How to solve algebraic word problems - SSAT Upper Level Quantitative
Card 1 of 112
John sells apples for 
per bunch and watermelons for 
a piece. He made 
today and sold 
watermelons. How many bunches of apples did he sell?
John sells apples for
Tap to reveal answer
You must first set up a revenue equation where 
represents the number of bunches of apples sold and 
represents the number of watermelons sold.
This would give us the equation
.
The problem gives us both 
and 
and when we plug those values in we get
or
.
Now you must get 
by itself.
First, subtract 
from both sides leaving 
.
Then divide both sides by 
to get your answer 
.
You must first set up a revenue equation where
This would give us the equation
The problem gives us both
or
Now you must get
First, subtract
Then divide both sides by
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
One angle of a pentagon measures 
. The other four angles are congruent to one another. Give the measure of one of those angles in terms of 
.
One angle of a pentagon measures
Tap to reveal answer
The total of the measures of the angles of a pentagon is
.
One angle measures 
; since the other four angles have the same measure as one another, we let 
be their common measure. Then we set up the equation and solve for 
:
The total of the measures of the angles of a pentagon is
One angle measures
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
Michael scores a 95, 87, 85, 93, and a 94 on his first 5 math tests. If he wants a 90 average, what must he score on the final math test?
Michael scores a 95, 87, 85, 93, and a 94 on his first 5 math tests. If he wants a 90 average, what must he score on the final math test?
Tap to reveal answer
To solve for the final score:
Add the five past test scores and you get 454. Then set up an algebraic equation where you add 454 to 
, which is the final test score, and divide by six, because you want the average for 6 tests now. You make this equation equal to 90 because that is the average Michael wants and solve for 
:
To solve for the final score:
Add the five past test scores and you get 454. Then set up an algebraic equation where you add 454 to
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
If David wants to drive to his friend's house, which is 450 miles away, in 6 hours, what is the average speed David has to drive at?
If David wants to drive to his friend's house, which is 450 miles away, in 6 hours, what is the average speed David has to drive at?
Tap to reveal answer
Plug in the the values for distance and time, and solve for rate.
and
Plug in the the values for distance and time, and solve for rate.
and
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
If the sum of the smallest and largest of three consecutive even numbers is 28, what is the value of the second largest number in the series?
If the sum of the smallest and largest of three consecutive even numbers is 28, what is the value of the second largest number in the series?
Tap to reveal answer
The three numbers would be
, 
, and 
.
Add the first and third value and you get
and
.
The second largest value is 
.
The three numbers would be
Add the first and third value and you get
and
The second largest value is
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
Beth and Sam are 500 miles apart. If Beth travels at 60mph and leaves her house at 1pm, what time will she arrive at Sam's house?
Beth and Sam are 500 miles apart. If Beth travels at 60mph and leaves her house at 1pm, what time will she arrive at Sam's house?
Tap to reveal answer
Using 
, the time would be 
hours, which is 
hours and 
minutes. If you add that to 1pm, you get 9:20pm.
Using
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
Greg is trying to fill a 16 oz. bottle with water. If Greg fills the bottle at 1 oz per second and the bottle leaks .2 oz per second, how long would it take for Greg to fill the bottle?
Greg is trying to fill a 16 oz. bottle with water. If Greg fills the bottle at 1 oz per second and the bottle leaks .2 oz per second, how long would it take for Greg to fill the bottle?
Tap to reveal answer
You first find the rate at which the bottle is being filled at, which is
.
Then you divide the entire bottle, which is 
by the rate of 
, and you get 
.
You first find the rate at which the bottle is being filled at, which is
Then you divide the entire bottle, which is
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
Barbara went to the store and bought a shirt for 
dollars. It had been discounted by 20%. What is the original price of the shirt?
Barbara went to the store and bought a shirt for
Tap to reveal answer
To get the final price, you use 
as the variable for the original price. So,
, and divide by 0.8 on both sides of the equations, and you get
for the original price of the shirt.
To get the final price, you use
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
Two inlet pipes lead into a large water tank. One pipe can fill the tank in 45 minutes; the other can fill it in 40 minutes. To the nearest tenth of a minute, how long would it take the two pipes together to fill the tank if both were opened at the same time?
Two inlet pipes lead into a large water tank. One pipe can fill the tank in 45 minutes; the other can fill it in 40 minutes. To the nearest tenth of a minute, how long would it take the two pipes together to fill the tank if both were opened at the same time?
Tap to reveal answer
Look at the work rates as "tanks per minute", not "minutes per tank".
The two pipes can fill the tank up at 
tanks per minute and 
tanks per minute.
Let 
be the time it took, in minutes, to fill the tank up. Then, since rate multiplied by time is equal to work, then two pipes filled up 
and 
tanks; together, they filled up 
tank - one tank. This sets up the equation to be solved:
minutes
Look at the work rates as "tanks per minute", not "minutes per tank".
