystyle 200

Explanation:

Let \displaystyle x be the total number of students in the class. With the information given in the question, we can write the following equation and solve for \displaystyle x.

\displaystyle 0.12x=24

\displaystyle x=\frac{24}{0.12}

\displaystyle x=200

\displaystyle 12\% of \displaystyle 200 is \displaystyle 24, so there are \displaystyle 200 students in the class the question describes.

Example Question #171 : Number Concepts And Operations

What is \displaystyle 54\% of \displaystyle 250?

Possible Answers:

\displaystyle 115

\displaystyle 145

\displaystyle 135

\displaystyle 125

Correct answer:

\displaystyle 135

Explanation:

Multiply \displaystyle 250 by \displaystyle 0.54 to find the answer.

\displaystyle 250\times0.54=135.

\displaystyle 135 \text{ is }54\%\text{ of }250.

Example Question #1 : How To Find The Part From The Whole

Susie won \displaystyle \$10,000 from the lottery. If she has to pay \displaystyle 45\% of the winnings to taxes and gives her parents \displaystyle 20\% of the remaining amount, how much does she have left over?

Possible Answers:

\displaystyle \$5,500

\displaystyle \$5,600

\displaystyle \$4,500

\displaystyle \$4,400

Correct answer:

\displaystyle \$4,400

Explanation:

First, find out how much she has left after she pays her taxes.

\displaystyle \text{After tax amount}=\$10,000-(\$10,000\times0.45)=\$5,500

Now, take away \displaystyle 20\% of the after-tax amount to find out how much she has left.

\displaystyle \$5500-(0.2\times\$5500)=\$4,400

Example Question #116 : Rational Numbers

Kerry spends \displaystyle 45\% of his monthly salary on rent, \displaystyle 20\% on food, and \displaystyle 35\% on movies. If he spent \displaystyle \$900 on rent, how much did he spend on food?

Possible Answers:

\displaystyle \$700

\displaystyle \$500

\displaystyle \$600

\displaystyle \$400

Correct answer:

\displaystyle \$400

Explanation:

First, find out how much Kerry makes per month. Let \displaystyle x be his monthly salary. We know that he spends \displaystyle 45\% of his monthly salary on rent, and that he spends \displaystyle \$900 on rent. Knowing this, we can set up an equation and solve for \displaystyle x, how much Kerry makes per month.

\displaystyle 0.45x=\$900

\displaystyle x=\frac{\$900}{0.45}

\displaystyle x=\$2,000

Now, we can find out how much he spends on food.

\displaystyle \text{Amount spent on food}=\$2,000\times0.2=\$400

Example Question #172 : Number Concepts And Operations

A class of \displaystyle 30 students was polled. If \displaystyle \frac{1}{6} of them claimed that they enjoy eating sushi, how many students enjoy eating sushi?

Possible Answers:

\displaystyle 5

\displaystyle 25

\displaystyle 6

\displaystyle 24

Correct answer:

\displaystyle 5

Explanation:

Multiply the total number of students by the fraction to find out how many of them enjoy eating sushi.

\displaystyle 30\times\frac{1}{6}=\frac{30}{6}=5

\displaystyle 5 students in the class enjoy eating sushi.

Example Question #173 : Number Concepts And Operations

A car is on sale for \displaystyle 37.5\% off. If the original price is \displaystyle \$9,000, how much does the car cost when it is on sale?

Possible Answers:

\displaystyle \$5,625

\displaystyle \$4,575

\displaystyle \$3,375

\displaystyle \$5,565

Correct answer:

\displaystyle \$5,625

Explanation:

Subtract the discount from the original price of the car.

\displaystyle \$9000-(0.375\times\$9000)=\$5625

The discounted car costs \displaystyle \$5,625.

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