Percentages Lesson Test for ASVAB Practice

Answer: C

Correct answer: 0.085. Percent means per hundred, so divide by 100 by moving the decimal point two places left.

8.5 percent = 0.085.

• A: This moves the decimal point three places left; 0.0085 is 0.85 percent.
• B: This moves the decimal point only one place left; 0.85 is 85 percent.
• C (correct): Moving the decimal point two places left turns 8.5 percent into 0.085.
• D: This moves the decimal point right instead of left.

Answer: A

Correct answer: 84. Part equals percent times whole:

trucks.

Check: 10 percent is 24, so 30 percent is 72 and 5 percent is 12, for 84 in all.

• A (correct): 0.35 times 240 is 84.
• B: This is the number of vehicles that are not trucks, which is 65 percent of 240.
• C: This uses 3.5 percent instead of 35 percent, a decimal slip.
• D: This subtracts 35 from 240 instead of taking 35 percent of 240.

Answer: D

Correct answer: 35%. Percent equals part divided by whole:

Move the decimal point two places right: 35 percent.

• A: This moves the decimal point only one place when converting 0.35 to a percent.
• B: This is the number of correct answers, 40 minus 14, written as if it were a percent.
• C: This is the percent answered correctly, 26 out of 40, not the percent missed.
• D (correct): 14 divided by 40 is 0.35, which is 35 percent.

Answer: C

Correct answer: 37.5%. Change the fraction to a decimal first:

Then move the decimal point two places right: 37.5 percent.

• A: This moves the decimal point only one place to the right.
• B: This writes the decimal 0.375 with a percent sign without moving the decimal point.
• C (correct): 3 divided by 8 is 0.375, and moving the point two places right gives 37.5 percent.
• D: This is 5/8, the share who do not bike, rather than the share who do.

Answer: C

Correct answer: $5.46. Find 10 percent by moving the decimal point one place: $3.64. Half of that is 5 percent: $1.82.

Add them for 15 percent:

• A: This is only 5 percent of the bill.
• B: This is the bill plus the tip, but the question asks only for the tip.
• C (correct): 10 percent is $3.64 and 5 percent is $1.82, which add to $5.46.
• D: This is only 10 percent of the bill.

Answer: D

Correct answer: 70. The 42 soldiers are the part and 60 percent is the percent, so whole = part ÷ percent.

soldiers. Check:

• A: This multiplies 42 by 0.60, finding 60 percent of 42 instead of the whole.
• B: This adds the percent to the count, which has no meaning.
• C: This divides by 0.40, the percent who did not pass, instead of 0.60.
• D (correct): Whole equals part divided by percent: 42 divided by 0.60 is 70.

Answer: B

Correct answer: 8%. Increase:

Divide by the original value:

which is an 8 percent increase.

• A: This leaves the decimal 0.08 unconverted; it must be multiplied by 100.
• B (correct): The increase is $68, and 68 divided by the original $850 is 0.08, or 8 percent.
• C: This divides the $68 increase by the new rent, $918, instead of the original rent.
• D: This treats the dollar increase as if it were the percent.

Answer: A

Correct answer: 14%. Decrease:

crates.

Percent decrease =

or 14 percent.

• A (correct): The decrease is 35 crates, and 35 divided by the original 250 is 0.14, or 14 percent.
• B: This divides the 35-crate decrease by the new amount, 215, instead of the original 250.
• C: This is the percent of the stock that remains, not the percent decrease.
• D: This treats the number of crates removed as the percent.

Answer: A

Correct answer: $59.50. A 30 percent discount leaves 70 percent of the price:

Check: the discount is $25.50, and

• A (correct): After 30 percent off, 70 percent of the price remains: 0.70 times $85 is $59.50.
• B: This is the amount of the discount, not the price after the discount.
• C: This adds 30 percent to the price, as for a markup, instead of taking it off.
• D: This subtracts 30 dollars instead of 30 percent of the price.

Answer: C

Correct answer: $938. Commission:

Total pay:

• A: This uses 0.6 for 6 percent, a decimal slip that makes the commission ten times too large.
• B: This takes 6 percent of sales plus base pay together instead of adding the full base pay.
• C (correct): Commission is 0.06 times $9,800, or $588, and adding the $350 base gives $938.
• D: This is the commission alone; the base pay must be added.

