GED Sample Test Questions
Correct Answer Key
Language Arts, Writing
1. Answer 3: The use of the original verb form,
“have resulted,” implies that the applicant and the employer
have already been working together. However, because the applicant is
actually seeking employment, it is clear that he has not worked with
this company before. The verb form “would result”
effectively conveys the possibility for a profitable future relationship
for both if the applicant were to be hired.
2. Answer 5: This question requires you to identify the
sentence fragment and revise it so that the resulting sentence (which
combines the first sentence and the fragment) is structured more
effectively.
3. Answer 2: I n the original sentence, the words
between the commas separate main sentence parts, thereby interrupting
the clear flow of ideas. By moving the distracting words to the
beginning of the sentence and following with “I will be
able...,” the relationship of holding the position and being able
to put skills and knowledge into practice is clarified.
4. Answer 4: This question requires you to recognize
that paragraph B needs a topic sentence. You must refer to the entire
paragraph to select the most effective topic sentence. In organizational
questions of this type, all five alternatives are grammatically correct,
but because of problems in tone or content, only one alternative is
appropriate.
5. Answer 3: In this list of three categories that
appear on the applicant’s resume, a comma must be used to separate
the first and second items.
6. Answer 1: This organizational question requires you
to study the entire document to determine where an effective paragraph
break should occur. A paragraph starting with sentence 3 would clearly
summarize and highlight the applicant’s educational and
professional qualifications.
Social Studies
1. Answer 4: This application question requires you to
focus on a universal immigration issue that is related to the
information but newly introduced by the question, It is a general case
of a concrete situation that faces all countries—that is, the
regulation of immigration to a country. The concept of scarcity (4) is
the only logical reason for restrictions among the alternatives
offered.
2. Answer 5: (1), (2), (3), and (4) are all facts
stated or implied in the passage. (5) is what many immigrants have hoped
for, but whether they have found a better life is unknown.
3. Answer 3: This comprehension question requires you
to interpret the symbolic meaning of the person wearing the cape and to
understand the meaning of the words between the two legislators in the
cartoon. The answer shows the connection between cartoon superheroes and
politics in the United States—senior citizens in the United States
had considerable political clout at the time this cartoon was
printed.
4. Answer 1: This analysis question requires you to
understand that senior citizens have responded unfavorably to certain
congressional plans that deal with federally funded health and welfare
insurance programs that affect seniors’ lives. You must know that
a powerful political lobby exists in the United States that supports
seniors’ desire for federal support for social insurance programs.
There is insufficient or contradictory evidence in the cartoon regarding
(2), (3), (4), and (5).
5. Answer 4: This evaluation question requires you to
understand how to read the results of a customer survey. You must also
recognize information that supports the correct generalization that
customers tend to perceive that they receive faster service from
businesses that sell fewer brands of a certain product (in this case,
computers). Technodazzle satisfied 100% of its customers for service
promptness—more than any other—and it sold only one brand of
computer (4). All of the other companies (1), (2), (3), and (5) scored
lower in service promptness and sold more brands of computers than
Technodazzle. Technodazzle shoppers also rated the company higher in the
“reliable advice” category than did the other shoppers in
their experiences at other stores.
6. Answer 1: This application question
requires the candidate to read and understand a short excerpt from the
U.S. Declaration of Independence. The candidate must understand the
meaning of “unalienable Rights” in the document and
determine which, among several political actions taken by the U.S.
government, have elements that deny the right to “Life, Liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness.” Slavery, though legal at the time
and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, denied liberty and political
rights to many blacks in the United States and its territories in 1857
(1). The Fifteenth (2), the Nineteenth (3), and the Twenty-sixth (5)
Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, and the 1964 Civil Rights Act (4)
actually extended political rights to more and more people in the United
States.
Language Arts, Reading
1. Answer 4: The clear statement in this section of the
excerpt—"Gifts for Influence"—is that this kind of business
dealing is unacceptable to this company.
2. Answer 1: This level of comprehension
question is slightly more difficult than the previous question because
the answer is implied but not stated. Alternatives (2) and (3) are
distracters requiring that you read the passage with accuracy and
precision.
3. Answer 3: This analysis question requires you to
closely read a specific line in the text integrated with the
content.
4. Answer 5: This question requires you to
analyze the rules about conflict of interest to conclude that
alternative (5) would be an example of this issue.
5. Answer 4: With the exception of
alternative (4), all of the other alternatives use a similar
instructional tone as in most of the excerpt. Alternative (4) is the
only example of the milder language that appears occasionally in the
excerpt to soften the strong tone.
6. Answer 2: The strongest distracter for this question
is alternative (3) because it references “rules for
behavior,” which is an attractive choice. However, the excerpt
does not contain any warnings or consequences, which the second half of
this distracter mentions.
7. Answer 5: This is another example of a synthesis
question. As described in Question 7, the stem of the question gives an
additional piece of information that you must consider with the
information from the passage. In this case, the new information covers a
completely different area of employee behavior. The conclusion must be
drawn that the company is very strict about employee behavior in at
least these two discrete areas. The clear implication is that employees
are probably held to high expectations in all areas, and a prudent
prospective employee might want to be forearmed with this
information.
