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CAT-ASVAB practice questions

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Question 1General Science

Which organelle is the main site of protein synthesis in a cell?

  1. Golgi apparatus
  2. Ribosome Correct answer.
  3. Lysosome
  4. Mitochondrion

Explanation

Ribosomes assemble amino acids into proteins by translating messenger RNA. Free ribosomes release proteins into the cytoplasm, while ribosomes on the rough endoplasmic reticulum make proteins for export or membranes.

Question 2General Science

The atomic number of an element is defined as the number of what?

  1. Energy levels the atom has
  2. Neutrons in the nucleus
  3. Protons plus neutrons
  4. Protons in the nucleus Correct answer.

Explanation

The atomic number equals the proton count, and it identifies the element. In a neutral atom it also equals the electron count, but the defining quantity is always the protons.

Question 3General Science

Which gas is released by green plants as a by-product of photosynthesis?

  1. Carbon dioxide
  2. Nitrogen
  3. Oxygen Correct answer.
  4. Hydrogen

Explanation

During photosynthesis, chlorophyll captures light energy and splits water molecules, releasing oxygen as a by-product while carbon is fixed into glucose. Carbon dioxide is a raw material taken in, not a product released.

Question 4General Science

A hockey puck slides across smooth ice at constant speed in a straight line. Why does the puck keep moving without a push?

  1. The ice adds energy to the puck
  2. Gravity keeps it sliding along the ice
  3. No net force acts on the puck Correct answer.
  4. Air pressure pushes it forward

Explanation

Newton's first law states that an object continues in its state of motion unless a net external force acts on it. Because friction on smooth ice is very small, the net force on the sliding puck is close to zero, so its velocity stays nearly constant.

Question 5General Science

At sea level, pure water boils at what temperature?

  1. 212 °C
  2. 50 °C
  3. 75 °C
  4. 100 °C Correct answer.

Explanation

At standard atmospheric pressure of one atmosphere, water boils at 100 °C (212 °F). Boiling point changes with pressure, so at high altitude water boils at a lower temperature.

Question 6General Science

Which planet is the largest in the solar system?

  1. Jupiter Correct answer.
  2. Neptune
  3. Earth
  4. Saturn

Explanation

Jupiter is a gas giant with a diameter of about 143,000 kilometers, larger than all other planets. Saturn is second, but it is noticeably smaller and less massive.

Question 7General Science

Which blood component carries oxygen from the lungs to body tissues?

  1. White blood cells
  2. Plasma
  3. Red blood cells Correct answer.
  4. Platelets

Explanation

Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, an iron-containing protein that binds oxygen in the lungs and releases it in tissues. Their shape and lack of a nucleus give them more room for hemoglobin.

Question 8General Science

A solution has a pH of 3. How should it be classified?

  1. Neutral
  2. Acidic Correct answer.
  3. Strongly basic
  4. Weakly basic

Explanation

The pH scale runs from 0 to 14, with 7 neutral; values below 7 indicate acids and values above 7 indicate bases. A pH of 3 is well below 7, so the solution is acidic.

Question 9General Science

A car travels 150 kilometers in 3 hours. What is its average speed?

  1. 50 km/h Correct answer.
  2. 150 km/h
  3. 75 km/h
  4. 450 km/h

Explanation

Average speed equals total distance divided by total time, so 150 kilometers divided by 3 hours gives 50 kilometers per hour. This is an average, so the car may have moved faster or slower at particular moments.

Question 10General Science

Why is sodium chloride classified as a compound rather than an element?

  1. It can be separated from water by simple filtering
  2. It contains only one kind of atom
  3. Two elements are chemically bonded together Correct answer.
  4. It is a solid at room temperature

Explanation

A compound consists of two or more different elements joined in fixed proportions by chemical bonds. Sodium chloride contains sodium and chlorine in a 1:1 ratio, and separating them requires a chemical change.

Question 11General Science

What is the main outcome of meiosis in humans?

