JCE Mathematics study materials
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JCE Mathematics practice questions

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Question 1Number

What is the value of the digit 7 in the number 4,372?

  1. 70 Correct answer.
  2. 7
  3. 7,000
  4. 700

Explanation

In 4,372 the digits occupy thousands, hundreds, tens and units places from the left. The 7 sits in the tens place, so its value is 7 × 10 = 70, not 7 or 700.

Question 2Number

Which number is the largest?

  1. 0.06
  2. 0.605
  3. 0.65 Correct answer.
  4. 0.6

Explanation

Compare tenths first: 0.6, 0.65 and 0.605 all have 6 tenths, while 0.06 has 0 tenths and is smallest. Among the rest compare hundredths: 0.65 has 5 hundredths, more than the 0 hundredths of 0.6 and 0.605, so 0.65 is largest.

Question 3Number

Work out 3/4 + 1/8, giving your answer in its simplest form.

  1. 4/12
  2. 7/8 Correct answer.
  3. 5/8
  4. 1/2

Explanation

Rewrite 3/4 as 6/8 so both fractions share the denominator 8, then add the numerators: 6/8 + 1/8 = 7/8. This fraction is already in simplest form because 7 is prime and does not divide 8.

Question 4Number

Which of these numbers is a prime number?

  1. 29 Correct answer.
  2. 33
  3. 27
  4. 21

Explanation

A prime has exactly two factors, 1 and itself. The number 29 is not divisible by 2, 3 or 5, and since √29 is about 5.4 no larger factor needs testing, so 29 is prime.

Question 5Number

A jacket costs £48. In a sale its price is reduced by 25%. What is the sale price?

  1. £12
  2. £60
  3. £36 Correct answer.
  4. £23

Explanation

A 25% reduction means the buyer pays 75% of the original price. Compute 0.75 × 48 = 36, so the sale price is £36; the £12 is the discount, not the price.

Question 6Number

What is the highest common factor (HCF) of 36 and 60?

  1. 6
  2. 180
  3. 12 Correct answer.
  4. 18

Explanation

Write 36 = 2² × 3² and 60 = 2² × 3 × 5. The HCF takes the lowest power of each shared prime: 2² × 3 = 12.

Question 7Number

Evaluate 2³ × 2⁴, leaving your answer as a single power of 2.

  1. 2⁷ Correct answer.
  2. 2¹²
  3. 4⁷
  4. 2¹

Explanation

When multiplying powers with the same base, add the indices: 2³ × 2⁴ = 2^(3+4) = 2⁷. Multiplying the indices or the bases gives incorrect results.

Question 8Number

Which list shows the numbers 0.4, 1/3, 40% and 0.35 in ascending order?

  1. 40%, 0.4, 1/3, 0.35
  2. 1/3, 0.35, 0.4, 40%
  3. 0.35, 1/3, 0.4, 40% Correct answer.
  4. 0.35, 0.4, 1/3, 40%

Explanation

Convert everything to decimals: 0.4 = 0.4, 1/3 ≈ 0.333, 40% = 0.4, and 0.35 = 0.35. The smallest is 0.35, then 1/3 ≈ 0.333... wait, comparing carefully 0.35 > 1/3, so the order is 1/3, 0.35, 0.4 = 40%.

Question 9Number

A recipe uses flour and sugar in the ratio 5 : 2. If 350 g of flour is used, how much sugar is needed?

  1. 140 g Correct answer.
  2. 175 g
  3. 100 g
  4. 245 g

Explanation

Each ratio part equals 350 ÷ 5 = 70 g. Sugar is 2 parts, so 2 × 70 = 140 g.

Question 10Number

Write 0.000 36 in standard form.

  1. 3.6 × 10⁻³
  2. 3.6 × 10⁻⁴ Correct answer.
  3. 3.6 × 10⁴
  4. 36 × 10⁻⁵

Explanation

Standard form is a × 10ⁿ with 1 ≤ a < 10. Moving the decimal point 4 places right gives 3.6, so the index is −4: 3.6 × 10⁻⁴.

Question 11Number

Increase £240 by 15%.

  1. £360
  2. £204
  3. £255
  4. £276 Correct answer.

Explanation

A 15% increase means the new amount is 115% of the original. Compute 240 × 1.15 = 276, so the increased amount is £276.

Question 12Number

Which of these fractions is equivalent to a terminating decimal?

  1. 5/6
  2. 7/8 Correct answer.
  3. 2/9
  4. 1/3

Explanation

A fraction in simplest form terminates only if its denominator has no prime factors other than 2 and 5. Since 8 = 2³, 7/8 = 0.875 terminates.

Question 13Number

Work out 5/6 ÷ 2/3, giving your answer in simplest form.