Answer: B

Correct answer: $64.80. Multiply the cost by 1 plus the markup rate:

Check: 35 percent of $48 is $16.80, and

• A: This is the amount of the markup, not the selling price.
• B (correct): A 35 percent markup multiplies the cost by 1.35: $48 times 1.35 is $64.80.
• C: This takes 35 percent off the cost, as for a discount, instead of adding it.
• D: This adds 35 dollars instead of 35 percent of the cost.

Answer: D

Correct answer: $2,375. After a 20 percent raise, the new pay is 120 percent of the old pay.

Old pay =

Check:

• A: This subtracts 20 dollars instead of reversing a 20 percent increase.
• B: This adds another 20 percent instead of undoing the raise.
• C: This takes 20 percent off the new pay, but the raise was figured on the old pay, so you must divide by 1.20.
• D (correct): The new pay is 120 percent of the old pay, so the old pay is $2,850 divided by 1.20, which is $2,375.

Answer: B

Correct answer: $145.80. Sale price:

With tax:

• A: This combines the percents into a single 17 percent discount, but tax must be applied to the sale price.
• B (correct): The sale price is $135, and adding 8 percent tax gives $135 times 1.08, or $145.80.
• C: This is the sale price before the sales tax is added.
• D: This adds tax to the original price and forgets the 25 percent discount.

Answer: D

Correct answer: 800. Apply each change to the current amount:

Then

The 20 percent drop is taken from the larger base, so it exactly undoes the increase.

• A: This adds the percents into a net 5 percent increase instead of applying each change to the new amount.
• B: This treats the changes as a net 5 percent decrease instead of multiplying the factors in order.
• C: This applies only the 25 percent increase and ignores the 20 percent decrease.
• D (correct): 800 times 1.25 is 1,000, and 1,000 times 0.80 is 800.

Answer: B

Correct answer: A 5% increase. Multiply the change factors:

The final price is 105 percent of the original, a 5 percent increase. For example, $100 becomes $140, then $105.

• A: This adds the two percents as though both were increases.
• B (correct): The factors multiply to 1.40 times 0.75, which is 1.05, so the price ends 5 percent higher.
• C: This subtracts 25 from 40, but the cut is taken from the higher price, so the factors must be multiplied.
• D: This gets the size right but the direction wrong; 1.05 is more than the original.

Answer: C

Correct answer: $55.00. Multiply the change factors: the sale price is

times the cost.

Undo that by dividing:

so the ladder cost $55. Check: 55 times 1.5 is 82.50, and 20 percent off 82.50 is 66.

• A: This comes from combining 50 percent up and 20 percent down into a 30 percent increase and dividing by 1.30; successive percents cannot be added.
• B: This takes 20 percent off the $66 sale price, but the discount was figured on the marked price, so the change must be undone by dividing.
• C (correct): The sale price is 1.50 times 0.80, or 1.20 times the cost, and 66 divided by 1.20 is 55.
• D: This undoes only the 50 percent markup and ignores the 20 percent discount that came after it.

Answer: C

Correct answer: 15%. Find the change: 184 minus 160 is 24 loaves.

Divide by the original value:

which is a 15 percent increase.

• A: This divides the increase of 24 by the new value 184 instead of the original value 160.
• B: This treats the increase of 24 loaves as if it were already a percent without dividing by the original amount.
• C (correct): The increase is 24 loaves, and 24 divided by the original 160 is 0.15, or 15 percent.
• D: This is Tuesday's sales as a percent of Monday's; the increase is that minus 100 percent.

Answer: D

Correct answer: 0.004. To change a percent to a decimal, move the decimal point two places to the left. 0.4 becomes 0.04 after one place and 0.004 after two, so 0.4 percent is 0.004.

• A: This moves the decimal point only one place left; 0.04 equals 4 percent.
• B: This drops the percent sign without moving the decimal point; 0.4 equals 40 percent.
• C: This moves the decimal point to the right, which changes a decimal into a percent, not the reverse.
• D (correct): Moving the decimal point in 0.4 two places to the left gives 0.004.