The two pipes can fill the tank up at
Let
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
The inlet pipe to a large water tank can fill the tank in 25 minutes; the drain of the tank can empty it in 55 minutes.
Once, the drain was left open by mistake when the tank was being filled. The mistake was not caught until the tank was full. To the nearest tenth of a minute, how long did it take to fill the tank?
The inlet pipe to a large water tank can fill the tank in 25 minutes; the drain of the tank can empty it in 55 minutes.
Once, the drain was left open by mistake when the tank was being filled. The mistake was not caught until the tank was full. To the nearest tenth of a minute, how long did it take to fill the tank?
Tap to reveal answer
Look at the work rates as "tanks per minute", not "minutes per tank".
The inlet pipe can fill the tank at a rate of 
tank per minute. The drain is emptying the tank at a rate of 
tank per minute.
Let 
be the time it took, in minutes, to fill the tank up. Then, since rate multiplied by time is equal to work, then the inlet pipe let in 
tank of water, but the drain let out 
tank. Since they were working against each other, the work of the latter is subtracted from that of the former, and we can set up and solve the equation:
minutes
Look at the work rates as "tanks per minute", not "minutes per tank".
The inlet pipe can fill the tank at a rate of
Let
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
John and Julie represented West High in a math contest. John outscored Julie by 16 points; as a team, they scored 80 points.
David and Dana represented East High in the same contest. Dana outscored David by 10 points; as a team, they scored 60 points.
Arrange the four students from highest score to lowest score.
John and Julie represented West High in a math contest. John outscored Julie by 16 points; as a team, they scored 80 points.
David and Dana represented East High in the same contest. Dana outscored David by 10 points; as a team, they scored 60 points.
Arrange the four students from highest score to lowest score.
Tap to reveal answer
Let Julie's score be 
. Then John's score was 
. Since the sum of their scores was 80,
Julie scored 32, and John scored 16 higher, or 48.
Let David's score be 
. Then Dana's score was 
. Since the sum of their scores was 60,
David's score was 25, and Dana's score was 10 higher, or 35.
In descending order of score, the students were John, Dana, Julie, David.
Let Julie's score be
Julie scored 32, and John scored 16 higher, or 48.
Let David's score be
David's score was 25, and Dana's score was 10 higher, or 35.
In descending order of score, the students were John, Dana, Julie, David.
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
Which of the following sentences is represented by the equation
?
Which of the following sentences is represented by the equation
Tap to reveal answer
The expression 
can be written as "the product of five and a number".
The expression 
can be written as " the difference of the number and seven"; the expression 
can be written as "three times the difference of the number and seven".
Therefore, the equation
can be written as
"The product of five and a number is equal to three times the difference of the number and seven".
The expression
The expression
Therefore, the equation
can be written as
"The product of five and a number is equal to three times the difference of the number and seven".
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
A pitcher standing on top of a 120-foot high building throws a baseball straight up at an initial speed of 92 miles per hour. The height 
in feet of the ball after time 
seconds can be modelled by the equation
.
How long does it take for the baseball to reach its height (nearest second)
A pitcher standing on top of a 120-foot high building throws a baseball straight up at an initial speed of 92 miles per hour. The height
How long does it take for the baseball to reach its height (nearest second)
Tap to reveal answer
has a parabola as its graph; the height of the baseball relative to the time elapsed can be modelled by this parabola. The height of the baseball when it reaches its peak corresponds to the vertex of the parabola. The first coordinate of the vertex, or 
, is equal to 
, where, here,
and 
.
Therefore, the time coordinate of the vertex is
Of the given responses, 3 seconds comes closest.
Therefore, the time coordinate of the vertex is
Of the given responses, 3 seconds comes closest.
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
Four of the five numbers of a set are:
If the average of the five numbers is 
, give the fifth number in terms of 
.
Four of the five numbers of a set are:
If the average of the five numbers is
Tap to reveal answer
Call the fifth number 
. If the average of the five numbers is 
, then 
is the sum of the numbers divided by five:
Solve for 
in the equation:
The fifth number is 
.
Call the fifth number
Solve for
The fifth number is
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
Bobby is five years older than his sister Geri. In ten years, Geri's age will be thirty years less than twice Bobby's age. How old is Bobby now?
Bobby is five years older than his sister Geri. In ten years, Geri's age will be thirty years less than twice Bobby's age. How old is Bobby now?
Tap to reveal answer
Let 
be Bobby's age. Since Geri is five years younger, her age is five years subtracted from Bobby's age, or 
.
In ten years, both will have had ten years added to their ages, so Bobby will be 
and Geri will be 
.
Twice Bobby's age will be 
, and Geri will be thirty years less than this, or 
. Set the two expressions for Geri's age in five years equal to each other and solve for 
.
