Entry Level 3: Measures, Shape & Data

A cafe receipt shows a total of four pounds and six pence. Which amount is this written correctly in decimal notation?

• A£4.60
• B£4.06✓
• C£4.006
• D£40.06

Answer: Four pounds and six pence is written as £4.06, with the 0 holding the tens-of-pence place so the 6 sits correctly in the pence column. Decimal money notation always uses exactly two digits after the point for pence. The other options swap the digits, add an extra decimal place, or move the decimal point to the wrong position.

A shopper buys a sandwich for £2.35 and a bottle of water for £1.20. How much do the two items cost together?

• A£3.50
• B£3.55✓
• C£3.45
• D£3.65

Answer: Adding £2.35 and £1.20 gives £3.55 in total. Adding the pence and the pounds separately, then combining them, gives this figure. The other totals come from a small error in adding the pence.

A plumber's invoice comes to £47.60. What is this rounded to the nearest £1?

• A£50
• B£46
• C£47
• D£48✓

Answer: £47.60 rounds to £48 because the amount is more than halfway between £47 and £48. Looking at the pence decides whether a money amount rounds up or down to the nearest pound. The other options round in the wrong direction or by the wrong amount.

A newsagent's till shows a total of £3.24. What is this rounded to the nearest 10p?

• A£3.25
• B£3.20✓
• C£3.30
• D£3.00

Answer: £3.24 rounds to £3.20 because 4p is closer to 0p than to 10p. Looking at the final digit of the pence decides whether an amount rounds up or down to the nearest 10p. The other options round in the wrong direction or to the wrong unit.

A dentist's appointment card says the appointment is at 9:15 in the morning. How should this time be written using am or pm?

• A9:15pm
• B9:50am
• C9:15am✓
• D9:15

Answer: A morning time before midday is written with am, so 9:15 in the morning is 9:15am. Am marks any time from midnight up to, but not including, midday. The other options either use the wrong marker or change the time itself.

A train timetable shows a departure at 18:40. What is this time using the 12-hour clock?

• A6:40am
• B8:40pm
• C6:40pm✓
• D7:40pm

Answer: 18:40 on the 24-hour clock is 6:40pm on the 12-hour clock, found by subtracting 12 from the hours once past midday. Subtracting 12 from any 24-hour time over 12:00 gives the matching pm time. The other options either keep the time as am or shift the hour incorrectly.

A works canteen closes at 13:52. How many minutes is that after 1pm?

• A48 minutes
• B52 minutes✓
• C38 minutes
• D42 minutes

Answer: 13:52 is 52 minutes after 1pm, since the digits shown after the colon give the minutes past the hour. Reading the last two digits of a 24-hour time gives the minutes past that hour directly. The other options misread the minutes shown on the clock.

A market trader has two lengths of rope: one measures 4 metres and the other measures 350 centimetres. Which rope is longer?

• AThey are the same length
• BNot enough information to tell
• CThe 4m rope✓
• DThe 350cm rope

Answer: The 4-metre rope equals 400 centimetres, which is longer than the 350-centimetre rope. Comparing both lengths in the same unit shows the 4-metre rope is longer. The ropes are not the same length, and there is enough information given to compare them directly.

A large water container holds 2 litres and a smaller jug holds 1,200 millilitres. Which one holds more liquid?

• AThey hold the same amount
• BThe 1,200ml jug
• CThe 2-litre container✓
• DNot enough information to tell

Answer: The 2-litre container equals 2,000 millilitres, which is more than the 1,200ml jug. Comparing both amounts in the same unit shows the container holds more. The two are not equal, and there is enough information given to compare them directly.

A parcel weighs 1.2kg and a letter weighs 700g. Which item is heavier?

• ANot enough information to tell
• BThey weigh the same
• CThe letter
• DThe parcel✓

Answer: The parcel's weight of 1.2kg equals 1,200 grams, which is heavier than the letter's 700g. Comparing both weights in the same unit shows the parcel is heavier. The two do not weigh the same, and there is enough information given to compare them directly.

A greengrocer has two sacks of potatoes: one weighs 2kg and the other weighs 1,800g. Which sack is heavier?

• ANot enough information to tell
• BThey weigh the same
• CThe 2kg sack✓
• DThe 1,800g sack

Answer: The 2kg sack equals 2,000 grams, which is heavier than the 1,800g sack. Comparing both weights in the same unit shows the 2kg sack is heavier. The two do not weigh the same, and there is enough information given to compare them directly.

A fridge thermometer reads 4°C and a room thermometer reads 21°C. How many degrees warmer is the room than the fridge?

