ASVAB practice questions and exam guide

Obsolete most nearly means:

1. rarely encountered
2. easily broken apart
3. unusually expensive
4. no longer in use

Answer: D — no longer in use

D) Right — obsolete describes something replaced by newer methods or equipment. A) Rarely encountered confuses scarcity with disuse; a rare tool may still be current. B) Easily broken apart borrows from fragile. C) Unusually expensive tempts readers who think of costly legacy parts.

ARDUOUS most nearly means:

1. Effortless
2. Difficult and tiring
3. Quick
4. Joyful

Answer: B — Difficult and tiring

A) Opposite. B) Arduous = involving great effort. C/D) Unrelated.

Diligent most nearly means:

1. unusually clever
2. easily damaged
3. strictly honest
4. always hardworking

Answer: D — always hardworking

D) Right — diligent describes persistent, careful effort. A) Unusually clever substitutes talent for effort. B) Easily damaged echoes delicate, a look-alike word. C) Strictly honest is a virtue often paired with diligence but not its meaning.

Before the first railroads, each town kept its own time from the local noon sun, so clocks a hundred miles apart could differ by several minutes. That was tolerable for a stagecoach and impossible for a timetable. Rail companies pushed for wide zones of uniform time, and by the end of the century most of the country had accepted them. The change came from commerce rather than from any scientific discovery. The main idea of this passage is that:

1. local sun time varied by several minutes between nearby towns
2. railroads once ran on published timetables printed for passengers
3. scientists of the period were unable to measure time accurately
4. the need for railroad scheduling drove the adoption of time zones

Answer: D — the need for railroad scheduling drove the adoption of time zones

D) Right — the passage traces standard time to commercial pressure from the railroads. A) True and stated, but it is the setup rather than the point. B) Timetables are mentioned in passing and cover far less than the passage says. C) The passage denies a scientific origin but never claims scientists lacked accuracy.

This notice explains how to read the meter on the side of your building so you can check a bill before disputing it. The dials alternate direction: some read clockwise, some counterclockwise. Always record the lower number when a pointer sits between two digits. Read the dials from left to right and write the digits in that order. Comparing two readings a month apart gives your own usage figure. The author's main purpose in this passage is to:

1. argue that utility bills are frequently calculated wrong
2. describe the mechanical design of a modern utility meter
3. instruct readers on how to take their own meter reading
4. warn readers about the cost of disputing a utility bill

Answer: C — instruct readers on how to take their own meter reading

C) Right — the passage is a sequence of directions for reading the meter. A) Disputes are mentioned as a motive, but the author makes no claim that bills are often wrong. B) The dials are described only far enough to be read, not as a design account. D) No cost or warning about disputing appears anywhere.

Sound travels faster through steel than through air because the particles in a solid sit closer together and pass a vibration along sooner. That is why a worker can hear a hammer strike through a long pipe before the sound arrives through the open air. Temperature matters too: warm air carries sound faster than cold air. Density alone does not settle the question. It can be inferred that sound moves fastest through:

1. cold air in an open outdoor space
2. warm air inside a heated building
3. a solid metal bar of some length
4. a vacuum with no particles at all

Answer: C — a solid metal bar of some length

C) Right — the passage puts steel ahead of air, and the pipe example confirms it. A) Cold air is the slowest medium named. B) Warm air beats cold air but still trails the solid. D) A vacuum has no particles to pass the vibration, so no sound travels at all.

A car travels 180 miles in 3 hours. Average speed?

1. 30 mph
2. 45 mph
3. 60 mph
4. 90 mph

Answer: C — 60 mph

Speed = distance / time = 180/3 = 60 mph. A) Got 30; possibly divided incorrectly. B) Closer to 135/3. C) Correct. D) Closer to 270/3.

Two vehicles leave the same point at the same time and drive in opposite directions, one at 55 miles per hour and one at 65 miles per hour. After how long are they 240 miles apart?

1. 1.5 hours
2. 2 hours
3. 2.4 hours
4. 4 hours

Answer: B — 2 hours

B) Right — they separate at 55 plus 65, or 120 miles per hour, and 240 divided by 120 is 2 hours. A) 1.5 uses a separation rate of 160, adding an extra vehicle's speed. C) 2.4 divides 240 by 100, a rounded combined speed. D) 4 divides 240 by 60, using an average of the two speeds instead of their sum.

