You are likely to encounter geometry questions on the CBEST. These may refer to an accompanying illustration, or they may be strictly word problems.
Question 1. A parallelogram has a base of 5, a height of 3, and a length of 6. What is its area? a) 18 b) 25 c) 15 d) 30
Answer: c (The area of a parallelogram equals base times height.)
Question 2. A square has an area of 25 inches. What is its perimeter? a) 5 b) 12 c) 25 d) 20
Answer: d (A square is a parallelogram having four sides of equal length. Area equals base times height. In this case, base and height are equal. The square root of the area, 25, is 5--each side must equal 5 inches. The perimeter equals the sum of the length of all sides--5+5+5+5=20.)
Question 1: A power pole 20 yards tall casts a shadow 12 yards long. How tall is a power pole which casts a shadow 8 yards long? (Round to the nearest tenth.) a) 30.0 yards b) 13.3 yards c)10.4 yards d) 22.0 yards e) 4.8 yard
Answer: d (Set up a ratio to solve this. 20/12=x/8; (20/12)*8=x; 160/12=x; 13.3=x)
Question 2: John got the following scores in English class: 76, 86, 89, 81, and 99. What was John's average test score? Round to the nearest point. a) 85 b) 88 c) 86 d) 87
Answer: c (Add all of the scores together--431--then divide by the number of scores--5--to get 86.2. Round to the nearest point, for 86.)
General math questions test your understanding of basic math principles and overall comprehension.
Question 1: Mike rides his bike 5 miles to work every day. He rides at a rate of 10 miles per hour. If he is not to be late, what time should Mike leave home? In order to solve this problem, what additional information do you need? a) The brand of Mike's bike b) What time Mike must be at work c) What time Mike leaves work d) How long it takes Mike to ride to work
Answer: b (You can calculate how long it takes him from the information given, but without knowing what time he needs to be there you can't determine when he needs to leave.)