  1. Four cells with 23 chromosomes each Correct answer.
  2. Two identical cells with 46 chromosomes each
  3. Four identical cells with 46 chromosomes each
  4. Two cells with 23 chromosomes each

Explanation

Meiosis involves two successive divisions after a single round of chromosome replication, producing four gametes. Each gamete carries half the original chromosome number, 23 in humans, so that fertilization restores 46.

Question 12General Science

In a food chain, why are green plants called producers?

  1. They store energy in the soil
  2. They eat other organisms to get energy
  3. They break down dead material
  4. They make their own food using sunlight Correct answer.

Explanation

Producers capture light energy and convert it into chemical energy stored in glucose during photosynthesis. All other organisms in the food chain obtain energy, directly or indirectly, from this synthesized food.

Question 13General Science

A block has a density of 0.8 g/cm³. What happens when it is placed in water, whose density is 1.0 g/cm³?

  1. It floats Correct answer.
  2. It sinks to the bottom
  3. It dissolves completely
  4. It stays suspended midway

Explanation

An object floats when its density is less than the density of the fluid it is placed in. Because 0.8 g/cm³ is below 1.0 g/cm³, the block displaces enough water to balance its weight while part of it remains above the surface.

Question 14General Science

A metal spoon left in a pot of hot soup becomes hot at the handle. Which process carries heat along the spoon?

  1. Evaporation
  2. Radiation
  3. Conduction Correct answer.
  4. Convection

Explanation

Conduction transfers heat through direct contact as fast-moving particles collide with slower neighbors and pass energy along the material. Metals conduct heat well because their free electrons carry energy efficiently.

Question 15General Science

Which layer of Earth is believed to be liquid?

  1. The outer core Correct answer.
  2. The mantle
  3. The crust
  4. The inner core

Explanation

Seismic S waves cannot pass through liquids, and they are blocked by the outer core, indicating that it is liquid. The inner core is solid despite its higher temperature because of intense pressure.

Question 16General Science

Solid dry ice changes directly into a gas without becoming liquid. What is this change of state called?

  1. Evaporation
  2. Sublimation Correct answer.
  3. Condensation
  4. Melting

Explanation

Sublimation is the change from solid directly to gas, skipping the liquid phase. Dry ice, which is solid carbon dioxide, sublimes at ordinary pressures.

Question 17General Science

Two lamps are connected in series with a battery. How does the current through the first lamp compare with the current through the second?

  1. It is the same Correct answer.
  2. It is twice as large
  3. It depends on the lamp sizes
  4. It is half as large

Explanation

In a series circuit there is only one path for charge to follow, so the same current passes through every component. The voltage divides among the lamps, but the current does not.

Question 18General Science

Through which of these media does sound travel fastest?

  1. Water
  2. Warm air
  3. A vacuum
  4. Steel Correct answer.

Explanation

Sound is a mechanical wave that travels faster when particles are packed closely and strongly bound, as in a solid. Steel therefore carries sound several times faster than water or air.

Question 19General Science

Two parents are both heterozygous (Aa) for a trait in which A is dominant. What fraction of their offspring is expected to show the recessive phenotype?

  1. 1/4 Correct answer.
  2. 3/4
  3. 1/2
  4. 0

Explanation

An Aa by Aa cross gives genotypes in a 1 AA : 2 Aa : 1 aa ratio. Only the aa genotype shows the recessive phenotype, so one quarter of the offspring are expected to show it.

Question 20General Science

A 10 kg crate is pushed across a level floor with a horizontal force of 60 N while friction opposes the motion with 20 N. What is the crate's acceleration?

  1. 8 m/s²
  2. 6 m/s²
  3. 4 m/s² Correct answer.
  4. 2 m/s²

Explanation

The net horizontal force is 60 N minus 20 N, or 40 N. Using Newton's second law, a = F/m = 40 N / 10 kg = 4 m/s².

Question 21General Science

A radioactive sample has a mass of 80 g and a half-life of 5 days. What mass of the original material remains after 15 days?

  1. 20 g
  2. 5 g
  3. 10 g Correct answer.
  4. 40 g

Explanation

Fifteen days is three half-lives, so the amount is halved three times. Starting from 80 g: after 5 days 40 g remains, after 10 days 20 g, and after 15 days 10 g.

