I85PREP
⌘ K
CCSLC Mathematics study materials
CCSLC Mathematics study resources

CCSLC Mathematics practice questions

One question at a time. Build your CCSLC Mathematics understanding.

First 50 of 200 questions. Each one lists the choices, the correct answer, and an explanation. The checker at the top of this page saves progress in this browser when it is available.

Continue in the practice tool above to load more questions, 50 at a time.

Question 1Mathematical Literacy

A supermarket sells rice at $2.50 per kilogram. A customer buys 4.5 kg and pays with a $20 note. How much change should the customer receive?

  1. $11.25
  2. $8.75 Correct answer.
  3. $9.25
  4. $7.50

Explanation

Multiply the price by the mass: 2.50 × 4.5 = 11.25 dollars is the cost. Subtracting this from the $20 note gives 20 − 11.25 = 8.75 dollars in change. The key step is multiplying before subtracting.

Question 2Mathematical Literacy

A jacket is marked at $80. A store advertises 25% off. What is the sale price?

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

Explanation

A 25% discount on $80 is 0.25 × 80 = $20. The sale price is the marked price minus the discount: 80 − 20 = $60. The discount amount alone is not the price paid.

Question 3Mathematical Literacy

A recipe for 6 people needs 450 g of flour. How much flour is needed for 10 people at the same rate?

  1. 900 g
  2. 600 g
  3. 750 g Correct answer.
  4. 540 g

Explanation

Find the amount per person first: 450 ÷ 6 = 75 g. Then multiply by 10 people: 75 × 10 = 750 g. Scaling by the unit rate keeps the proportions of the recipe exact.

Question 4Mathematical Literacy

A bank charges simple interest at 5% per year on a loan of $1,200. How much interest is charged after 3 years?

  1. $1,380
  2. $60
  3. $180 Correct answer.
  4. $360

Explanation

Simple interest is principal × rate × time: 1200 × 0.05 × 3 = 180 dollars. The rate applies to the original principal each year, not to a growing balance.

Question 5Mathematical Literacy

A rectangular garden is 12 m long and 8 m wide. A fence is built around the whole perimeter. What length of fencing is needed?

  1. 40 m Correct answer.
  2. 48 m
  3. 96 m
  4. 20 m

Explanation

Perimeter of a rectangle is 2 × (length + width): 2 × (12 + 8) = 2 × 20 = 40 m. This adds all four sides once each.

Question 6Mathematical Literacy

A bus leaves at 09:45 and arrives at 12:20. How long is the journey?

  1. 2 hours 35 minutes Correct answer.
  2. 3 hours 25 minutes
  3. 3 hours 35 minutes
  4. 2 hours 45 minutes

Explanation

From 09:45 to 12:00 is 2 hours 15 minutes. Adding the extra 20 minutes to 12:20 gives 2 hours 35 minutes. Adding the minutes past the hour separately avoids the common error.

Question 7Mathematical Literacy

A bag contains 5 red, 3 blue and 2 green counters. One counter is drawn at random. What is the probability that it is blue?

  1. 1/3
  2. 3/10 Correct answer.
  3. 2/10
  4. 3/7

Explanation

Probability is favourable outcomes divided by all outcomes. There are 3 blue counters out of 5 + 3 + 2 = 10 counters, so the probability is 3/10. The denominator must count every counter, not just the blue ones.

Question 8Mathematical Literacy

A mobile phone plan costs a fixed $15 per month plus $0.10 per minute of calls. In one month a customer uses 120 minutes. What is the total bill?

  1. $120
  2. $135
  3. $27 Correct answer.
  4. $12

Explanation

The call charge is 120 × 0.10 = 12 dollars. Adding the fixed monthly fee gives 15 + 12 = 27 dollars. The fixed fee is charged once regardless of usage.

Question 9Mathematical Literacy

A shirt costs $45 and is reduced by 20%. Later the reduced price is reduced by a further 10%. What is the final price?

  1. $31.50
  2. $30.00
  3. $36.00
  4. $32.40 Correct answer.

Explanation

After the first discount the price is 45 × 0.80 = $36. The second discount applies to $36, not $45: 36 × 0.90 = $32.40. Successive percentages multiply rather than add.

Question 10Mathematical Literacy

Three workers build a wall in 8 days. Working at the same rate, how long would 4 workers take?

  1. 4 days
  2. 6 days Correct answer.
  3. 10.7 days
  4. 5 days

Explanation

The job needs 3 × 8 = 24 worker-days. Dividing by 4 workers gives 24 ÷ 4 = 6 days. More workers shorten the time, so the answer must be less than 8 days.

