Basics
Number Sense means knowing your way around numbers.
Number Sense’s core skills involve addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Number Sense might also involve rounding, estimating, sorting, simplifying square roots, and working with powers.
It is possible that questions involving number sense will be in the calculator-prohibited section of the test. In that case, it would be helpful to know your addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division tables.
Question
At a restaurant, a hamburger costs $1.25, french fries cost $0.79, and a drink costs $0.99. The restaurant also offers the above items together as a special at a cost of $2.59. How much money is saved by ordering the special instead of ordering each item separately?
Answer
$0.44
Answer Process
Addition
1.25 + 0.79 + 0.99 = 3.03
Subtraction
3.03 – 2.59 = 0.44
Input | Display | Comment |
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blinker | clears screen |
1.25 + 0.79 + 0.99 | 1.25+0.79+0.99 | Addition |
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3.03 | |
3.03 – 2.59 | 3.03-2.59 | Subtraction |
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0.44 | Answer |
Number Sense |
Question
At a restaurant, a hamburger costs $1.25, french fries cost $0.79, and a drink costs $0.99. The sales tax is $0.18. How much change is received from a ten-dollar bill?
Answer
$6.79
Answer Process
Addition
1.25 + 0.79 + 0.99 + 0.18 = 3.21
Subtraction
10.00 – 3.21 = 6.79
Input | Display | Comment |
![]() |
blinker | clears screen |
1.25 + 0.79 + 0.99 + 0.18 | 1.25+0.79+0.99+0.18 | Addition |
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3.21 | |
10.00 – 3.21 | 10.00-3.21 | Subtraction |
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6.79 | Answer |
Number Sense |
Question
At a restaurant, a hamburger costs $1.25, french fries cost $0.79, and a drink costs $0.99. Bob ordered 2 hamburgers, 3 bags of french fries, and 2 drinks. The sales tax was $0.41. How much change did Bob receive from a ten-dollar bill?
Answer
$2.74
Answer Process
Multiplication and Addition
2×1.25 + 3×0.79 + 2×0.99 + 0.41 = 7.26
Subtraction
10.00 – 7.26 = 2.74
Input | Display | Comment |
![]() |
blinker | clears screen |
2 ×1.25 + 3 × 0.79 + 2 x 0.99 + 0.41 | 2*1.25+3*0.79+2*0.99+0.41 | Multiplication and Addition |
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7.26 | |
10.00 – 7.26 | 10.00-7.26 | Subtraction |
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2.74 | Answer |
Number Sense |
Question
A telephone company charges $40.00 per month for cellphone usage that does not exceed 750 minutes. Any usage over 750 minutes is charged at a rate of $0.45 a minute. If a customer uses a cellphone for 977 minutes in a month, how much will that monthly cellphone bill be?
Answer
$142.15
Answer Process
Subtraction
977 – 750 = 227
Multiplication
0.45 × 227 = 102.15
Addition
40.00 + 102.15 = 142.15
Input | Display | Comment |
![]() |
blinker | clears screen |
977 – 750 | 977-750 | Subtraction |
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227 | |
0.45 × 227 | 0.45*227 | Multiplication |
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102.15 | |
40.00 + 102.15 | 40.00+102.15 | Addition |
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142.15 | Answer |
Number Sense |
Question
With reference to the question above, round your answer to the nearest hundredth.
Answer
$142.20
Answer Process
See Rounding.
Question
A woodchuck chucked 7488 pieces of wood. There are 144 pieces of wood to a bundle. How many bundles of wood did the woodchuck chuck?
Answer
52
Answer Process
Division
7488 ÷ 144 = 52
Input | Display | Comment |
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blinker | clears screen |
7488 ÷ 144 | 7488÷144 | Division |
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52 | Answer |
Number Sense |
Question
At a restaurant, a sandwich costs $1.79, a salad costs $1.29, and a drink costs $0.79. The restaurant also offers the above items together as a special at at cost of $3.49. Without using the calculator, how much money is saved by ordering the special instead of ordering each item separately?
Answer
$0.38
Answer Process
Addition
1.79 + 1.29 + 0.79 = 3.87
Subtraction
3.87 – 3.49 = 0.38
Question
At a restaurant, a sandwich costs $1.79, a salad costs $1.29, and a drink costs $0.79. The sales tax is $0.24. Without using the calculator, how much change is received from a ten-dollar bill?
Answer
$5.89
Answer Process
Addition
1.79 + 1.29 + 0.79 + 0.24 = 4.11
Subtraction
10.00 – 4.11 = 5.89
Question
At a restaurant, a hamburger costs $1.25, french fries cost $0.79, and a drink costs $0.99. Bob ordered 2 hamburgers, 4 bags of french fries, and 2 drinks. The sales tax was $0.47. Without using the calculator, how much change did Bob receive from a ten-dollar bill?
Answer
$2.74
Answer Process
Multiplication and Addition
2×1.25 + 4×0.79 + 2×0.99 + 0.47 = 8.11
Subtraction
10.00 – 8.11 = 1.89
Question
A cable television company charges $40.00 per month for basic service and $9.99 apiece for watching more than 3 movies on a special movie channel each month. Without using the calculator, what is the bill for a viewer who watches 10 movies on the special movie channel in a month?
Answer
$109.93
Answer Process
Subtraction
10 – 3 = 7
Multiplication
9.99 × 7 = 69.93
Addition
40.00 + 69.93 = 109.93
Question
A pig ate 136 pints of slop. There are 8 pints of slop to a gallon. Without using the calculator, how many gallons did the pig eat?
Answer
17
Answer Process
Division
136 ÷ 8 = 17
Practice – Questions
1. At a hardware store, a hammer costs $7.99, a screwdriver costs $9.99, and a chisel costs $8.99. The hardware store also offers the above items together as a special at a cost of $22.85. How much money is saved by ordering the special instead of ordering each item separately?
2. Postage costs $6.75 for the first five pounds of a package and $1.75 for each additional pound over five pounds. How much money does it cost to mail a 13-pound package?
3. With reference to Question 2, round your answer to the nearest hundredth.
4. A cheesepacker packed 4720 slices of cheese. There are 16 slices of cheese to a pack. How many packs of cheese did the cheesepacker pack?
5. With reference to Question 4, round your answer to the nearest hundred.
6. At a hardware store, a hammer costs $6.50, a screwdriver costs $7.75, and a chisel costs $8.50. The hardware store also offers the above items together as a special at a cost of $19.75. Without using the calculator, how much money is saved by ordering the special instead of ordering each item separately?
7. Postage costs $5.25 for the first five pounds of a package and $1.25 for each additional pound over five pounds. Without using the calculator, how much does it cost to mail a 12-pound package?
8. A pickle is one-half of an inch long. Without using the calculator, how many pickles can fit side-by-side on top of a foot-long hot dog?
9. At a hardware store, a hammer costs $3.50, a screwdriver costs $3.75, and a chisel costs $4.50. The sales tax was $1.05. Without using the calculator, how much change was received after giving the cashier a twenty-dollar bill?
10. At a restaurant, a hamburger costs $1.25, a cheeseburger costs $1.79, and a drink costs $0.99. Bob ordered 3 hamburgers, 4 cheeseburgers, and 7 drinks. The sales tax was $1.07. Without using the calculator, how much change did Bob receive after giving the cashier a twenty-dollar bill?
Practice – Answers
1. $4.12
2. $20.75
3. $20.80
4. 295
5. 300
6. $3.00
7. $14.00
8. 24
9. $7.20
10. $1.09