Question 22General Science

An ion has 17 protons, 18 neutrons, and 18 electrons. What is the net charge of this ion?

  1. −2
  2. 0
  3. −1 Correct answer.
  4. +1

Explanation

Net charge is the number of protons minus the number of electrons, since neutrons carry no charge. With 17 protons and 18 electrons, the ion has one extra electron and a charge of −1.

Question 23General Science

An oceanic plate meets a continental plate at a convergent boundary. What typically happens?

  1. The plates pull apart and form a rift valley
  2. The oceanic plate sinks beneath the continental plate Correct answer.
  3. The continental plate sinks beneath the oceanic plate
  4. Both plates slide past each other without vertical motion

Explanation

Oceanic crust is denser than continental crust, so where the two converge the oceanic plate is forced downward into the mantle in a process called subduction. This creates deep ocean trenches and chains of volcanoes on the continental side.

Question 24General Science

A straw in a glass of water appears broken at the water line. What causes this effect?

  1. Light changes speed and bends entering the water Correct answer.
  2. Water reflects all light back into the air
  3. Light is absorbed by the water at the surface
  4. The water magnifies the straw's actual shape

Explanation

Light travels more slowly in water than in air, so rays leaving the submerged part of the straw bend at the surface. This refraction makes the straw appear displaced from the part above water.

Question 25Arithmetic Reasoning

A jacket regularly priced at $80 is on sale for 25% off. What is the sale price?

  1. $60 Correct answer.
  2. $65
  3. $20
  4. $55

Explanation

A 25% discount on $80 removes 0.25 × 80 = $20 from the regular price, so the sale price is 80 − 20 = $60. Equivalently, the customer pays 75% of $80.

Question 26Arithmetic Reasoning

What is 3/4 + 1/6?

  1. 4/10
  2. 13/12
  3. 11/12 Correct answer.
  4. 7/12

Explanation

Rewrite both fractions with a common denominator of 12: 3/4 = 9/12 and 1/6 = 2/12. Adding the numerators gives 11/12, which cannot be reduced further.

Question 27Arithmetic Reasoning

What is 0.6 × 0.4?

  1. 2.4
  2. 1.0
  3. 0.24 Correct answer.
  4. 0.024

Explanation

Multiply 6 × 4 = 24, then place the decimal point two places to the left because the two factors have a total of two decimal places. The product is 0.24.

Question 28Arithmetic Reasoning

What is the average (arithmetic mean) of 12, 18, 21, and 25?

  1. 20
  2. 19 Correct answer.
  3. 18
  4. 17

Explanation

The mean is the sum of the values divided by the number of values: 12 + 18 + 21 + 25 = 76, and 76 ÷ 4 = 19.

Question 29Arithmetic Reasoning

A movie begins at 7:45 p.m. and runs for 2 hours and 40 minutes. At what time does it end?

  1. 10:25 p.m. Correct answer.
  2. 10:35 p.m.
  3. 9:25 p.m.
  4. 10:15 p.m.

Explanation

Add the hours first: 7:45 plus 2 hours is 9:45. Then add 40 minutes, which brings the time to 10:25 p.m.

Question 30Arithmetic Reasoning

A recipe uses 3 cups of flour for every 2 cups of sugar. If 9 cups of flour are used, how many cups of sugar are needed?

  1. 6 Correct answer.
  2. 3
  3. 4.5
  4. 13.5

Explanation

Nine cups of flour is three times the 3-cup base amount, so the sugar must also be tripled: 3 × 2 = 6 cups. Setting up the proportion 3/2 = 9/x and cross-multiplying gives the same result.

Question 31Arithmetic Reasoning

A rectangular room measures 12 feet by 15 feet. What is the area of the floor in square feet?

  1. 180 Correct answer.
  2. 90
  3. 27
  4. 54

Explanation

The area of a rectangle is length times width, so 12 × 15 = 180 square feet. The units must be squared because two dimensions are multiplied.

Question 32Arithmetic Reasoning

The sum of three consecutive integers is 45. What is the smallest of the three integers?

