ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery)Arithmetic Reasoning (AR)Hard
A supply officer orders 35 cases of MREs (Meals Ready-to-Eat). Each case contains 12 individual MREs. If a platoon of 20 soldiers needs 3 MREs per soldier per day, how many days will these MREs last for the platoon?
- A6 days
- B7 days
- C9 days
- D8 days
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. 7 days
First, calculate total MREs: 35 cases * 12 MREs/case = 420 MREs. Next, calculate daily MRE consumption: 20 soldiers * 3 MREs/soldier/day = 60 MREs/day. Finally, divide total MREs by daily consumption: 420 MREs / 60 MREs/day = 7 days.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. This is incorrect. It might result from an error in calculating total MREs or daily consumption.
- C. This is incorrect. Review total MREs and daily consumption calculations.
- D. This is incorrect. A calculation error in one of the steps probably led to this.
Multi-Step Consumption Calculation
Solving a problem that involves calculating a total quantity, a consumption rate, and then determining duration.
- Requires multiple arithmetic operations.
- Often involves multiplication to find total, and division to find duration or rate.
Memory trick: Total stock, daily need, then how long indeed!