- You will pay at the office. Which amount and date should you use?
Answer: $48.20 by May 23
When reading a bill, you need to find two things: how much you owe right now, and when it must be paid. Keep your eye on words like "Amount Due," "Due Date," and any special payment methods mentioned.
On this water bill, the Amount Due is $48.20 — this is the new charge for the current billing period. The previous balance of $36.00 was already paid (notice "Payment received: $36.00"), so that money is settled. The Due Date is May 23, which is the deadline for payment. That makes C — $48.20 by May 23 the correct answer. You're paying in person at the office, so you bring the full amount owed before that deadline.
Here's why the other choices miss the mark: A uses the old balance of $36.00, but that bill was already paid — you no longer owe that amount. Paying $36.00 would leave your account short. B uses the right dollar amount ($48.20) but pairs it with May 2, which is the bill date — the day the bill was created, not the day it's due. Paying by May 2 would actually be impossible since that date has likely already passed by the time you receive the bill. D also uses the correct amount, but May 22 is the auto-pay date — the date the system automatically charges your account if you're enrolled in that program. Since you're paying at the office yourself, the auto-pay date doesn't apply to you.
Tip: On bill-reading questions, always match "Amount Due" with "Due Date" — ignore payment dates for other methods that don't apply to your situation.
- You will mail the exact payment. Which amount and address should you use?
Answer: $160 and PO Box 80
When reading a bill or loan notice, your two jobs are simple: find the right amount to pay and find the right place to send it. This question tests whether you can locate both pieces of information on a real-world document.
Start with the amount. The notice lists a regular payment, a past-due amount, and a late fee — but it also gives you a bold, clearly labeled AMOUNT DUE: $160. That line exists precisely to tell you the total you owe right now. It already adds everything together for you, so $160 is the correct amount to mail.
Next, find the address. The notice lists two different addresses for two different purposes. "Mail payments to" points you to PO Box 80 — that's the payment address. The 15 Main Street address is listed under "Account help," meaning it's for visiting in person or asking questions about your account, not for mailing money.
Putting those two together, answer A — $160 and PO Box 80 — is correct.
Answer B is wrong because $125 is only the regular payment; it ignores the past-due amount and late fee you also owe. Answer C pairs the right dollar amount with the wrong address — 15 Main Street is for account help, not payments. Answer D gets both pieces wrong: it uses the partial payment amount and the wrong address.
Study tip: On notices like this, always look for labels — words like "Amount Due," "Mail to," or "For questions." Those labels tell you exactly which number or address to use for which purpose.
- Your internet works, but one charge looks wrong. Which contact should you use?
Answer: Ask about a charge: 555-0118
When reading a bill or information sheet, your job is to match your specific situation to the right contact. The key question to ask yourself is: What is my problem, and which option describes that problem exactly?
In this case, your internet is working fine — so there's no service outage to report. However, you've spotted a charge on your bill that doesn't look right. That's a billing question, not a technical problem or a new request. Scanning the bill for that situation, "Ask about a charge: 555-0118" matches perfectly. That's why D is the correct contact to use.
Looking at why the other options don't fit: A, "Order new service," is for customers who want to add or start a service — you already have service, so this doesn't apply. B, "Report no service," is for when your internet is completely down or not working — but the passage tells you your internet does work, so this is the wrong situation entirely. C, "Pay by phone," is only for making a payment — it's not a place to ask questions or dispute a charge.
The trap here is that paying and questioning a charge both involve your bill, so students sometimes reach for option C. But paying and disputing are two very different actions with different phone numbers for a reason.
Strategy tip: On questions like these, underline the key detail in the problem — here, "one charge looks wrong." Then find the option that matches those exact words. Precise matching beats guessing every time.
- What is the total amount due, and by when must you pay?
Answer: $146 by October 11
When reading a bill or service notice, your job is to find two key pieces of information: the total amount owed and the deadline to pay. These are often highlighted or labeled clearly — don't let other numbers on the notice distract you.