  1. 14 Correct answer.
  2. 13
  3. 16
  4. 15

Explanation

Let the integers be n, n + 1, and n + 2. Then 3n + 3 = 45, so 3n = 42 and n = 14, giving 14, 15, and 16. Checking: 14 + 15 + 16 = 45.

Question 33Arithmetic Reasoning

A share of stock rises from $40 to $50. What is the percent increase?

  1. 10%
  2. 125%
  3. 20%
  4. 25% Correct answer.

Explanation

Percent change compares the amount of change to the original value: the change is $10, and 10 ÷ 40 = 0.25, or 25%. The original price is always the base.

Question 34Arithmetic Reasoning

A car travels 210 miles in 3.5 hours. What is its average speed in miles per hour?

  1. 60 Correct answer.
  2. 70
  3. 63
  4. 55

Explanation

Average speed equals distance divided by time: 210 ÷ 3.5 = 60 miles per hour. Multiplying by 2 to clear the decimal gives 420 ÷ 7 = 60.

Question 35Arithmetic Reasoning

One pipe can fill a tank in 6 hours, and a second pipe can fill it in 12 hours. Working together, how long will they take to fill the tank?

  1. 3 hours
  2. 18 hours
  3. 4 hours Correct answer.
  4. 9 hours

Explanation

Add the work rates: 1/6 + 1/12 = 2/12 + 1/12 = 3/12 = 1/4 of the tank per hour. The reciprocal of the combined rate is the total time, 4 hours.

Question 36Arithmetic Reasoning

How much simple interest is earned on $2,500 invested at 4% per year for 3 years?

  1. $300 Correct answer.
  2. $100
  3. $250
  4. $400

Explanation

Simple interest is principal × rate × time: 2,500 × 0.04 × 3 = $300. The 4% applies to the original principal each year, not to accumulated interest.

Question 37Arithmetic Reasoning

A class of 20 students has an average test score of 80, and a second class of 30 students has an average of 90. What is the average score of all 50 students combined?

  1. 85
  2. 86 Correct answer.
  3. 90
  4. 84

Explanation

Find each class's total points: 20 × 80 = 1,600 and 30 × 90 = 2,700. The combined average is (1,600 + 2,700) ÷ 50 = 4,300 ÷ 50 = 86.

Question 38Arithmetic Reasoning

A chemist has 4 liters of a solution that is 50% acid. How many liters of pure water must be added to make the solution 20% acid?

  1. 4 liters
  2. 8 liters
  3. 10 liters
  4. 6 liters Correct answer.

Explanation

The 4-liter solution contains 0.50 × 4 = 2 liters of acid, and that amount does not change when water is added. For the acid to be 20% of the new volume, the volume must be 2 ÷ 0.20 = 10 liters, so 10 − 4 = 6 liters of water are added.

Question 39Arithmetic Reasoning

On a map, 1 inch represents 25 miles. A distance of 3.5 inches on the map represents how many miles?

  1. 100 miles
  2. 87.5 miles Correct answer.
  3. 75 miles
  4. 62.5 miles

Explanation

Multiply the map distance by the scale: 3.5 × 25 = 87.5 miles. Splitting it up, 3 inches is 75 miles and the extra half inch is 12.5 miles.

Question 40Arithmetic Reasoning

A $60 item is discounted 20%, and then a 5% sales tax is added to the discounted price. What is the final cost?

  1. $45.60
  2. $50.40 Correct answer.
  3. $50.00
  4. $51.00

Explanation

The discount lowers the price to 0.80 × 60 = $48. Tax is computed on that sale price, so 0.05 × 48 = $2.40, and 48 + 2.40 = $50.40.

Question 41Arithmetic Reasoning

In a class, 2/5 of the students are boys and the remaining 18 students are girls. How many students are in the class altogether?

  1. 30 Correct answer.
  2. 36
  3. 27
  4. 45

Explanation

If 2/5 are boys, then 3/5 are girls. So 3/5 of the total equals 18, meaning the total is 18 × 5/3 = 30 students.