Answer: D

Correct answer: 240 gallons. The added water raised the level from 30 percent to 65 percent, so 84 gallons is 35 percent of the capacity.

Whole equals part divided by percent:

Check: 35 percent of 240 is 84.

• A: This treats 84 gallons as 65 percent of the tank, but 84 gallons is only the added amount, not the final contents.
• B: This treats 84 gallons as 30 percent of the tank, which was the starting level, not the amount added.
• C: This multiplies 84 by 0.35 instead of dividing; the capacity must be larger than the 84 gallons added.
• D (correct): The 84 gallons filled 65 minus 30, or 35 percent, of the tank, and 84 divided by 0.35 is 240.

Answer: B

Correct answer: 18 ounces. Write 25 percent as 0.25, or one fourth, and multiply by the whole:

• A: This is the 75 percent of the jug that is left, not the 25 percent that was used.
• B (correct): 25 percent is one fourth, and 72 divided by 4 is 18.
• C: This writes 25 percent as 0.025 instead of 0.25, moving the decimal point one place too far.
• D: This divides 72 by 3, which finds about 33 percent rather than 25 percent.

Answer: C

Correct answer: 60%. Percent equals part divided by whole. The whole is all 55 apprentices and the part is the 33 who passed.

which is 60 percent.

• A: This divides the whole by the part, 55 by 33; a part of a group cannot be more than 100 percent of it.
• B: This is the percent who did not pass on the first attempt, 22 out of 55.
• C (correct): Dividing the part, 33, by the whole group, 55, gives 0.60, which is 60 percent.
• D: This uses the number who passed as the percent without dividing by the total of 55.

Answer: A

Correct answer: 9/20. Percent means per hundred, so 45 percent is $\frac{45}{100}$.

Divide the numerator and denominator by 5:

Check: 9 divided by 20 is 0.45.

• A (correct): 45 percent is 45 over 100, and dividing top and bottom by 5 gives 9/20.
• B: This reads the digits 4 and 5 as a fraction; 4/5 is 80 percent.
• C: This reduces 45 over 100 incorrectly; 9/10 is 90 percent.
• D: This divides by 1,000 instead of 100, treating 45 percent as 4.5 percent; 9/200 equals 0.045.

Answer: D

Correct answer: 20%. Find the amount saved: 75 minus 60 is $15.

Divide by the original price:

a 20 percent discount.

• A: This divides the $15 savings by the sale price of $60 instead of the original price of $75.
• B: This treats the $15 savings as the percent without dividing by the original price.
• C: This is the sale price as a percent of the original price, not the percent taken off.
• D (correct): The savings is $15, and 15 divided by the original price of 75 is 0.20, or 20 percent.

Answer: D

Correct answer: $13.00. Find 10 percent by moving the decimal point one place left: $26. Five percent is half of that, so the tax is

• A: This is 20 percent of 260, which comes from dividing by 5 instead of taking 5 percent.
• B: This uses 0.005 for 5 percent; 5 percent is 0.05.
• C: This uses 0.5 for 5 percent, which is 50 percent of the price.
• D (correct): 10 percent of 260 is 26, and 5 percent is half of that, or 13.

Answer: B

Correct answer: $51.12. Tax raises the price, so multiply by 1 plus the rate:

The tax alone is

and 48 plus 3.12 is also $51.12.

• A: This is only the tax; the question asks for the total cost including the price of the boots.
• B (correct): Multiplying 48 by 1.065 gives 51.12, which includes both the price and the tax.
• C: This adds 6.5 dollars instead of 6.5 percent of the price.
• D: This uses 0.65 instead of 0.065 for 6.5 percent, a decimal slip of one place.

Answer: A

Correct answer: $19,000. The commission is the part and the sales total is the whole. Whole equals part divided by percent:

Check: 8 percent of $19,000 is $1,520.

• A (correct): Sales equal commission divided by the rate: 1,520 divided by 0.08 is 19,000.
• B: This multiplies 1,520 by 8 instead of dividing by 0.08.
• C: This finds 8 percent of the commission; the commission is the part, so you must divide by the rate.
• D: This divides by 0.8 instead of 0.08, a decimal slip; 8 percent is 0.08.