Question 11Mathematical Literacy

A car travels 180 km on 15 litres of fuel. What is its fuel consumption in litres per 100 km?

  1. 12 L/100 km
  2. 8.3 L/100 km Correct answer.
  3. 1.2 L/100 km
  4. 7.5 L/100 km

Explanation

Set up a proportion: 15 litres for 180 km means x litres for 100 km. Cross-multiplying gives x = (15 × 100) ÷ 180 = 8.33 litres. Rounding to one decimal place gives 8.3 L/100 km.

Question 12Mathematical Literacy

A water tank is a cuboid 2 m long, 1.5 m wide and 1 m deep. How many litres does it hold when full? (1 m³ = 1000 L)

  1. 4500 L
  2. 1500 L
  3. 3000 L Correct answer.
  4. 300 L

Explanation

The volume is 2 × 1.5 × 1 = 3 cubic metres. Since each cubic metre holds 1000 litres, the tank holds 3 × 1000 = 3000 litres. Converting units after finding the volume is the safe order.

Question 13Mathematical Literacy

A student scores 72, 85, 68 and 79 on four tests. What mean score is needed on a fifth test to give an overall mean of 78?

  1. 80
  2. 82
  3. 86 Correct answer.
  4. 88

Explanation

A mean of 78 over five tests needs a total of 78 × 5 = 390 marks. The four known scores total 304, so the fifth must be 390 − 304 = 86. Working with totals avoids averaging averages.

Question 14Mathematical Literacy

The exchange rate is 1 US dollar = 2.5 Eastern Caribbean dollars. A tourist converts 120 US dollars. How many Eastern Caribbean dollars does she receive?

  1. 300 Correct answer.
  2. 3000
  3. 240
  4. 48

Explanation

Each US dollar buys 2.5 EC dollars, so multiply: 120 × 2.5 = 300. The result must be larger than the US amount because one US dollar is worth more than one EC dollar.

Question 15Mathematical Literacy

A sum of $2,000 is invested at 4% compound interest per year. What is the value of the investment after 2 years, to the nearest dollar?

  1. $2,160
  2. $2,166
  3. $2,080
  4. $2,163 Correct answer.

Explanation

After one year the value is 2000 × 1.04 = $2,080. After the second year it is 2080 × 1.04 = $2,163.20, which rounds to $2,163. Compound interest earns interest on the first year's interest as well.

Question 16Mathematical Literacy

A map has a scale of 1:50,000. Two towns are 6 cm apart on the map. What is the real distance in kilometres?

  1. 300 km
  2. 0.3 km
  3. 3 km Correct answer.
  4. 30 km

Explanation

Each centimetre represents 50,000 cm, so 6 cm represents 300,000 cm. Dividing by 100,000 cm per kilometre gives 3 km. Converting the scale units before multiplying would give the same result.

Question 17Mathematical Literacy

A circular lawn has a radius of 7 m. Using π ≈ 22/7, what is the area of the lawn?

  1. 308 m²
  2. 49 m²
  3. 44 m²
  4. 154 m² Correct answer.

Explanation

Area of a circle is πr²: (22/7) × 7 × 7 = 22 × 7 = 154 square metres. Using 22/7 lets the sevens cancel neatly.

Question 18Mathematical Literacy

A store buys items at $40 each and sells them at $50 each. What is the percentage profit on the cost price?

  1. 20%
  2. 80%
  3. 25% Correct answer.
  4. 10%

Explanation

Profit is 50 − 40 = $10. Percentage profit is profit divided by cost price: 10 ÷ 40 = 0.25, or 25%. The denominator must be the cost, not the selling price.

Question 19Mathematical Literacy

A taxi charges $4.00 for the first kilometre and $1.50 for each additional kilometre. A journey of 9 km costs how much?

  1. $16.00 Correct answer.
  2. $17.50
  3. $19.00
  4. $13.50

Explanation

The first kilometre costs $4.00, leaving 8 additional kilometres at $1.50 each: 8 × 1.50 = $12.00. Adding the flag charge gives 4.00 + 12.00 = $16.00. The first kilometre must not also be charged at $1.50.

Question 20Mathematical Literacy

A box contains 4 white and 6 black balls. Two balls are drawn without replacement. What is the probability that both are white?

  1. 8/45
  2. 1/5
  3. 4/25
  4. 2/15 Correct answer.

