This quiz originally appeared in our November/December 2015 print issue as a sidebar to the feature story, “Making the Case for a Good-Enough Diploma.”
MATHEMATICAL REASONING
1. The following set of data is given: 29, 44, 59, 23, 36, 56, 37, 39, 23, 40, 34. Adding which pair will change the median?
A. 24 and 38
B. 25 and 59
C. 36 and 65
D. 43 and 46
2. If x is the set of prime numbers and y is the set of all two-digit even integers, how many numbers are common to both sets?
A. 0
B. 1
C. 2
D. 3
3. Jerry goes to the bank and borrows $9,000 for farm equipment. The simple yearly interest is 9.5 percent and he pays off the loan over a period of two years with 24 equal monthly payments. What is Jerry’s monthly payment?
A. $375.00
B. $410.63
C. $446.25
D. $892.50
SCIENCE
4. Animals that feed on plants are called:
A. Primary Consumers
B. Secondary Consumers
C. Tertiary Consumers
D. Primary Producers
SOCIAL STUDIES
5. The monetary value of all the finished goods and services that are produced within a country’s borders in a specific time period is the:
A. Money Supply
B. Gross Domestic Product
C. Balance of Trade
D. Aggregate Demand
6. Which of these powers is reserved for state governments?
A. Conduct elections
B. Regulate trade between states
C. Establish post offices
D. Make treaties
7. Which of the following best describes the philosophy of the Libertarian political party?
A. Ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy, and peace.
B. Fiscal conservatism and social liberalism.
C. Principles found in the U.S. Declaration of Independence, and social policies taken from the Bible.
D. Economic liberalism, fiscal conservatism, and social conservatism.
*Questions are courtesy GED Practice Questions, a free website dedicated to GED test preparation. GED is a registered trademark of the American Council on Education and is administered exclusively by GED Testing Service LLC under license. This material is not endorsed or approved by ACE or GED Testing Service.
ANSWER KEY
1. D. The median is the middle number in a sequential set; here, it’s 37. Since 43 and 46 are both larger, adding them will move the median to the right if the numbers are re-arranged in ascending order, and it will be changed to 39.
2. A. All even integers are divisible by the number two. The only even prime number is two, which is not two digits. Therefore, no number in set y would be prime because there are no two-digit even prime numbers.
3. C. Simple interest = principal x rate x time. The total that Jerry will be paying back is $9,000 (loan) + $1,710 (interest) = $10,710. The duration is two years, or 24 months. $10,710 / 24 = $446.25 per month.
4. A. Primary consumers are animals that eat primary producers.
5. B. The Gross Domestic Product is the main tool for measuring a country’s economy.
6. A. Under the United States system of federalism, there is a constitutional divide of authority between the federal government and state governments, with each retaining significant authority. The power to conduct elections is reserved for states. The other powers listed here are delegated to the federal government.
7. B. Libertarianism is a political philosophy that emphasizes individual liberty. Libertarians want to minimize the power of the state in both economic and social matters.
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