Answer: C

Correct answer: $64.90. Tip:

Total: 55 plus 9.90 is $64.90, the same as $55\times 1.18$.

• A: This is only the tip; the question asks for the bill plus the tip.
• B: This adds 18 dollars instead of 18 percent of the bill.
• C (correct): The tip is 0.18 times 55, or 9.90, and 55 plus 9.90 is 64.90.
• D: This uses 0.018 for 18 percent; 18 percent is 0.18.

Answer: A

Correct answer: 6.5%. To change a decimal to a percent, move the decimal point two places to the right: 0.065 becomes 6.5, so the defect rate is 6.5 percent.

• A (correct): Moving the decimal point in 0.065 two places to the right gives 6.5 percent.
• B: This moves the decimal point three places right; 65 percent would be 0.65.
• C: This moves the decimal point only one place right.
• D: This adds a percent sign without moving the decimal point at all.

Answer: B

Correct answer: 60 pallets. Whole equals part divided by percent:

pallets. Check: 30 percent of 60 is 18.

• A: This multiplies 18 by 0.30, finding 30 percent of 18 instead of the whole that 18 is 30 percent of.
• B (correct): 18 is 30 percent of the goal, and 18 divided by 0.30 is 60.
• C: This adds 30 to 18, treating the percent as a count of pallets.
• D: This divides 18 by 3 instead of by 0.30; the goal must be larger than the part already done.

Answer: D

Correct answer: 16%. Find the decrease: 1.25 minus 1.05 is 0.20 dollar.

Divide by the original price:

a 16 percent decrease.

• A: This divides the drop of 0.20 by the new price 1.05 instead of the original price 1.25.
• B: This treats the 20-cent drop as 20 percent without dividing by the original price.
• C: This is the new price as a percent of the old price, not the percent decrease.
• D (correct): The drop is 0.20, and 0.20 divided by the original 1.25 is 0.16, or 16 percent.

Answer: A

Correct answer: $183.60. Apply the discounts one after the other. First:

Then take 10 percent off that sale price:

Adding the percents to 25 percent would wrongly give $180.

• A (correct): 240 times 0.85 is 204, and 204 times 0.90 is 183.60.
• B: This adds the discounts to get 25 percent off; the extra 10 percent comes off the lower sale price, so it saves less.
• C: This is the total amount saved, not the price the customer pays.
• D: This applies only the 15 percent discount and leaves out the extra 10 percent.

Answer: C

Correct answer: $128. After 25 percent off, the coat costs 75 percent of its original price.

Original equals sale price divided by 0.75:

Check: 25 percent of 128 is 32, and 128 minus 32 is 96.

• A: This adds 25 percent of the sale price back on, but the 25 percent was taken from the original price.
• B: This takes another 25 percent off the sale price, which moves the wrong direction.
• C (correct): The sale price is 75 percent of the original, and 96 divided by 0.75 is 128.
• D: This adds 25 dollars to the sale price, treating the percent as a dollar amount.

Answer: A

Correct answer: $120. Round to friendly numbers: 21 percent is about 20 percent, and $589 is about $600.

Ten percent of 600 is 60, so 20 percent is 120. The exact value,

is close to $120.

• A (correct): Rounding to 20 percent of $600 gives $120, close to the exact amount of about $123.69.
• B: This finds about 2 percent, moving the decimal point one place too many.
• C: This is about 10 percent of $600, half the needed estimate.
• D: This is about 50 percent of the budget, far more than 21 percent.

Answer: B

Correct answer: 4 kg. Multiply:

kilograms.

A shortcut is to swap the numbers: 16 percent of 25 equals 25 percent of 16, and one fourth of 16 is 4.

• A: This uses 1.6 for 16 percent; the result cannot be more than the 25 kg bag.
• B (correct): 16 percent of 25 equals 25 percent of 16, which is one fourth of 16, or 4.
• C: This uses 0.016 for 16 percent, moving the decimal point three places instead of two.
• D: This subtracts 16 from 25, treating the percent as a weight.

