ASVAB · Fractions, Decimals, and Percentages

A soldier uses 3/8 of a fuel can. The can held 16 gallons. How many gallons were used?

Correct answer

6

  1. A 6
  2. B 5
  3. C 4
  4. D 8

Why this is the answer

3/8 × 16 = 48/8 = 6 gallons. 'Of' means multiply when it follows a fraction. One route: 16 ÷ 8 = 2 gallons per eighth, and 3 eighths = 6 gallons. The distractor 8 is half the can (4/8), 4 is a quarter (2/8) and 5 is 5/16 — none match 3/8. Note the question asks how much was used, not how much is left (which would be 10 gallons).
Source: ASVAB AR, Fractions

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About this topic: Fractions, Decimals, and Percentages

Fractions, decimals and percentages appear in nearly every ASVAB maths section. These questions cover converting between the three forms, finding a percentage of a number, percent change and operations with mixed numbers. This is one of 10 Arithmetic Reasoning questions on fractions, decimals, and percentages, each with a full explanation on a single study page.

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