In this notice, the label "TOTAL AMOUNT DUE" points directly to $146, which combines the past-due amount ($96) and the new charges ($50): 96+50=146. The payment deadline is listed right below: October 11. That makes choice B — $146 by October 11 — the correct answer.
Choice A ($96 by October 11) is a common trap. The $96 is only the past-due portion — money owed from before. Paying just that amount would leave $50 unpaid, which could still result in your service being shut off. Choice C ($50 by October 14) makes two mistakes: it only shows the new charges, and it uses October 14 — which is actually the date your service may stop, not the payment deadline. Choice D ($146 by October 14) gets the dollar amount right but uses the wrong date. October 14 is the disconnection date, not the due date. You need to pay by October 11 to avoid any risk of losing service.
A useful habit: on notices like this, always look for the word "TOTAL" to find the full amount, and look for "Pay by" to find the real deadline. Don't confuse the payment deadline with the shutoff date — they are two different things. - You need a new visit time. Which contact should you use?
Answer: Change a visit: 555-0146
When a notice lists multiple contact options, your job is to match your specific need to the right option — like finding the right tool for the right job. Read each label carefully before choosing.
Here, you need to change your visit time, so look for the option that matches that need exactly. Choice A, "Change a visit: 555-0146," is a direct match. The label tells you exactly what that number is for — rescheduling or changing an appointment. That's your answer.
Choice B, "Bill questions: 555-0162," is for billing concerns — things like payments or charges on your account. Calling this number to change a visit would likely send you to the wrong department, wasting your time. Choice C, "Main desk: 555-0130," is a general number that might seem like a safe choice, but the notice gives you a specific number for changing visits, and using the specific option is always better than a general one. Choice D, "Confirm date: June 14," is a trap — it's not a phone number at all. It's a deadline for confirming your current appointment, not a way to contact anyone or change anything.
A useful strategy: on questions like this, underline the key action word in the question — here, that's change. Then scan the contact list for the label that uses the same or similar word. Notices like this are designed so each option has a clear purpose. Matching your need to the right label is the whole skill being tested.
- You want the class. What is the last day to enroll and pay?
Answer: August 30
When you read a notice like this one, your job is to find the specific detail the question asks about — and only that detail. The question asks for the last day to enroll and pay, so you need to scan the notice for those exact words.
Looking at the notice, one line reads: "Enroll and pay by: August 30." That's your answer. The word "by" means the deadline — the latest possible day. August 30 (B) is correct.
Now let's look at why the other choices are tempting but wrong. A (August 28) is the date the notice was sent — it's when you received the information, not when anything is due. Mixing up "sent date" and "deadline" is a common mistake. C (September 4) is the orientation date, which happens after you've already enrolled. It's a real date on the notice, but it answers a different question. D (September 9) is when the class actually starts — again, a real date, but it's about when instruction begins, not when you sign up and pay.
The trap here is that all four choices are real dates from the notice. The question is testing whether you can match the right date to the right event.
Strategy tip: When a notice lists multiple dates, slow down and underline what each date is for. Then go back to the question and ask yourself: "Which event is the question asking about?" Match the event to its date — don't just pick the first date you see.
- You cannot pay all $120 now. Which contact should you use?
Answer: Payment plans: 555-0187
When reading a medical bill or any document with multiple contact options, your job is to match your specific situation to the right resource. Each phone number listed serves a different purpose — so the key is reading carefully and asking, "What do I need right now?"
In this situation, you cannot pay the full $120 at once. That means you need a way to split payments over time — which is exactly what a payment plan is. The bill lists "Payment plans: 555-0187," which is choice C. This is the number designed for people in your exact situation. Calling it would let you arrange smaller payments spread out over time instead of paying everything at once.
Choice A (Pay by phone: 555-0181) is for making a full payment over the phone. Since you cannot pay the full $120 right now, this option doesn't solve your problem — it only works if you have the complete amount ready.