Answer: D

Correct answer: 20%. Profit is 75 minus 60, or $15. The question says percent of the selling price, so the selling price is the whole.

which is 20 percent. Dividing by the cost instead would give the 25 percent markup.

• A: This divides the $15 profit by the cost of $60, which gives the markup on cost, not the percent of the selling price.
• B: This is the cost as a percent of the selling price, not the profit.
• C: This treats the $15 profit as the percent without dividing by any whole.
• D (correct): The profit is $15, and the selling price of $75 is the whole here, so 15 divided by 75 is 20 percent.

Answer: B

Correct answer: $790. Split the sales: the first $10,000 earns

The remaining 16,500 minus 10,000, or $6,500, earns

Total commission: 400 plus 390 is $790.

• A: This applies the 6 percent rate to all $16,500, but only sales above $10,000 earn 6 percent.
• B (correct): 4 percent of 10,000 is 400, 6 percent of the remaining 6,500 is 390, and together they make 790.
• C: This applies the 4 percent rate to all $16,500 and ignores the higher rate above $10,000.
• D: This takes 6 percent of the full $16,500 in addition to 4 percent of the first $10,000, counting $10,000 of sales twice.

Answer: C

Correct answer: 150%. Find the change: 100 minus 40 is 60.

Divide by the original value:

a 150 percent increase. Percents over 100 are fine when the amount more than doubles.

• A: This is April's total as a percent of March's; the increase is 250 percent minus 100 percent.
• B: This divides the increase of 60 by the new value 100 instead of the original 40.
• C (correct): The increase is 60, and 60 divided by the original 40 is 1.50, or 150 percent.
• D: This is March's count as a percent of April's, not the percent increase.

Answer: C

Correct answer: $65.00. A total with 8 percent tax is 108 percent of the original price.

Original price:

Check: 8 percent of 65 is 5.20, and 65 plus 5.20 is 70.20.

• A: This takes 8 percent off the total, but the tax was figured on the pre-tax price, so you must divide by 1.08.
• B: This subtracts 8 dollars, treating the 8 percent as a dollar amount.
• C (correct): The total is 108 percent of the price, and 70.20 divided by 1.08 is 65.
• D: This adds tax again to the total instead of removing it.

Answer: D

Correct answer: $150. Multiply the change factors:

so the final price is 108 percent of the original.

Original:

Check: 150 times 0.90 is 135, and 135 times 1.20 is 162.

• A: This combines the changes into a net 10 percent increase and divides by 1.10; successive percents must be multiplied, not added.
• B: This takes 10 percent off $162 instead of undoing both changes by division.
• C: This undoes only the 20 percent increase and ignores the earlier 10 percent cut.
• D (correct): The changes multiply to 0.90 times 1.20, or 1.08, and 162 divided by 1.08 is 150.

Answer: A

Correct answer: 1.5. Move the decimal point two places to the left: 150 percent becomes 1.50. A percent over 100 gives a decimal greater than 1.

• A (correct): Moving the decimal point in 150 two places to the left gives 1.50, or 1.5.
• B: This moves the decimal point only one place to the left.
• C: This moves the decimal point three places to the left; 0.15 is 15 percent.
• D: This drops the percent sign without moving the decimal point.

Answer: C

Correct answer: 168. First find the written-test passers:

The 60 percent applies to that new group:

applicants passed both.

• A: This is only the number who passed the written test; the 60 percent step has not been applied.
• B: This subtracts the percents to get 25 percent of 800; the second percent applies to the 280 who passed, not to all 800.
• C (correct): 35 percent of 800 is 280, and 60 percent of 280 is 168.
• D: This takes 60 percent of all 800 applicants instead of 60 percent of the 280 who passed the written test.

Answer: A

Correct answer: 25%. Percent equals part divided by whole:

or 25 percent. Twelve is one fourth of 48.

• A (correct): 12 divided by 48 is 0.25, which is 25 percent.
• B: This divides 48 by 12 to get 4 and treats the result as a percent.
• C: This subtracts 12 from 48 instead of dividing the part by the whole.
• D: This uses the count of cracked eggs as the percent without dividing by the 48 eggs in the crate.