Distribute:
Collect like terms:
Apply the subtraction property of equality and collect like terms:
Apply the addition property of equality:
Bobby is fifteen years old.
Let
In ten years, both will have had ten years added to their ages, so Bobby will be
Twice Bobby's age will be
Distribute:
Collect like terms:
Apply the subtraction property of equality and collect like terms:
Apply the addition property of equality:
Bobby is fifteen years old.
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
The mean of 
, 
, 
, and 
is 125; the mean of 
, 
, 
, and 
is 150. Which of the following gives the sum of 
and 
if the mean of 
, 
, 
, 
, 
, and 
is 
?
The mean of
Tap to reveal answer
Since the mean of the four numbers 
, 
, 
, and 
is 125,
Similarly,
Add the two sums:
The mean of 
, 
, 
, 
, 
, and 
is 
, so
So:
Since the mean of the four numbers
Similarly,
Add the two sums:
The mean of
So:
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
Eddie, Freida, Grant, Helene, and Ira represented Washington High in a math contest. The team score was the sum of the three highest scores. Grant outscored Eddie and Freida; Helene outscored Grant; Freida outscored Ira. Which three students' scores were added to determine the team score?
Eddie, Freida, Grant, Helene, and Ira represented Washington High in a math contest. The team score was the sum of the three highest scores. Grant outscored Eddie and Freida; Helene outscored Grant; Freida outscored Ira. Which three students' scores were added to determine the team score?
Tap to reveal answer
Let 
be Eddie's, Freida's, Grant's, Helene's and Ira's scores. Each of the following statements can be translated into inequalities as follows:
Grant outscored Eddie and Freida:
Helene outscored Grant:
Freida ourtscored Ira:
The first and third statements can be combined to form the three-part inequality:
The second, third, and fourth statements can be combined to form the four-part inequality:
Since Helene and Grant were the top two finishers, their scores were counted. However, it cannot be determined which student finished third from these statements. Therefore, insufficient information is given to answer the question.
Let
Grant outscored Eddie and Freida:
Helene outscored Grant:
Freida ourtscored Ira:
The first and third statements can be combined to form the three-part inequality:
The second, third, and fourth statements can be combined to form the four-part inequality:
Since Helene and Grant were the top two finishers, their scores were counted. However, it cannot be determined which student finished third from these statements. Therefore, insufficient information is given to answer the question.
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
Which of the following sentences is represented by the equation
?
Which of the following sentences is represented by the equation
Tap to reveal answer
is the square root of 
, which in turn can be written as "the sum of a number and five"; 
can subsequently be written as "the square root of the sum of a number and five". Since 
, 
is six greater than 
, the number, so the equation can be stated as "The square root of the sum of a number and five is six greater than the number."
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
In a math contest, the team from Jefferson High comprised Velma, Wendell, Yancy, and Zack. Velma outscored Zack by 12 points, Zack outscored Yancy by 22 points, and Wendell scored 98 points. The team score was 391. Order the four students from greatest score to least score.
In a math contest, the team from Jefferson High comprised Velma, Wendell, Yancy, and Zack. Velma outscored Zack by 12 points, Zack outscored Yancy by 22 points, and Wendell scored 98 points. The team score was 391. Order the four students from greatest score to least score.
Tap to reveal answer
If we let 
be Yancy's xcore, then, since Zack outscored Yancy by 22, Zack scored 
. Velma outscored Zack by 12, so Velma scored 
.
The sum of the four scores is the team score, or 391. Since Wendell scored 98, we can add the four expressions to get 391, then solve for 
:
Yancy scored 79; Zack scored 22 more than Yancy, or 101; Velma scored 12 more than Zack, or 113. Wendell scored 98, so the correct ordering, greatest to least, is: Velma, Zack, Wendell, Yancy.
If we let
The sum of the four scores is the team score, or 391. Since Wendell scored 98, we can add the four expressions to get 391, then solve for
Yancy scored 79; Zack scored 22 more than Yancy, or 101; Velma scored 12 more than Zack, or 113. Wendell scored 98, so the correct ordering, greatest to least, is: Velma, Zack, Wendell, Yancy.
← Didn't Know|Knew It →
What is the mean of the set below?
What is the mean of the set below?
Tap to reveal answer
The first step is to convert the set 
to fractions that have a common denominator of 12. This gives us:
The mean is then calculated by dividing the sum of the numbers in the set by the number of items in the set.
The sum of the items in the set is: 
There are 4 items in the set, so the sum must be divided by 4 (or multiplied by 
).
This results in:
The first step is to convert the set
The mean is then calculated by dividing the sum of the numbers in the set by the number of items in the set.
The sum of the items in the set is:
There are 4 items in the set, so the sum must be divided by 4 (or multiplied by
This results in:
← Didn't Know|Knew It →