  1. 5/4 Correct answer.
  2. 3/4
  3. 5/9
  4. 10/18

Explanation

Dividing by 2/3 is the same as multiplying by its reciprocal 3/2. So 5/6 × 3/2 = 15/12 = 5/4.

Question 14Number

A number is written as 2² × 3 × 5². What is the number?

  1. 600
  2. 300 Correct answer.
  3. 60
  4. 150

Explanation

Evaluate each prime power: 2² = 4, 3 = 3, 5² = 25. Multiplying gives 4 × 3 × 25 = 12 × 25 = 300.

Question 15Number

The number 472 is rounded to two significant figures. Which value is correct?

  1. 480
  2. 500
  3. 470 Correct answer.
  4. 472.0

Explanation

The first two significant figures of 472 are 4 and 7. The next digit is 2, which is less than 5, so the 7 stays and the units digit becomes 0, giving 470.

Question 16Number

What is the lowest common multiple (LCM) of 12 and 18?

  1. 216
  2. 6
  3. 72
  4. 36 Correct answer.

Explanation

Write 12 = 2² × 3 and 18 = 2 × 3². The LCM takes the highest power of each prime: 2² × 3² = 4 × 9 = 36.

Question 17Number

Evaluate (3/4)², giving your answer as a fraction in simplest form.

  1. 6/8
  2. 9/16 Correct answer.
  3. 3/8
  4. 9/8

Explanation

Squaring a fraction means squaring numerator and denominator separately: (3/4)² = 3²/4² = 9/16. This is already in simplest form.

Question 18Number

Which number has the greatest value?

  1. 2³
  2. 2⁴ Correct answer.
  3. 3²
  4. 4¹

Explanation

Evaluate each: 3² = 9, 2³ = 8, 2⁴ = 16, and 4¹ = 4. The largest is 16, so 2⁴ has the greatest value.

Question 19Number

The number of bacteria in a dish doubles every hour. There are 500 bacteria at the start. Which expression gives the number after 6 hours?

  1. 2 × 500⁶
  2. 500 × 6²
  3. 500 + 2⁶
  4. 500 × 2⁶ Correct answer.

Explanation

Doubling each hour multiplies the count by 2 once per hour, so after 6 hours the count is 500 × 2⁶. Repeated multiplication by a constant is modelled by a power.

Question 20Number

A car travels 150 km in 2 hours 30 minutes. What is its average speed in km/h?

  1. 100 km/h
  2. 75 km/h
  3. 50 km/h
  4. 60 km/h Correct answer.

Explanation

Convert the time to hours: 2 hours 30 minutes = 2.5 hours. Speed = distance ÷ time = 150 ÷ 2.5 = 60 km/h.

Question 21Number

Which of these is the exact value of 0.1̇2̇ (the recurring decimal 0.121212...)?

  1. 12/100
  2. 4/99
  3. 12/99 Correct answer.
  4. 1/12

Explanation

Let x = 0.121212... Then 100x = 12.121212..., and subtracting gives 99x = 12, so x = 12/99. This simplifies to 4/33, which has the same value.

Question 22Number

P is the product of the first four prime numbers. What is the value of P?

  1. 210 Correct answer.
  2. 30
  3. 120
  4. 24

Explanation

The first four primes are 2, 3, 5 and 7. Their product is 2 × 3 × 5 × 7 = 210.

Question 23Number

If 2ⁿ = 64, what is the value of n?

  1. 6 Correct answer.
  2. 7
  3. 8
  4. 5

Explanation

Repeatedly doubling from 2: 2¹ = 2, 2² = 4, 2³ = 8, 2⁴ = 16, 2⁵ = 32, 2⁶ = 64. Therefore n = 6.

Question 24Number

A quantity increases by 20% and then decreases by 20%. What is the overall percentage change from the original amount?

  1. 4% increase
  2. 0%
  3. 2% decrease
  4. 4% decrease Correct answer.

Explanation

Use multipliers: ×1.20 then ×0.80 gives 1.20 × 0.80 = 0.96. The final amount is 96% of the original, an overall decrease of 4%.

Question 25Number

The number 2⁴ × 3² × 5 is written in prime factor form. How many positive factors does it have?

  1. 30
  2. 24
  3. 45 Correct answer.
  4. 90

Explanation

If N = p^a × q^b × r^c, the number of factors is (a+1)(b+1)(c+1). Here the indices are 4, 2 and 1, so the count is 5 × 3 × 2 = 30.

Question 26Number

A number is increased by 8% and the result is 540. What was the original number?

  1. 492
  2. 500 Correct answer.
  3. 496.8
  4. 583.2

Explanation

An 8% increase means the result is 108% of the original number. Dividing 540 by 1.08 gives 500, and 500 × 1.08 = 540 confirms the answer.