Question 42Arithmetic Reasoning

A rectangle has a perimeter of 36 inches and a length of 12 inches. What is its width?

  1. 3 inches
  2. 12 inches
  3. 6 inches Correct answer.
  4. 24 inches

Explanation

The perimeter of a rectangle is 2(length + width), so 36 = 2(12 + w). Dividing by 2 gives 18 = 12 + w, so w = 6 inches.

Question 43Arithmetic Reasoning

A bag contains 5 red marbles, 7 blue marbles, and 4 green marbles. If one marble is drawn at random, what is the probability that it is green?

  1. 1/4 Correct answer.
  2. 1/16
  3. 7/16
  4. 5/16

Explanation

There are 5 + 7 + 4 = 16 marbles in all, 4 of which are green. The probability is 4/16, which reduces to 1/4.

Question 44Arithmetic Reasoning

How many inches are in 3.5 yards?

  1. 118 inches
  2. 126 inches Correct answer.
  3. 132 inches
  4. 108 inches

Explanation

One yard is 3 feet and one foot is 12 inches, so one yard is 36 inches. Then 3.5 × 36 = 126 inches.

Question 45Arithmetic Reasoning

Machine A can complete a job in 10 days and machine B can complete it in 15 days. They work together for 4 days, then machine A stops. How many more days does machine B need to finish the job alone?

  1. 3 days
  2. 6 days
  3. 5 days Correct answer.
  4. 4 days

Explanation

Their combined rate is 1/10 + 1/15 = 1/6 of the job per day, so in 4 days they finish 4/6 = 2/3 of the work. The remaining 1/3 divided by B's rate of 1/15 per day takes 5 more days.

Question 46Arithmetic Reasoning

A father is currently 4 times as old as his son. In 12 years, he will be twice as old as his son. How old is the son now?

  1. 4
  2. 10
  3. 8
  4. 6 Correct answer.

Explanation

Let the son's age be x, so the father is 4x. The condition gives 4x + 12 = 2(x + 12), which simplifies to 2x = 12, so x = 6. Checking: ages 24 and 6 become 36 and 18, and 36 is twice 18.

Question 47Arithmetic Reasoning

After a 15% discount, an item costs $68. What was the price before the discount?

  1. $57.80
  2. $90
  3. $80 Correct answer.
  4. $78.20

Explanation

The sale price equals 85% of the original price, so divide rather than subtract: 68 ÷ 0.85 = $80. Checking, 15% of $80 is $12, and 80 − 12 = $68.

Question 48Arithmetic Reasoning

A car travels from one town to another at 40 miles per hour and returns along the same road at 60 miles per hour. What is the average speed for the whole round trip?

  1. 48 miles per hour Correct answer.
  2. 52 miles per hour
  3. 60 miles per hour
  4. 50 miles per hour

Explanation

Average speed is total distance divided by total time. For a one-way distance d, the times are d/40 and d/60, so the round trip averages 2d ÷ (d/40 + d/60) = 2 ÷ (1/40 + 1/60) = 48 miles per hour, the harmonic mean of the two speeds.

Question 49Arithmetic Reasoning

A jar contains 30 coins, all dimes and quarters, with a total value of $5.70. How many quarters are in the jar?

  1. 12
  2. 20
  3. 18 Correct answer.
  4. 15

Explanation

If all 30 coins were dimes the total would be $3.00. Each quarter replacing a dime adds $0.15, so the number of quarters is (5.70 − 3.00) ÷ 0.15 = 18, leaving 12 dimes. Checking: 18(0.25) + 12(0.10) = 4.50 + 1.20 = $5.70.

Question 50Arithmetic Reasoning

A crew of 8 workers can complete a certain job in 15 days. At the same rate per worker, how many days would it take a crew of 12 workers to complete the same job?

  1. 10 days Correct answer.
  2. 12 days
  3. 22.5 days
  4. 8 days

Explanation

The total amount of work equals the number of workers times the number of days: 8 × 15 = 120 worker-days. With 12 workers, divide that fixed total by 12 to get 120 ÷ 12 = 10 days. Because more workers means fewer days, the number of workers and the time are inversely proportional.