ASVAB · Basic Operations and Word Problems

A truck travels 420 miles using 28 gallons of diesel. What is the fuel economy in miles per gallon?

Reviewed by Jordan Morley, Editorial Lead at 247SimpleTests. Written by the 247SimpleTests Editorial Team from the official source material cited on every question.

Correct answer

15 mpg

A 18 mpg
B 15 mpg
C 12 mpg
D 21 mpg

Why this is the answer

420 ÷ 28 = 15 miles per gallon. Division word problem: divide total miles by total gallons to find miles per gallon. Why the others are wrong: 12 mpg would need 35 gallons for 420 miles; 18 mpg would need about 23 gallons; 21 mpg would need 20 gallons. Quick check: 15 × 28 = 420 ✓. On the ASVAB, 'per' in a rate question always means divide — the quantity before 'per' goes on top.

Source: ASVAB AR, Rate Problems

Practice more questions

This question is from our ASVAB Practice Tests practice test. Take the full practice test to test your knowledge across all Basic Operations and Word Problems and other topics.

Take the Arithmetic Reasoning practice test →

About this topic: Basic Operations and Word Problems

Basic operations word problems are the core of Arithmetic Reasoning: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division dressed up as money, distance, time or quantity problems. The skill tested is setting the problem up correctly, not the arithmetic itself. This is one of 11 Arithmetic Reasoning questions on basic operations and word problems, each with a full explanation on a single study page.

New to this exam? Our ASVAB exam guide explains the format, scoring, and how to prepare.

Recommended study materials

Study guide

As an Amazon Associate, CJ Affiliate, and AWIN publisher we earn from qualifying purchases. Links above are affiliate links. Full disclosure →

A truck travels 420 miles using 28 gallons of diesel. What is the fuel economy in miles per gallon?

Why this is the answer

Practice more questions

About this topic: Basic Operations and Word Problems

Related questions

A pizza is cut into 12 equal slices. If 4 people share the pizza equally, how many slices does each person get?

A truck driver drove 240 miles in 4 hours. What was the average speed?

Sergeant Johnson has 24 soldiers in her platoon. She wants to divide them into squads of equal size. If she creates 4 squads, how many soldiers are in each squad?

A soldier carries 45 pounds of gear. If the gear is reduced by 1/3, what is the new weight?

Recommended study materials

ASVAB Total Prep (Kaplan)

Barron's ASVAB with Online Tests 12th Ed.

ASVAB for Dummies 4th Ed. (Wiley)