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GRE

GRE Quiz: Ratios Rates Proportions

Practice Ratios Rates Proportions in GRE with focused quiz questions that help you check what you know, review explanations, and build confidence with test-style prompts.

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Ratios Rates Proportions, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for GRE.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

Question 1

A laboratory solution contains salt and water in the ratio 3:973:973:97 by mass. If the solution has a total mass of 1,0001,0001,000 grams, what is the mass of salt, in grams?

  1. 30
  2. 97
  3. 3
  4. 1,030
  5. 300
Explanation: This question tests proportions in solutions. The ratio of salt to water is 3:97, total parts 100. For 1,000 grams total, salt is (3/100) × 1,000 = 30 grams. This calculates the mass fraction. Choice A is justified as correct. A distractor like 97 could be misreading the ratio. Adding masses directly might give 300.

Question 2

A store sells trail mix made by combining nuts and dried fruit in the ratio 5:35:35:3 by weight. If a bag contains 242424 ounces of trail mix, how many ounces are dried fruit?

  1. 15
  2. 9
  3. 8
  4. 40
  5. 7.2
Explanation: This question tests proportions in mixtures. The ratio of nuts to dried fruit is 5:3, total parts 8. For 24 ounces total, dried fruit is (3/8) × 24 = 9 ounces. This finds the portion correctly. Choice B is justified as the answer. A distractor like 15 could be the nuts portion instead. Reversing to 3:5 would give 7.2 ounces fruit.

Question 3

A paint mixture is made by combining blue paint and white paint in the ratio 4:14:14:1 by volume. If 333 liters of white paint are used, what is the total volume of the mixture, in liters?

  1. 12
  2. 15
  3. 3.75
  4. 7
  5. 4
Explanation: This question tests ratios in mixtures. The ratio of blue to white paint is 4:1, so total parts are 5. With 3 liters white as 1 part, blue is 4 × 3 = 12 liters, total 15 liters. This scales the ratio to find the whole. Choice B is justified as correct. A distractor like 12 might be the blue amount only. Reversing to 1:4 would give a smaller total like 3.75.

Question 4

A cyclist travels 181818 kilometers in 454545 minutes at a constant speed. What is the cyclist's speed, in kilometers per hour?

  1. 24 km/h
  2. 0.4 km/h
  3. 40 km/h
  4. 13.5 km/h
  5. 30 km/h
Explanation: This question tests rates for speed. The cyclist travels 18 km in 45 minutes, which is 0.75 hours, so speed is 18 / 0.75 = 24 km/h. This converts time and divides distance by time correctly. The proportional relationship gives the constant rate. Choice A is justified as the answer. A distractor like 40 might arise from using 45 minutes as 0.45 hours. Forgetting the conversion could lead to 0.4 km/h.

Question 5

A tank is filled by a pipe at a constant rate of 121212 gallons per minute. How many gallons are added in 252525 seconds?

  1. 5
  2. 300
  3. 2.4
  4. 0.48
  5. 12
Explanation: This question tests rates of flow. The pipe fills at 12 gallons per minute, a constant rate. In 25 seconds, or 25/60 = 5/12 minutes, gallons added are 12 × (5/12) = 5. This converts time and applies the rate. Choice A is justified as correct. A distractor like 300 could be from ignoring the time conversion. Using seconds directly might yield small values like 0.48.

Question 6

In a jar of marbles, the ratio of red marbles to blue marbles is 3:53:53:5. If there are 404040 blue marbles, how many red marbles are there?

  1. 24
  2. 15
  3. 67
  4. 120
  5. 8
Explanation: This question tests ratios of quantities. The ratio of red to blue marbles is 3:5, meaning for every 3 red, there are 5 blue. With 40 blue marbles corresponding to 5 parts, each part is 40 / 5 = 8 marbles. Thus, red marbles are 3 × 8 = 24. This justifies choice A as correct. A distractor like 15 might result from reversing the ratio to 5:3. Another error could be adding the parts incorrectly, leading to disproportionate calculations.

Question 7

A bill is split among three coworkers, Alex, Bri, and Chen, in the ratio 2:3:52:3:52:3:5. If Chen pays 454545 dollars, how much is the total bill, in dollars?

  1. 90
  2. 30
  3. 75
  4. 45
  5. 225
Explanation: This question tests ratios in splitting costs. The ratio among Alex, Bri, and Chen is 2:3:5, total parts 10. Chen's 45 dollars is 5 parts, so each part is 45 / 5 = 9 dollars, total bill 10 × 9 = 90 dollars. This scales the ratio to the total. Choice A is justified as correct. A distractor like 75 might come from incorrect part division. Reversing ratios could lead to 225.

Question 8

A machine produces 180180180 bolts in 121212 minutes at a constant rate. At the same rate, how many bolts does it produce in 505050 minutes?

  1. 750
  2. 270
  3. 3,000
  4. 150
  5. 720
Explanation: This question tests rates of production. The machine produces 180 bolts in 12 minutes, giving a rate of 180 / 12 = 15 bolts per minute. For 50 minutes, the total is 15 × 50 = 750 bolts. This applies the constant rate proportionally over time. Choice A is justified as correct. A distractor like 720 might come from using hours instead of minutes. Incorrectly inverting the rate could lead to choices like 150.

