GED Social Studies Preparation Course: Using numbers, tables and graphs

1. Question 1 of 15

   The table shows voter turnout in a state election. Which age group had the highest turnout?

   Age group	Turnout (%)
   18–29	51
   30–44	62
   45–64	71
   65 and older	76

   • A30–44
   • B65 and older
   • C18–29
   • D45–64
   Show answer

   Answer: B. 65 and older

   76% is the largest value in the table, so voters 65 and older had the highest turnout.

2. Question 2 of 15

   Based on the table, which statement best describes the pattern?

   Age group	Turnout (%)
   18–29	51
   30–44	62
   45–64	71
   65 and older	76

   • AYounger voters turn out more than older voters
   • BTurnout rises as age group increases
   • CTurnout falls as age group increases
   • DTurnout is about the same for every age group
   Show answer

   Answer: B. Turnout rises as age group increases

   Each older group has a higher turnout: 51, 62, 71, 76.

3. Question 3 of 15

   What is the mean (average) monthly rainfall shown in the table?

   Month	Rainfall (inches)
   March	2
   April	6
   May	4
   June	9
   July	4

   • A4 inches
   • B5 inches
   • C9 inches
   • D25 inches
   Show answer

   Answer: B. 5 inches

   Add the values and divide by the number of months: (2 + 6 + 4 + 9 + 4) ÷ 5 = 25 ÷ 5 = 5 inches.

4. Question 4 of 15

   What is the range of the monthly rainfall in the table?

   Month	Rainfall (inches)
   March	2
   April	6
   May	4
   June	9
   July	4

   • A5 inches
   • B2 inches
   • C7 inches
   • D9 inches
   Show answer

   Answer: C. 7 inches

   Range = highest − lowest = 9 − 2 = 7 inches.

5. Question 5 of 15

   What is the mode of the monthly rainfall in the table?

   Month	Rainfall (inches)
   March	2
   April	6
   May	4
   June	9
   July	4

   • A4 inches
   • B9 inches
   • C5 inches
   • D6 inches
   Show answer

   Answer: A. 4 inches

   The mode is the value that appears most often. 4 appears twice (May and July).

6. Question 6 of 15

   What is the median hourly wage of the six workers in the table?

   Worker	Hourly wage
   A	$12
   B	$30
   C	$18
   D	$41
   E	$15
   F	$22

   • A$18
   • B$23
   • C$20
   • D$22
   Show answer

   Answer: C. $20

   Order the wages: 12, 15, 18, 22, 30, 41. With six values, the median is the mean of the middle two: (18 + 22) ÷ 2 = $20.

7. Question 7 of 15

   A town's population grew from 3,000 to 3,450. What was the percent increase?

   • A45%
   • B450%
   • C13%
   • D15%
   Show answer

   Answer: D. 15%

   Percent change = (new − old) ÷ old × 100 = 450 ÷ 3,000 × 100 = 15%.

8. Question 8 of 15

   Which county had the higher rate of car thefts per 1,000 people?

   County	Population	Car thefts last year
   North	200,000	500
   South	40,000	160

   • ANorth, because it had more thefts in total
   • BSouth, with 4.0 thefts per 1,000 people
   • CThey had the same rate
   • DNorth, with 2.5 thefts per 1,000 people
   Show answer

   Answer: B. South, with 4.0 thefts per 1,000 people

   Rate = thefts ÷ population × 1,000. North: 500 ÷ 200,000 × 1,000 = 2.5. South: 160 ÷ 40,000 × 1,000 = 4.0.

9. Question 9 of 15

   A city's total budget is $8 million. Using the table, how much goes to roads?

   City budget item	Share of budget
   Police and fire	35%
   Roads	20%
   Parks	10%
   Schools	25%
   Other	10%

   • A$0.8 million
   • B$1.6 million
   • C$2.8 million
   • D$2.0 million
   Show answer

   Answer: B. $1.6 million

   Roads get 20% of the budget: 0.20 × $8,000,000 = $1,600,000.

10. Question 10 of 15

    The table shows results for a city council race. Which statement is true?

    Candidate	Votes
    Alvarez	4,200
    Brooks	3,900
    Chen	1,900

    • ANo candidate got more votes than the others
    • BAlvarez won a plurality but not a majority
    • CAlvarez won a majority of the votes
    • DBrooks and Chen together got less than half the votes
    Show answer

    Answer: B. Alvarez won a plurality but not a majority

    Alvarez got 4,200 of 10,000 votes, or 42%: the most votes (a plurality) but not more than half (a majority).

11. Question 11 of 15

    A student says the table proves that eating ice cream causes sunburn. Why is this conclusion weak?

    Month	Ice cream sales ($)	Sunburn cases
    April	2,000	15
    June	6,500	48
    August	7,200	55
    October	2,400	18

    • AIce cream sales are measured in dollars, not in the number of cones sold
    • BSunburn cases go down whenever ice cream sales go up
    • CBoth may rise because of a third factor, such as hot, sunny weather
    • DThe table does not list the year of the data
    Show answer

    Answer: C. Both may rise because of a third factor, such as hot, sunny weather

    The two numbers rise and fall together (correlation), but that does not prove one causes the other. Sunny summer weather likely drives both.

12. Question 12 of 15

    A county has 360,000 people and a land area of 1,200 square miles. What is its population density?

    • A300 people per square mile
    • B3,000 people per square mile
    • C0.003 people per square mile
    • D30 people per square mile
    Show answer

    Answer: A. 300 people per square mile

    Population density = people ÷ area = 360,000 ÷ 1,200 = 300 people per square mile.

13. Question 13 of 15

    The table shows a country's trade. What was its trade balance in Year 3?

    Year	Exports ($ billions)	Imports ($ billions)
    Year 1	42	38
    Year 2	45	47
    Year 3	44	52

    • AA deficit of $8 billion
    • BA surplus of $8 billion
    • CA surplus of $4 billion
    • DA deficit of $96 billion
    Show answer

    Answer: A. A deficit of $8 billion

    Trade balance = exports − imports = 44 − 52 = −8. Imports were larger, so it is a deficit of $8 billion.

14. Question 14 of 15

    A parliament has 101 seats. A party needs a majority to form a government on its own. What is the smallest number of seats it needs?

    • A34
    • B50
    • C51
    • D67
    Show answer

    Answer: C. 51

    A majority is more than half. Half of 101 is 50.5, so a party needs at least 51 seats.

15. Question 15 of 15

    Using the timeline, how many years passed between the 19th Amendment and the Voting Rights Act?

    Year	Event
    1920	19th Amendment ratified
    1954	Brown v. Board of Education
    1964	Civil Rights Act
    1965	Voting Rights Act

    • A55 years
    • B34 years
    • C11 years
    • D45 years
    Show answer

    Answer: D. 45 years

    1965 − 1920 = 45 years.

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The real test: 145 on each GED subject test