• A17°C✓
• B15°C
• C25°C
• D19°C

Answer: 21°C minus 4°C is 17°C, so the room is 17 degrees warmer than the fridge. Subtracting the lower temperature from the higher one gives the difference between them. The other options come from a small error in this subtraction.

A joiner needs to check the exact mass of a box of screws before posting it. Which instrument should they use?

• AA tape measure
• BA litre jug
• CA set of scales✓
• DA thermometer

Answer: A set of scales measures mass, so it is the right instrument for weighing a box of screws. Choosing an instrument depends on matching it to the quantity being measured, here mass rather than length, temperature or liquid volume. The other instruments measure length, temperature or liquid capacity instead.

A square tile is examined for its lines of symmetry. How many lines of symmetry does a square have?

• A3
• B2
• C1
• D4✓

Answer: A square has 4 lines of symmetry: two through the middle of opposite sides and two through opposite corners. Each of these four lines divides the square into two matching, mirror-image halves. The other numbers undercount the lines of symmetry a square actually has.

A carpenter checks the corners of a rectangular door frame. How many right angles does a rectangle have?

• A1
• B4✓
• C2
• D3

Answer: A rectangle has 4 right angles, one at each of its four corners. This is part of the definition of a rectangle, along with having two pairs of equal, parallel sides. The other numbers undercount the right angles a rectangle contains.

A joiner is sorting shapes into a box reserved for shapes with at least one right angle. Which of these shapes belongs in the box: a circle, a regular pentagon, an equilateral triangle, or a rectangle?

• AA regular pentagon
• BA circle
• CAn equilateral triangle
• DA rectangle✓

Answer: A rectangle has four right angles, so it belongs in the box. A circle has no angles at all, and a regular pentagon and an equilateral triangle have angles that are not right angles. Sorting shapes by whether they contain a right angle is a common way to group them by their properties.

A hiker leaves a campsite heading north-east, then turns to face the direction exactly opposite. Which direction are they now facing?

• ASouth-west✓
• BSouth-east
• CNorth-east
• DNorth-west

Answer: South-west is the direction directly opposite north-east on a compass. Turning to face the opposite direction always means turning through a half turn, and on an eight-point compass north-east sits directly opposite south-west. The other directions are not directly opposite north-east.

A security guard on patrol makes a quarter turn clockwise while facing north. Which direction are they now facing?

• ANorth
• BSouth
• CWest
• DEast✓

Answer: A quarter turn clockwise from north faces east. Each quarter turn clockwise moves round one compass point in a fixed cycle: north to east, east to south, south to west, and west to north. The other directions do not match a single clockwise quarter turn from north.

A gym's frequency table records member visits over four days: Monday 43, Friday 28, Sunday 41, Saturday 22. Which day had the highest number of visits?

• AMonday✓
• BSunday
• CSaturday
• DFriday

Answer: Monday had the highest number of visits, with 43, which is more than any of the other three days listed. Comparing each frequency in the table against the others identifies the largest value. The other days all have a lower recorded frequency than Monday.

A clinic's line graph shows flu vaccinations given each month: 60 in October, 85 in November, and 50 in December. Between which two months did vaccinations increase the most?

• ASeptember to October
• BNovember to December
• COctober to November✓
• DOctober to December

Answer: Vaccinations rose from 60 to 85 between October and November, a rise of 25, which is the biggest increase shown on the graph. Reading the values at each point on a line graph and finding the difference between neighbouring months shows where the change is greatest. The other options either cover a fall in vaccinations or a pair of months not shown on the graph.

A lunch break starts at 12 noon. How is this time shown on a 24-hour digital clock?

• A00:00
• B13:00
• C12:00✓
• D24:00

Answer: Noon is the middle of the day, and on the 24-hour clock it is written as 12:00. Midnight is the start of the day and is shown as 00:00. Times after noon carry on counting up, so 1pm is 13:00.

A night-shift worker clocks in at 00:15 on a 24-hour clock. What is this time using am or pm?

• A1:15pm
• B12:15pm
• C1:15am
• D12:15am✓

Answer: On the 24-hour clock, 00:00 is midnight, so 00:15 is fifteen minutes after midnight. Times from midnight to noon are am, and the hour just after midnight is called 12, so it is 12:15am. 12:15pm would be a quarter past noon.

A shop's lunchtime order deadline is 11:59am. How is this time written on a 24-hour clock?

• A12:59
• B11:59✓
• C00:59
• D23:59

Answer: Morning times on the 24-hour clock keep the same hour, so 11:59am is written as 11:59. Adding 12 hours is only done for pm times, which is why 23:59 would be one minute before midnight.