CBEST - California Basic Educational Skills Math: Computation and Problem-Solving Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A jacket is originally priced at $120. It is on sale for 25% off. If the sales tax is 8%, what is the final price of the jacket, including tax?
- $90.00
- $99.60
- $97.20 (Correct answer)
- $129.60
Correct answer: $97.20
First, calculate the discount amount: 25% of $120 is 0.25 * $120 = $30. Subtract the discount to find the sale price: $120 - $30 = $90. Next, calculate the sales tax on the sale price: 8% of $90 is 0.08 * $90 = $7.20. Finally, add the sales tax to the sale price to find the total cost: $90 + $7.20 = $97.20.
Question 2: A student has scores of 85, 92, 78, and 88 on four tests. Which of the following scores must the student earn on a fifth test to have an average (mean) score of exactly 87?
- 87
- 92 (Correct answer)
- 90
- 95
Correct answer: 92
To have an average of 87 over five tests, the sum of the five scores must be 87 * 5 = 435. The sum of the first four test scores is 85 + 92 + 78 + 88 = 343. To find the required score on the fifth test, subtract the current sum from the desired total sum: 435 - 343 = 92.
Question 3: A rectangular classroom is 30 feet long and 24 feet wide. The school wants to place a bookshelf along the entire length of one of the shorter walls. If carpet costs $3 per square foot, what is the total cost to carpet the entire classroom floor?
- $162
- $720
- $216
- $2,160 (Correct answer)
Correct answer: $2,160
The area of a rectangle is calculated by multiplying its length by its width. The area of the classroom is 30 feet * 24 feet = 720 square feet. To find the total cost of the carpet, multiply the total area by the cost per square foot: 720 sq ft * $3/sq ft = $2,160. The information about the bookshelf is extra and not needed to solve the problem.
Question 4: A recipe for a fruit smoothie requires 3 parts orange juice to 2 parts yogurt. If you use 12 ounces of orange juice, how many ounces of yogurt should you use to maintain the same ratio?
- 6 ounces
- 18 ounces
- 11 ounces
- 8 ounces (Correct answer)
Correct answer: 8 ounces
The ratio of orange juice to yogurt is 3:2. You can set up a proportion to find the unknown amount of yogurt (x): 3/2 = 12/x. To solve for x, cross-multiply: 3 * x = 2 * 12, which simplifies to 3x = 24. Divide both sides by 3 to find x = 8. Therefore, 8 ounces of yogurt are needed.
Question 5: A teacher spends 1/4 of her workday on lesson planning, 1/2 on teaching, and 1/8 on grading papers. What fraction of her workday is left for other activities?
- 1/8 (Correct answer)
- 1/4
- 3/8
- 7/8
Correct answer: 1/8
To find the total fraction of the workday spent on the specified tasks, add the fractions: 1/4 + 1/2 + 1/8. The least common denominator is 8. Convert the fractions to have this denominator: 2/8 + 4/8 + 1/8 = 7/8. The entire workday is represented by 1 (or 8/8). To find the remaining fraction, subtract the time spent from the total: 8/8 - 7/8 = 1/8.
Question 6: A school bus travels from the school to Stop A, a distance of 4.5 miles. It then travels from Stop A to Stop B, a distance of 3.25 miles. Finally, it travels from Stop B back to the school, which is 6 miles. If the bus makes this entire round trip 5 times a day, what is the total mileage the bus travels per day?
- 13.75 miles
- 55.00 miles
- 68.75 miles (Correct answer)
- 73.25 miles
Correct answer: 68.75 miles
First, find the total distance of one complete round trip by adding the individual distances: 4.5 + 3.25 + 6.00 = 13.75 miles. Since the bus makes this trip 5 times a day, multiply the round trip distance by 5 to find the total daily mileage: 13.75 miles * 5 = 68.75 miles.
CBEST - California Basic Educational Skills Math: Computation and Problem-Solving Questions and Answers
A jacket is originally priced at $120.
It is on sale for 25% off.
If the sales tax is 8%, what is the final price of the jacket, including tax?