Choice B (Visit appointments: 555-0194) is for scheduling medical appointments, not for handling billing questions at all. This is a common trap — it's on the same bill, but it serves a completely different purpose.
Choice D (Payment due: March 24) is not a contact option at all — it's a deadline date. You cannot call a date, so this cannot be your answer.
A helpful strategy: when a document lists multiple contacts, underline or mentally label each one's purpose before answering. Match your problem to the contact that solves it — not just the first one you see.
- You cannot pay the full balance. What must arrive to keep the account on time?
Answer: $35 by August 12
When reading a billing statement, your job is to find two things: how much must be paid and by when. The passage tells you directly: "Pay at least the minimum by the due date to keep the account on time." That single sentence contains everything you need.
Since you cannot pay the full $410, you are looking for the minimum option. The statement lists the minimum amount due as $35 and the payment due date as August 12. Paying $35 by August 12 satisfies exactly what the card requires — making C the correct answer.
Now let's look at why the other choices miss the mark. A asks for $410 by August 1 — this is wrong on both counts. August 1 is the statement date (when the bill was created), not the due date, and $410 is the full balance, not the minimum. B gets the dollar amount right ($35) but uses the wrong date — August 1 is again the statement date, not the payment deadline. Paying early might seem safe, but the question asks what is required, and the statement only names August 12 as the due date. D names the correct due date (August 12) but requires the full $410 — the question already tells you the full balance cannot be paid.
A good tip: on billing questions, watch for two common traps — mixing up the statement date with the due date, and confusing the full balance with the minimum payment. These are the four numbers card statements always include, and test questions love to shuffle them.
- You pay on June 30. Which line shows what you must pay?
Answer: Amount due: $825
When you read a bill or rent notice, your job is to find the one number that tells you exactly what to send. That number is always labeled something like "amount due," "total due," or "balance due" — it's the final, calculated figure after any credits or adjustments have already been applied.
In this notice, the landlord started with a $900 account balance, then subtracted a $75 repair credit, leaving an amount due of $825. Since you pay on June 30 — before the July 5 deadline — no late fee applies. So D, Amount due: $825, is what you must pay. It's the only line that reflects the real, ready-to-pay total.
Here's why the other choices miss the mark. A ($900) is the starting balance before the repair credit was subtracted — paying this would mean overpaying by $75. B ($75) is the repair credit itself, meaning money taken off your bill, not a payment amount; you never send in a credit. C ($50) is the late fee, which only applies if you pay after July 5 — since you paid June 30, this charge doesn't exist for you at all.
A good strategy: on any bill-reading question, scan for the line that says "amount due" or "total due" first. That line does the math for you — credits subtracted, fees added — and gives you the one clean number to pay. Don't get distracted by the other figures; they're parts of the calculation, not the final answer.
- You need the last day to pay. You also need to ask about a high charge. Which sections should you open?
Answer: Bill and Bill Help
When reading a menu or list of sections on a website or app, the key skill is matching your need to the right category name. Ask yourself: "What does each section title promise to give me?"
In this question, you have two needs. First, you need the last day to pay — that is your payment due date. Look at the menu: the Bill section says "Amount due and payment due date." That is an exact match. Second, you need to ask about a high charge — a question about why your bill is so high. The Bill Help section says "Questions about bill charges." That matches perfectly. So the answer is D) Bill and Bill Help.
Now let's look at why the other choices fall short. A) Account and Service is wrong because Account only shows your name and account number, and Service is for gas leaks and repair help — neither one helps you with payment dates or billing questions. B) Payments and Service is wrong because Payments shows saved cards and past payments (not the current due date), and Service is still about gas leaks, not charges. C) Account and Payments is wrong for similar reasons — Account gives personal info, and Payments tracks your payment history, but neither answers a question about a confusing charge on your bill.
A helpful strategy: on questions like this, underline your two needs first, then scan each answer choice to see if both section names match both needs. If even one section is off, the whole answer is wrong.