Question 9

A rectangular photograph is enlarged so that each linear dimension is multiplied by 1.51.51.5. If the original width is 888 inches, what is the new width, in inches?

  1. 5.33
  2. 9.5
  3. 12
  4. 1.5
  5. 16
Explanation: This question tests proportions in scaling. The enlargement multiplies each dimension by 1.5, a proportional increase. Original width 8 inches becomes 8 × 1.5 = 12 inches. This applies the scale factor directly. Choice C is justified as correct. A distractor like 9.5 might come from adding instead of multiplying. Using a different factor like 1.2 could lead to 9.6, close to distractors.

Question 10

A solution is made by mixing acid and water in the ratio 1:91:91:9 by volume. If the total volume of the solution is 500500500 milliliters, what volume of acid is in the solution?

  1. 50 mL
  2. 450 mL
  3. 55.6 mL
  4. 5000 mL
  5. 10 mL
Explanation: This question tests proportions in mixtures. The ratio of acid to water is 1:9, so acid is 1 part out of total 10 parts. With 500 mL total, acid is (1/10) × 500 = 50 mL. This calculation finds the component volume correctly. Choice A is justified as the answer. A distractor like 450 could be from taking the water portion instead. Reversing the ratio to 9:1 would yield 450 mL acid, a common error.

Question 11

A recipe calls for the ratio of flour to sugar to be 5:25:25:2 by weight. If 300300300 grams of flour are used, how many grams of sugar are needed?

  1. 120
  2. 750
  3. 60
  4. 302
  5. 150
Explanation: This question tests ratios in recipes. The ratio of flour to sugar is 5:2, indicating 5 parts flour to 2 parts sugar. With 300 grams of flour as 5 parts, each part is 300 / 5 = 60 grams. Sugar needed is then 2 × 60 = 120 grams. Choice A is justified as the correct amount. A distractor like 750 could arise from multiplying instead of dividing the parts. Reversing the ratio to 2:5 would lead to incorrect weights like 150 grams.

Question 12

A printer uses ink at a constant rate of 2.52.52.5 milliliters per page. How many milliliters of ink are used to print 363636 pages?

  1. 14.4 mL
  2. 90 mL
  3. 72 mL
  4. 38.5 mL
  5. 2.5 mL
Explanation: This question tests rates of consumption. The printer uses 2.5 mL per page, establishing a direct proportion of ink to pages. For 36 pages, ink used is 2.5 × 36 = 90 mL. This multiplies the rate by the quantity accurately. Choice B is justified as correct. A distractor like 72 might result from using 2 mL per page instead. Dividing instead of multiplying could lead to small values like 14.4.

Question 13

A vehicle's fuel efficiency is 323232 miles per gallon. If the vehicle travels 240240240 miles, how many gallons of fuel does it use?

  1. 7.5
  2. 272
  3. 0.133
  4. 8
  5. 15
Explanation: This question tests rates in fuel efficiency. The vehicle gets 32 miles per gallon, inversely relating distance to fuel. For 240 miles, fuel used is 240 / 32 = 7.5 gallons. This divides distance by rate. Choice A is justified as correct. A distractor like 272 could be from multiplying instead. Reversing to gallons per mile might give 0.133.

Question 14

The ratio of students who study French to students who study Spanish in a school is 7:97:97:9. If 144144144 students study Spanish, how many students study French?

  1. 112
  2. 81
  3. 151
  4. 63
  5. 16
Explanation: This question tests ratios of groups. The ratio of French to Spanish students is 7:9, meaning 7 French per 9 Spanish. With 144 Spanish as 9 parts, each part is 144 / 9 = 16 students. French students are 7 × 16 = 112. Choice A is justified as correct. A distractor like 81 could come from reversing to 9:7. Misadding parts might lead to incorrect multiples like 63.

Question 15

A runner uses energy at a constant rate of 959595 calories per mile. Approximately how many calories does the runner use over 6.46.46.4 miles?

  1. 608
  2. 152
  3. 0.067
  4. 589
  5. 95
Explanation: This question tests rates of energy use. The runner uses 95 calories per mile, a constant rate. For 6.4 miles, total is 95 × 6.4 = 608 calories. This multiplies rate by distance. Choice A is justified as correct. A distractor like 152 might come from dividing instead. Using a rounded distance could lead to 589.

Question 16

A map uses a scale of 111 inch to represent 252525 miles. Two cities are 3.63.63.6 inches apart on the map. What is the actual distance between the cities, in miles?

  1. 90
  2. 0.144
  3. 28.6
  4. 100
  5. 144
Explanation: This question tests proportions in map scales. The scale is 1 inch represents 25 miles, setting up a direct proportion between map distance and actual distance. For 3.6 inches on the map, the actual distance is 3.6 × 25 = 90 miles. This applies the scale factor correctly to find the real-world measurement. Choice A is justified as the correct answer. A distractor like 144 could come from squaring the scale incorrectly. Reversing the proportion, such as dividing instead of multiplying, might lead to choices like 0.144.