FSOT Mathematics and Statistics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A country's GDP grew from $800 billion to $920 billion over five years. What was the total percentage increase?
- 13%
- 15% (Correct answer)
- 18%
- 20%
Correct answer: 15%
Percentage increase = (920 - 800) / 800 × 100 = 120 / 800 × 100 = 15%.
Question 2: If the probability of event A is 0.4 and the probability of event B is 0.3, and the events are independent, what is the probability that both A and B occur?
- 0.07
- 0.12 (Correct answer)
- 0.70
- 0.12
Correct answer: 0.12
For independent events, P(A and B) = P(A) × P(B) = 0.4 × 0.3 = 0.12.
Question 3: An embassy processes visa applications at a rate of 120 per day with 6 staff. If staff increases to 9, how many applications per day can be processed (assuming linear scaling)?
- 150
- 160
- 180 (Correct answer)
- 200
Correct answer: 180
Rate per staff = 120/6 = 20; with 9 staff: 9 × 20 = 180 applications per day.
Question 4: What is the median of the following dataset: 14, 7, 21, 3, 19, 11, 8?
- 11 (Correct answer)
- 12
- 14
- 7
Correct answer: 11
Sorted: 3, 7, 8, 11, 14, 19, 21 — the middle (4th) value is 11.
Question 5: A diplomat travels 240 miles at 60 mph and returns the same distance at 40 mph. What is the average speed for the entire trip?
- 48 mph (Correct answer)
- 50 mph
- 52 mph
- 54 mph
Correct answer: 48 mph
Average speed = 2 × (60 × 40) / (60 + 40) = 4800 / 100 = 48 mph.
Question 6: A trade agreement reduces tariffs by 25%, then a subsequent policy reduces them by an additional 20%. What is the overall percentage reduction from the original tariff?
- 40% (Correct answer)
- 42%
- 45%
- 50%
Correct answer: 40%
After first reduction: 75% remains; after second: 75% × 0.80 = 60% remains, so overall reduction = 40%.
Question 7: In a survey of 500 respondents, 60% favor a policy. What is the margin of error at 95% confidence (using ±1/√n approximation)?
- ±2.2%
- ±4.5% (Correct answer)
- ±6.0%
- ±8.0%
Correct answer: ±4.5%
Margin of error ≈ 1/√500 = 1/22.36 ≈ 0.0447, or approximately ±4.5%.
FSOT Mathematics and Statistics 2
A country's GDP grew from $800 billion to $920 billion over five years.
What was the total percentage increase?