If 3x + 7 = 22, what is x?

1. 3
2. 5
3. 7
4. 15

Answer: B — 5

3x = 22 − 7 = 15. x = 5. A) Got 3 too early. B) Correct. C) That's 22 − 15. D) That's 3x, not x.

If sin θ = 3/5, what is cos θ for the same acute angle?

1. 3/4
2. 5/3
3. 4/5
4. 5/4

Answer: C — 4/5

3-4-5 triangle: cos θ = adjacent/hyp = 4/5. A) Tan. C) Correct. C/D) Reciprocals.

Which describes a common misconception about heat and temperature?

1. Heat is energy transfer; temperature measures average kinetic energy
2. They are interchangeable
3. Temperature is energy; heat is just a feeling
4. Both are measured in joules

Answer: A — Heat is energy transfer; temperature measures average kinetic energy

B) Common misconception. A) Heat is energy in transit; temperature is the average kinetic energy of particles. C) Reversed and inaccurate. D) Temperature uses degrees.

Which blood vessels return blood to the heart?

1. Arteries
2. Capillaries
3. Veins
4. Arterioles

Answer: C — Veins

A) Arteries carry blood away from the heart. B) Capillaries connect arterioles and venules. C) Veins return blood to the heart. D) Arterioles are small arteries.

Power in watts equals:

1. V × I
2. V / I
3. I / V
4. V + I

Answer: A — V × I

A) P = VI. B/C/D) Wrong relationships.

DC current means:

1. The current alternates direction
2. The current flows in only one direction
3. The current is variable
4. The current is zero

Answer: B — The current flows in only one direction

A) That's AC. B) Correct — DC = direct current; one-direction flow, like a battery. C) Both AC and DC can be variable. D) DC can have any non-zero value.

A block and tackle supports a load on four rope sections running to the movable block. Ignoring friction, the pull needed to raise a 400-pound load is which of the following?

1. 400 pounds, since pulleys only change pull direction
2. 1600 pounds, since each rope carries the full load
3. 200 pounds, since a tackle always halves the effort
4. 100 pounds, since four ropes share the load

Answer: D — 100 pounds, since four ropes share the load

D) Correct — mechanical advantage equals the supporting rope sections, so 400 divided by 4 is 100 pounds, though the rope must be pulled four times as far. A) tempts because a single fixed pulley does only redirect force. B) tempts by multiplying instead of dividing. C) tempts by assuming every tackle gives a 2-to-1 advantage.

Friction in a machine typically:

1. Increases efficiency
2. Reduces efficiency by converting some energy to heat
3. Has no effect
4. Stores energy

Answer: B — Reduces efficiency by converting some energy to heat

A) Opposite. B) Friction wastes energy as heat. C/D) Wrong.

In a disc brake assembly, the component that squeezes the pads against the rotor is which of the following?

1. The wheel cylinder, which pushes shoes outward
2. The master cylinder, which generates system pressure
3. The drum, which surrounds the friction surfaces
4. The caliper, which clamps the pads onto the rotor

Answer: D — The caliper, which clamps the pads onto the rotor

D) Correct — hydraulic pressure moves caliper pistons that clamp the pads to both faces of the rotor. A) tempts because it is the matching part in a drum brake, applied to the wrong system. B) tempts because the master cylinder does create pressure, but it sits at the pedal. C) tempts as a brake part, but drums belong to the other brake type.

During which stroke are both valves closed and the spark plug fires near the top of the piston travel?

1. The intake stroke, as the fresh charge enters the cylinder
2. The end of compression, just before the power stroke begins
3. The exhaust stroke, as burned gases leave through the port
4. The overlap period, while both valves are partly open

Answer: B — The end of compression, just before the power stroke begins

B) Correct — ignition occurs with both valves sealed as the piston nears top dead center on compression, starting the power stroke. A) tempts because the intake valve is central to combustion, yet an open valve cannot hold compression. C) tempts because the exhaust valve opens after burning, not during ignition. D) tempts because overlap is a real event, but both valves open is the opposite of sealed.