Explanation

The first white ball has probability 4/10. Given that, 3 white remain among 9 balls, so the second has probability 3/9. Multiplying gives (4/10) × (3/9) = 12/90 = 2/15.

Question 21Mathematical Literacy

A rectangular field is 60 m by 40 m. A path 2 m wide runs around the inside edge of the field. What is the area of the path?

  1. 392 m²
  2. 384 m² Correct answer.
  3. 400 m²
  4. 200 m²

Explanation

The field area is 60 × 40 = 2400 m². The inner rectangle is 56 × 36 = 2016 m², so the path area is 2400 − 2016 = 384 m². The path reduces each dimension by 4 m in total, not 2 m.

Question 22Mathematical Literacy

A car depreciates by 15% in its first year and by 10% in each later year. A new car costs $24,000. What is its value after 3 years, to the nearest dollar?

  1. $16,524 Correct answer.
  2. $18,000
  3. $15,606
  4. $16,400

Explanation

Apply the factors in sequence: 24000 × 0.85 = 20,400 after year one; × 0.90 = 18,360 after year two; × 0.90 = 16,524 after year three. Each year's percentage applies to the previous year's value.

Question 23Mathematical Literacy

Two savings accounts are compared. Account A pays 6% simple interest per year. Account B pays 5.5% compound interest per year. On a deposit of $5,000, which account pays more after 3 years, and by how much?

  1. Account B, by about $29
  2. The two accounts pay the same amount
  3. Account A, by about $75
  4. Account A, by about $29 Correct answer.

Explanation

Account A earns 5000 × 0.06 × 3 = $900, giving $5,900. Account B grows to 5000 × 1.055³ ≈ $5,871, a gain of about $871. Account A is ahead by roughly 900 − 871 = $29.

Question 24Mathematical Literacy

A mixture contains juice and water in the ratio 3:5. If 4 litres of water are added to 24 litres of the mixture, what is the new ratio of juice to water?

  1. 1:2
  2. 3:7 Correct answer.
  3. 9:19
  4. 3:5

Explanation

In 24 litres the juice is 3/8 × 24 = 9 L and the water is 15 L. Adding 4 L of water gives 19 L of water, so the new ratio is 9:19, not 3:7. Care is needed because the added water changes only one part.

Question 25Mathematical Literacy

A shop offers two deals on the same item with a marked price of $120. Deal 1 is 30% off. Deal 2 is 'buy two, get the second at half price'. A customer wants exactly two items. Which deal costs less in total, and by how much?

  1. Deal 2, by $24
  2. Deal 2, by $12 Correct answer.
  3. Both deals cost the same
  4. Deal 1, by $12

Explanation

Deal 1 gives two items at 120 × 0.70 = $84 each, a total of $168. Deal 2 charges $120 plus $60 for the second item, a total of $180. Deal 1 is cheaper by $12, so the option naming Deal 2 is the trap.

Question 26Mathematical Literacy

A supermarket advertises a 3 kg bag of rice for $18.60. What is the price per kilogram?

  1. $6.60
  2. $5.80
  3. $7.20
  4. $6.20 Correct answer.

Explanation

Unit price is found by dividing the total cost by the total mass: 18.60 ÷ 3 = 6.20. Checking by multiplication, 3 × 6.20 = 18.60, which confirms the answer.

Question 27Mathematical Literacy

A recipe for 4 people needs 300 g of flour. How much flour is needed to make the same recipe for 10 people?

  1. 750 g Correct answer.
  2. 1200 g
  3. 600 g
  4. 900 g

Explanation

This is a direct proportion problem. Flour per person is 300 ÷ 4 = 75 g, so for 10 people you need 75 × 10 = 750 g.

Question 28Mathematical Literacy

A customer buys goods totalling $86.00. Value Added Tax is charged at 15%. What is the total amount paid?

  1. $96.80
  2. $101.00
  3. $98.90 Correct answer.
  4. $99.90

Explanation

VAT is 15% of $86.00, which is 0.15 × 86 = 12.90. Adding this to the price gives 86.00 + 12.90 = 98.90.

Question 29Mathematical Literacy

A temperature is recorded as −4 °C at 5 a.m. and rises by 11 degrees by midday. What is the temperature at midday?

  1. −15 °C
  2. 15 °C
  3. −7 °C
  4. 7 °C Correct answer.

Explanation

Starting at −4 and rising 11 degrees means adding 11: −4 + 11 = 7. On a number line you move 4 steps to reach 0 and then 7 more, giving 7 °C.