Answer: D

Correct answer: 25%. Reduced wage:

The raise needed is 18.00 minus 14.40, or $3.60.

The raise is figured on the reduced wage:

so a 25 percent raise is needed.

• A: This assumes the same percent undoes the cut, but 20 percent of the smaller $14.40 wage is only $2.88.
• B: This is the reduced wage as a percent of the original, not the raise needed.
• C: This is the factor 1.25 written as a percent; the raise itself is 25 percent.
• D (correct): The reduced wage is $14.40, and the $3.60 needed is 25 percent of 14.40.

Answer: D

Correct answer: $65. A 40 percent markup means the price is 1.40 times the cost.

Cost:

Check: 40 percent of 65 is 26, and 65 plus 26 is 91.

• A: This takes 40 percent off the selling price, but the markup was figured on the cost, so you must divide by 1.40.
• B: This marks up the selling price another 40 percent instead of undoing the markup.
• C: This subtracts 40 dollars, treating the percent as a dollar amount.
• D (correct): The selling price is 140 percent of the cost, and 91 divided by 1.40 is 65.

Answer: B

Correct answer: $16.00. Write 2.5 percent as a decimal by moving the point two places left: 0.025.

Fee:

Check: 1 percent of 640 is 6.40, and 2.5 times 6.40 is 16.

• A: This uses 0.25 for 2.5 percent, which is 25 percent of the payment.
• B (correct): 2.5 percent is 0.025, and 0.025 times 640 is 16.
• C: This uses 0.0025 for 2.5 percent, moving the decimal point one place too far.
• D: This is the payment plus the fee; the question asks for the fee only.

Answer: A

Correct answer: 120 miles. If 65 percent is finished, then 100 minus 65, or 35 percent, remains.

Whole equals part divided by percent:

Check: 35 percent of 120 is 42.

• A (correct): The 42 remaining miles are 35 percent of the project, and 42 divided by 0.35 is 120.
• B: This treats 42 miles as 65 percent of the project, but 65 percent is the finished part, not the remaining part.
• C: This is the finished part of a 120-mile project, not the length of the whole project.
• D: This multiplies 42 by 0.35 instead of dividing; the whole must be larger than 42 miles.

Answer: B

Correct answer: $7.00. Move the decimal point one place left to find 10 percent: $3.50. Double it for 20 percent:

• A: This is only 10 percent of the price; 20 percent is double that.
• B (correct): 10 percent of 35 is 3.50, and 20 percent is twice that, or 7.
• C: This uses 0.02 for 20 percent, moving the decimal point one place too far.
• D: This is the cost plus the tip; the question asks for the tip only.

Answer: B

Correct answer: 7.5%. Find the raise: 3,440 minus 3,200 is $240.

Divide by the original pay:

which is a 7.5 percent increase.

• A: This divides the $240 raise by $3,000 instead of by the original $3,200.
• B (correct): The raise is $240, and 240 divided by the original 3,200 is 0.075, or 7.5 percent.
• C: This treats the $240 raise as if 240 were a percent of 1,000, not of the original pay.
• D: This is the new pay as a percent of the old pay; the increase is that minus 100 percent.

Answer: C

Correct answer: $15,000. Remove the base pay to get the commission: 1,150 minus 400 is $750.

Sales equal commission divided by the rate:

Check: 5 percent of 15,000 is 750, plus 400 is 1,150.

• A: This divides the whole $1,150 by 0.05 without first removing the $400 base pay.
• B: This divides by 0.5 instead of 0.05; 5 percent is 0.05.
• C (correct): The commission was 1,150 minus 400, or 750, and 750 divided by 0.05 is 15,000.
• D: This takes 5 percent of the commission; the commission is the part, so you must divide by the rate.

Answer: A

Correct answer: 35%. The charge dropped from 80 to 52, a change of 28 percentage points.

Percent decrease divides by the starting value:

a 35 percent decrease.

• A (correct): The charge fell 28 points, and 28 divided by the starting 80 is 0.35, or 35 percent.
• B: This is the ending charge level, not the change from 80 percent.
• C: This is the new charge as a percent of the old charge, not the decrease.
• D: This divides the drop of 28 by the new value 52 instead of the starting value 80.