Question 27Number

Which of these numbers is irrational?

  1. 22/7
  2. √2 Correct answer.
  3. 0.75
  4. √49

Explanation

An irrational number cannot be written as a fraction of two integers. √2 has a non-terminating, non-recurring decimal expansion, so it is irrational. The others are rational: √49 = 7, 0.75 = 3/4 and 22/7 is a fraction.

Question 28Number

What is the value of 5⁻² expressed as a fraction?

  1. 1/25 Correct answer.
  2. −1/25
  3. −25
  4. 25

Explanation

A negative index means take the reciprocal of the positive power: 5⁻² = 1/5² = 1/25. The negative sign belongs to the exponent, not to the value of the result.

Question 29Number

The prime factorisation of a number is 2³ × 3² × 7. What is the number?

  1. 252
  2. 1008
  3. 126
  4. 504 Correct answer.

Explanation

Work out each power first: 2³ = 8 and 3² = 9. Then 8 × 9 × 7 = 72 × 7 = 504.

Question 30Number

Which of these numbers is a multiple of 6 but not a multiple of 4?

  1. 18 Correct answer.
  2. 48
  3. 36
  4. 24

Explanation

A multiple of 6 must be divisible by both 2 and 3. 18 = 6 × 3, but 18 ÷ 4 = 4.5, so it is not a multiple of 4. The other options are all divisible by 4 as well as by 6.

Question 31Number

Which of these is the exact value of 0.3̇6̇ (the recurring decimal 0.363636...)?

  1. 4/11 Correct answer.
  2. 18/50
  3. 3/8
  4. 36/100

Explanation

Let x = 0.363636... Then 100x = 36.363636..., so 100x − x = 36, giving 99x = 36 and x = 36/99 = 4/11. Checking, 4 ÷ 11 = 0.363636..., as required.

Question 32Number

What is 3/5 of 2/9?

  1. 27/10
  2. 6/45
  3. 2/15 Correct answer.
  4. 5/14

Explanation

To find a fraction of a fraction, multiply: (3/5) × (2/9) = 6/45. Simplifying by dividing top and bottom by 3 gives 2/15.

Question 33Number

A number is rounded to 4.7 to one decimal place. What is the smallest possible value of the original number?

  1. 4.7
  2. 4.6
  3. 4.65 Correct answer.
  4. 4.74

Explanation

Rounding to one decimal place means values from 4.65 up to (but not including) 4.75 round to 4.7. The lower bound is exactly 4.65, since 4.65 rounds up to 4.7.

Question 34Number

A meal costs £48 including VAT at 20%. What is the cost before VAT?

  1. £57.60
  2. £40 Correct answer.
  3. £38.40
  4. £28.80

Explanation

The price including VAT is 120% of the pre-VAT price. Dividing £48 by 1.2 gives £40, and £40 × 1.2 = £48 confirms it.

Question 35Number

What is the value of (2/3)⁻¹?

  1. 3/2 Correct answer.
  2. −2/3
  3. 2/3
  4. 9/4

Explanation

A negative index means take the reciprocal: (2/3)⁻¹ = 1 ÷ (2/3) = 3/2. The result is greater than 1 because the original fraction is less than 1.

Question 36Number

Which of these numbers is written correctly in standard form?

  1. 0.32 × 10⁶
  2. 3.2 × 10⁵ Correct answer.
  3. 32 × 10⁴
  4. 3.2 × 5

Explanation

Standard form is A × 10ⁿ where 1 ≤ A < 10 and n is an integer. Only 3.2 × 10⁵ has a first factor between 1 and 10 and a power of 10 as the second factor.

Question 37Number

The mass of a grain of sand is 2.5 × 10⁻⁵ kg. What is the mass of 8000 such grains, in standard form?

  1. 0.2 kg
  2. 2 × 10⁻⁹ kg
  3. 2 × 10¹ kg
  4. 2 × 10⁻¹ kg Correct answer.

Explanation

Multiply: 8000 × 2.5 × 10⁻⁵ = 8 × 10³ × 2.5 × 10⁻⁵ = 20 × 10⁻² = 2 × 10⁻¹ kg. This equals 0.2 kg, but the answer must be given in standard form.

Question 38Number

What is the value of √(1.44 × 10⁶)?

  1. 1.2 × 10⁶
  2. 1.2 × 10⁴
  3. 1.2 × 10³ Correct answer.
  4. 12 × 10³

Explanation

Take the square root of each factor: √1.44 = 1.2 and √(10⁶) = 10³. So the answer is 1.2 × 10³, which equals 1200. Checking, 1200² = 1 440 000 = 1.44 × 10⁶.

Question 39Number

A sum of money is invested at 5% compound interest per year. After how many complete years will the investment first exceed 1.5 times its original value?