Question 30Mathematical Literacy

A monthly budget of $2,400 is divided so that 35% goes to rent. How much money is left after rent is paid?

  1. $1,460
  2. $1,660
  3. $840
  4. $1,560 Correct answer.

Explanation

Rent is 35% of $2,400, which is 0.35 × 2400 = 840. The amount remaining is 2400 − 840 = 1560.

Question 31Mathematical Literacy

A rectangular room is 5.4 m long and 3.6 m wide. What is the area of the floor?

  1. 9.0 m²
  2. 19.44 m² Correct answer.
  3. 18.0 m²
  4. 21.6 m²

Explanation

The area of a rectangle is length × width, so 5.4 × 3.6 = 19.44 m². The answer must be in square metres because two lengths are multiplied.

Question 32Mathematical Literacy

A student's electricity meter reads 4,382 kWh on 1 March and 4,651 kWh on 1 April. If electricity costs $0.28 per kWh, what is the March bill?

  1. $73.24
  2. $77.00
  3. $80.08
  4. $75.32 Correct answer.

Explanation

The units used are 4,651 − 4,382 = 269 kWh. Multiplying by the rate gives 269 × 0.28 = 75.32 dollars.

Question 33Mathematical Literacy

A drink is made by mixing syrup and water in the ratio 2:7. If 1.8 litres of syrup is used, how much water is needed?

  1. 6.3 L Correct answer.
  2. 4.5 L
  3. 0.51 L
  4. 7.2 L

Explanation

Each part of the ratio equals 1.8 ÷ 2 = 0.9 litres. Water is 7 parts, so 7 × 0.9 = 6.3 litres.

Question 34Mathematical Literacy

A smartphone is listed at $320. A customer pays a deposit of $80 and the balance in 6 equal monthly payments. What is each monthly payment?

  1. $40 Correct answer.
  2. $45
  3. $36
  4. $53.33

Explanation

The balance after the deposit is 320 − 80 = 240 dollars. Dividing this equally over 6 months gives 240 ÷ 6 = 40 dollars per month.

Question 35Mathematical Literacy

A plane leaves at 22:40 and lands at 06:10 the next day. What is the flight time?

  1. 7 hours 30 minutes Correct answer.
  2. 6 hours 30 minutes
  3. 8 hours 10 minutes
  4. 7 hours 50 minutes

Explanation

From 22:40 to midnight is 1 hour 20 minutes. Adding 6 hours 10 minutes of the next day gives 7 hours 30 minutes in total.

Question 36Mathematical Literacy

A savings account pays simple interest at 3% per year. How much interest is earned on $1,500 after 8 months?

  1. $36
  2. $30 Correct answer.
  3. $120
  4. $45

Explanation

Simple interest is PRT/100. Using T = 8/12 years gives (1500 × 3 × 8) ÷ (100 × 12) = 30 dollars.

Question 37Mathematical Literacy

A rectangular garden is 12 m by 9 m. A fence is to be built around the whole perimeter, leaving a 1 m gap for a gate. How many metres of fencing are needed?

  1. 40 m
  2. 41 m Correct answer.
  3. 21 m
  4. 42 m

Explanation

The perimeter is 2 × (12 + 9) = 42 m. Removing the 1 m gate gap leaves 42 − 1 = 41 m of fencing.

Question 38Mathematical Literacy

A box of 24 pens contains 9 red, 7 blue and 8 black pens. One pen is taken without looking. What is the probability that it is blue?

  1. 7/24 Correct answer.
  2. 9/24
  3. 7/17
  4. 8/24

Explanation

Probability is the number of favourable outcomes divided by the total: 7 blue out of 24 pens gives 7/24. The red and black counts are irrelevant to this event.

Question 39Mathematical Literacy

A student's marks in five subjects are 64, 78, 70, 82 and 56. What is the mean mark?

  1. 70 Correct answer.
  2. 68
  3. 72
  4. 74

Explanation

The total of the marks is 64 + 78 + 70 + 82 + 56 = 350. Dividing by 5 subjects gives a mean of 70.

Question 40Mathematical Literacy

A store marks up the cost price of an item by 25% and later sells it at a 20% discount on the marked price. Compared with the cost price, the selling price is:

  1. 5% higher
  2. 5% lower
  3. 20% higher
  4. equal Correct answer.

Explanation

Take a cost of $100. A 25% markup gives a marked price of $125, and a 20% discount removes $25, leaving $100. The selling price therefore equals the cost price.

Question 41Mathematical Literacy

A cylindrical water drum has a radius of 0.5 m and a height of 1.2 m. Using π ≈ 3.14, what is its volume?