Which tool is intended to shave thin, controlled layers from a wood surface to flatten or smooth it?

1. A rasp, which removes stock quickly with coarse teeth
2. A plane, whose blade shaves a thin curl of wood
3. A cold chisel, driven to cut and shear metal stock
4. A coping saw, whose thin blade cuts tight curves

Answer: B — A plane, whose blade shaves a thin curl of wood

B) Correct — a plane's iron projects slightly through a flat sole so it removes a controlled shaving. A) tempts because a rasp also removes wood, but it tears rather than flattens. C) tempts because chisels do pare wood, yet a cold chisel is a metalworking tool. D) tempts as a woodworking tool used for cutting shapes, not surfacing.

Purpose of a torque wrench?

1. Cut metal
2. Measure rotational force when tightening a fastener
3. Drive nails
4. Sharpen tools

Answer: B — Measure rotational force when tightening a fastener

A) Saw or cutter does that. B) Correct — torque wrench applies a specified rotational force; prevents over- or under-tightening. C) Hammer's job. D) File or grinder.

On the Assembling Objects subtest, all of the following are legitimate elimination cues EXCEPT which one?

1. A piece present in the choice that was not in the prompt
2. A piece drawn noticeably larger or smaller than the original
3. A connection line ending somewhere other than the labelled point
4. An assembled figure whose finished outline is asymmetric

Answer: D — An assembled figure whose finished outline is asymmetric

D) Correct as the exception — nothing requires the finished figure to be symmetric, so asymmetry eliminates nothing. A) is a valid cue because piece sets must match exactly. B) is valid because scaling is never allowed. C) is valid because labelled points are the specification in connection items.

The Assembling Objects (AO) subtest tests:

1. Mechanical knowledge
2. Spatial visualization (mentally fitting puzzle pieces)
3. Memorization
4. Math computation

Answer: B — Spatial visualization (mentally fitting puzzle pieces)

A) MC tests mechanical knowledge. B) Correct — AO measures spatial reasoning by asking how puzzle-piece shapes connect. Especially important for technical military jobs. C) Not memorization. D) That's MK/AR.

Which 4 subtests determine the AFQT score?

1. GS, EI, AS, MC
2. AR, MK, WK, PC
3. GS, AR, MK, AS
4. AR, MK, MC, AO

Answer: B — AR, MK, WK, PC

A) Those are technical subtests, not AFQT. B) Correct — Arithmetic Reasoning + Math Knowledge + Word Knowledge + Paragraph Comprehension determine AFQT, the enlistment-eligibility percentile. C/D) Mix of AFQT and non-AFQT subtests.

The key procedural difference between the CAT-ASVAB and the paper version is which of the following?

1. The paper version is adaptive while the CAT is fixed length
2. The CAT has no time limits while the paper version does
3. The CAT does not allow returning to a previous question
4. The CAT covers fewer subtests than the paper form covers

Answer: C — The CAT does not allow returning to a previous question

C) Correct — once an answer is submitted on the CAT it cannot be revisited or changed, whereas the paper form allows review within a subtest. A) tempts by reversing which format adapts. B) tempts because CAT time pressure feels lower, but time limits still apply. D) tempts by suggesting a content difference; both cover the same subject areas.

Unit of current?

Ampere (amp, A).

If a shirt costs $40 and is marked down 25%, sale price?

$30. (40 - 10.)

How do you convert a rate given per hour into a rate per minute, and cost per unit into total cost?

Divide an hourly rate by 60 to get a per-minute rate. • Total cost = unit cost x number of units, so 12 items at $2.25 cost $27.00.

How do you compute the mechanical advantage of a lever?

Divide the effort arm length by the resistance arm length. • With effort applied 6 feet from the fulcrum and the load 2 feet away, mechanical advantage is 3, so 100 pounds of effort lifts 300 pounds.

What causes Earth's seasons?

The tilt of Earth's axis, about 23.5 degrees, which changes the angle and duration of sunlight over the year. • Distance from the Sun is not the cause.

Atomic number = ?

Number of protons in nucleus.