8. Answer 2: The stem for this question casts the
excerpt in a completely new light. Now you must consider the rules from
the point of view of the owner who wishes to enforce them, rather than
the employee who wishes to obey them. Furthermore, the employer wants to
identify a person to enforce the rules and is considering the
characteristics that person must possess.
Science
1. Answer 4: Clay soil absorbs and holds more water
than sandy soil. Its ability to swell or shrink as the water content
changes should help to maintain the pond by retaining more water.
Because of its shifting characteristics, clay soil would not be a good
choice for building a stable foundation.
2. Answer 4: In osmosis, water flows through a cell
membrane in the direction of a higher concentration of water molecules
to a lower concentration. In this example, the highest initial
concentration of water molecules is located in area A, the soil, and the
lowest concentration of water molecules is found in area B—the
large root hair. The process of osmosis will continue from area A to B
until the concentration of water molecules is balanced between the root
hair and the soil.
3. Answer 2: In a salt solution, microscopic particles
of salt will pass through either a cloth or paper filter and will be
unaffected by bubbling or spinning in a mixer, making (1), (3), (4), and
(5) incorrect. Only (2)—boiling the water—will leave a salty
residue on the original container.
4. Answer 3: To be buoyant, an object must displace an
amount of liquid at least equal to its weight. Any action that makes the
tank heavier than the weight of the liquid it displaces will prevent the
tank from floating. All the alternatives except (3) will make the tank
heavier than the weight of the liquid displaced. Therefore, only (3)
will allow the tank to float off the bottom of the pit.
5. Answer 1: The viscosity of a liquid—its
internal resistance to flow—is closely related to its temperature.
As a liquid's temperature decreases, and it gets colder, the viscosity
of that liquid will increase. Only alternative (1) mentions temperature
as a factor.
Mathematics
For additional information about preparing for the Mathematics
Test, please review the Formulas
page, the page on Using
the Calculator, and the Alternate
Formats page.
1. Answer: 3. The Math formulas page will be helpful
for this question. You must use the appropriate formula for the volume
of a cylinder and recognize that its radius is half of the diameter
shown. Once the volume is computed that answer is divided by 4000. Since
only whole gallons are to be poured into the bucket the quotient is
rounded down. The concept of rounding up or down (as appropriate
to a particular situation) to produce a whole-number answer is an
important one for you to understand.
Volume of bucket: (3.14) x (20)² x (60) = 75,360
cm³
75,360 ÷ 4000= 18.84 gallons
The answer is rounded down because 19 whole gallons would not
fit. Final answer: 18 gallons.
2. Answer: 4. You must recognize similar triangles in
the diagram and set up the correct proportion, which could be expressed
as:  .
Letting AB be represented by x and substituting the
other measures from the diagram, the proportion is then solved for the
unknown measure:  .
Cross-multiplying: 10x = 1000
Dividing by 10: x = 100
The final answer is 100 feet.
3. Answer: 2. You must recognize that the perimeter of
the rectangle must be found and multiplied by the cost per foot of the
trim used. The cell locations become the variables in the formula.
(perimeter of rectangular window) times (price per foot of wood
trim)
(2 x length + 2 x width) x price per foot
(2 x A7 + 2 x B7) x C7
4. Answer: 2. The paycheck would be added to the
existing balance, and the checks written would be subtracted. The
realistic amounts in the question would require considerable time for
the arithmetic to be done by hand, but the values can be entered into
the calculator in one continuous string as they are presented in the
expression.
New balance = Old balance + paycheck
deposited - checks written
New balance = 1219.17 + 2425.66 - 850.00
- 235.89 - 418.37
New balance = $2140.57
5.  Answer: 700. The formula for simple
interest is found on the Formulas
page.This page is also available in the front of the Mathematics
Test.
simple interest = principal x rate x time
simple interest = $5000 x 0.07 x 2
simple interest = $700
Alternate-format responses can be right-, left-, or center-justified, as
shown in the examples below.
Note that mixed numbers such as 3 1/2 cannot be gridded. They must
be changed to a decimal or fraction form. In the case of 3 1/2, the
answer could be gridded as 3.5 or as 7/2.
6.  Answer: 1/4, 0.25, or .25. Since Kyle is
serving four from a recipe designed for eight, he needs 4/8, or 1/2 the
amount of each ingredient. One half of 1/2 teaspoon is found by
multiplying:
(1/2) x (1/2) = 1/4
This answer could be gridded using the decimal equivalent of 1/4,
namely 0.25, or .25, but, in this example, the fraction is gridded to
illustrate the use of the fraction bar.
Note that mixed numbers such as 3 1/2 cannot be gridded. They must
be changed to a decimal or fraction form. In the case of 3 1/2, the
answer could be gridded as 3.5 or as 7/2.
7. Answer: See coordinate plane
grid. The coordinates in the
ordered pair are listed with the x-coordinate (horizontal) first and the
y-coordinate (vertical) second. The point (3, -4) is located in the
lower-right, or fourth, quadrant of the graph.
Please direct questions about this page to:
ged@ace.nche.edu
This page last updated on 12/10/2008
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