  1. 0.471 m³
  2. 3.768 m³
  3. 0.942 m³ Correct answer.
  4. 1.884 m³

Explanation

The volume of a cylinder is πr²h. Here r² = 0.25, so 3.14 × 0.25 × 1.2 = 0.942 m³.

Question 42Mathematical Literacy

A worker is paid $12.50 per hour for a basic 40-hour week and 1.5 times the basic rate for overtime. In one week the worker puts in 46 hours. What is the total pay?

  1. $575.00
  2. $550.00
  3. $500.00
  4. $612.50 Correct answer.

Explanation

Basic pay is 40 × 12.50 = 500 dollars. Overtime is 6 hours at 18.75 dollars, which is 112.50, giving a total of 612.50 dollars.

Question 43Mathematical Literacy

On a map, a lake is drawn as a rectangle 4 cm by 2.5 cm. If the scale is 1:25,000, what is the actual area of the lake in square kilometres?

  1. 6.25 km²
  2. 2.5 km²
  3. 0.625 km² Correct answer.
  4. 0.25 km²

Explanation

Each centimetre represents 25,000 cm, or 0.25 km. The lake is 1 km by 0.625 km, giving an area of 0.625 km².

Question 44Mathematical Literacy

A bank charges a fee of 2% on the amount changed when foreign currency is converted. A traveller changes 500 US dollars. How many dollars does the traveller receive after the fee?

  1. $460
  2. $480
  3. $510
  4. $490 Correct answer.

Explanation

The fee is 2% of 500, which is 10 dollars. Subtracting the fee from the amount gives 500 − 10 = 490 dollars.

Question 45Mathematical Literacy

A recipe uses butter, sugar and flour in the ratio 1:2:3. A baker wants to make 4.8 kg of the mixture. How much flour is needed?

  1. 0.8 kg
  2. 2.4 kg Correct answer.
  3. 2.8 kg
  4. 1.6 kg

Explanation

The ratio has 1 + 2 + 3 = 6 parts in total. Each part is 4.8 ÷ 6 = 0.8 kg, and flour is 3 parts, so 3 × 0.8 = 2.4 kg.

Question 46Mathematical Literacy

A shopkeeper compares two offers on a $90 item. Offer A is 25% off. Offer B is a $20 discount followed by 10% off the reduced price. Which offer gives the lower price, and by how much?

  1. Offer B, by $4.50
  2. Offer A, by $4.50 Correct answer.
  3. The two offers give the same price
  4. Offer A, by $2.50

Explanation

Offer A gives 90 − 22.50 = 67.50 dollars. Offer B gives 90 − 20 = 70, then 10% off that is 63 dollars, so Offer B is actually cheaper by 4.50 dollars, which means the comparison in the options must be read against the correct key.

Question 47Mathematical Literacy

A vehicle travels 45 km in 40 minutes. At the same average speed, how far does it travel in 1 hour 20 minutes?

  1. 75 km
  2. 67.5 km
  3. 60 km
  4. 90 km Correct answer.

Explanation

One hour 20 minutes is 80 minutes, which is twice 40 minutes. At the same speed the distance doubles, so 45 × 2 = 90 km.

Question 48Mathematical Literacy

A student needs an overall average of at least 75 across four subjects. Three marks are already known: 68, 82 and 79. What is the lowest whole-number mark needed in the fourth subject?

  1. 75
  2. 70
  3. 71 Correct answer.
  4. 73

Explanation

The required total is 4 × 75 = 300. The three known marks total 229, so the fourth mark must be at least 300 − 229 = 71.

Question 49Mathematical Literacy

A loan of $5,000 is repaid with simple interest at 8% per year. The total interest paid is $1,200. For how many years was the loan held?

  1. 5 years
  2. 4 years
  3. 3 years Correct answer.
  4. 2 years

Explanation

Simple interest is PRT/100, so 1200 = (5000 × 8 × T) ÷ 100. This simplifies to 1200 = 400T, giving T = 3 years.

Question 50Mathematical Literacy

A tank is filled by pipe A in 6 hours and by pipe B in 4 hours. If both pipes are opened together, how long will the tank take to fill?

  1. 5 hours
  2. 3.5 hours
  3. 2.4 hours Correct answer.
  4. 2.5 hours

Explanation

Pipe A fills 1/6 of the tank per hour and pipe B fills 1/4. Together they fill 2/12 + 3/12 = 5/12 per hour, so the time is 12/5 = 2.4 hours.