  1. 9 Correct answer.
  2. 8
  3. 12
  4. 10

Explanation

We need 1.05ⁿ > 1.5. Testing powers: 1.05⁸ ≈ 1.477 and 1.05⁹ ≈ 1.551. So the investment first exceeds 1.5 times the original after 9 complete years.

Question 40Number

The number 540 is written in prime factor form as 2² × 3³ × 5. What is the sum of all the exponents in this factorisation?

  1. 6 Correct answer.
  2. 4
  3. 5
  4. 7

Explanation

The exponents are 2 (on 2), 3 (on 3) and 1 (on 5). Their sum is 2 + 3 + 1 = 6. Checking, 4 × 27 × 5 = 540, so the factorisation is correct.

Question 41Algebra

Solve for x: 5x − 7 = 3x + 9.

  1. x = 2
  2. x = 16
  3. x = 1
  4. x = 8 Correct answer.

Explanation

Subtract 3x from both sides to get 2x − 7 = 9, then add 7 to obtain 2x = 16, so x = 8. Substituting back gives 33 = 33, confirming the solution.

Question 42Algebra

Which expression is a correct factorization of x² − 49?

  1. (x − 7)²
  2. (x − 7)(x + 7) Correct answer.
  3. (x + 7)²
  4. (x − 49)(x + 1)

Explanation

The expression is a difference of two squares, a² − b² = (a − b)(a + b), with a = x and b = 7. Expanding (x − 7)(x + 7) gives x² − 49, which matches the original polynomial.

Question 43Algebra

The slope of the line passing through the points (2, 5) and (6, 13) is:

  1. 1/2
  2. 2 Correct answer.
  3. −2
  4. 8

Explanation

Slope equals the change in y divided by the change in x: (13 − 5)/(6 − 2) = 8/4 = 2. The line rises two units vertically for every one unit horizontally.

Question 44Algebra

Simplify (3a²b)(4ab³).

  1. 7a³b⁴
  2. 12a³b³
  3. 12a²b³
  4. 12a³b⁴ Correct answer.

Explanation

Multiply the coefficients 3 and 4 to get 12, then add exponents of like bases: a² · a = a³ and b · b³ = b⁴. The product is therefore 12a³b⁴.

Question 45Algebra

If f(x) = 2x² − 3x + 1, what is f(−2)?

  1. 15 Correct answer.
  2. −1
  3. 11
  4. 3

Explanation

Substitute x = −2: 2(−2)² − 3(−2) + 1 = 2(4) + 6 + 1 = 8 + 6 + 1 = 15. The square makes the first term positive and the negative coefficient times a negative input makes the middle term positive.

Question 46Algebra

The solution set of the inequality 4 − 2x > 10 is:

  1. x > 3
  2. x < 3
  3. x > −3
  4. x < −3 Correct answer.

Explanation

Subtract 4 from both sides to get −2x > 6, then divide by −2 and reverse the inequality sign, giving x < −3. Reversing the sign is required whenever an inequality is divided by a negative number.

Question 47Algebra

In an arithmetic sequence the first term is 7 and the common difference is 4. What is the 10th term?

  1. 40
  2. 36
  3. 43 Correct answer.
  4. 47

Explanation

The nth term of an arithmetic sequence is a + (n − 1)d, so the 10th term is 7 + 9(4) = 7 + 36 = 43. The first term already counts as term one, so only nine differences are added.

Question 48Algebra

Which value of x satisfies the equation |x − 3| = 7?

  1. x = 10 only
  2. x = 10 or x = −4 Correct answer.
  3. x = −4 only
  4. x = 4 or x = −10

Explanation

The absolute value equation splits into x − 3 = 7 or x − 3 = −7. Solving each gives x = 10 and x = −4, and both check since |7| = 7 and |−7| = 7.

Question 49Algebra

The quadratic equation x² − 6x + 9 = 0 has:

  1. no roots at all
  2. two complex conjugate roots
  3. one repeated real root, x = 3 Correct answer.
  4. two distinct real roots

Explanation

The discriminant is b² − 4ac = 36 − 36 = 0, and a zero discriminant means exactly one repeated real root. Factoring gives (x − 3)² = 0, so the root is x = 3 with multiplicity two.

Question 50Algebra

Using the quadratic formula, the roots of 2x² + 5x − 3 = 0 are:

  1. x = 1 and x = −3/2
  2. x = 3/2 and x = −1
  3. x = −1/2 and x = 3
  4. x = 1/2 and x = −3 Correct answer.

Explanation

Here a = 2, b = 5, c = −3, so the discriminant is 25 + 24 = 49 and √49 = 7. The roots are (−5 ± 7)/4, giving 2/4 = 1/2 and −12/4 = −3.