EBC/CBASE Prep
MAT 121/Jimo
College BASE Exam
Skills 201, 202, 203
The Exam
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A 180 to 188 item test of general
college-level knowledge and
skills in writing, English Lit,
mathematics, science, and
social studies.
40 minutes for essay
10 minute break
90 minutes for ≈100 multiple
choice literature and math
questions
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EBC/CBASE Prep
MAT 121/Jimo
C-Base Calculator Policy
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EBC/CBASE Prep
MAT 121/Jimo
Mathematics
This subject area contains 56 to
58 multiple-choice items in three
skill clusters
9(1) General Mathematics
9(2) Algebra
9(3) Geometry
General Mathematics
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Skill 201(word problems)
z
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Skill 202 (all are computational)
z
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Use mathematical techniques in the
solution of real-life problems
Use the language, notation, and
deductive nature of mathematics to
express quantitative ideas with precision
Skill 203 (some word problems)
z
Use the techniques of statistical
reasoning and recognize common
misuses of statistics
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EBC/CBASE Prep
MAT 121/Jimo
Practice Test – General Math
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#’s 1 - 4
#’s 6 - 11
Skill 201
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Subskill
z
Solve word problems requiring
computation of base, rate, or
percentage, including problems
related to interest, discount, taxes,
and paycheck deductions.
z
See examples
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EBC/CBASE Prep
MAT 121/Jimo
Example #1- Earnings
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During one week Mr. Phil T. Rich
worked 40 hours at his regular wage
of $6.50 per hour. He also worked 7
hours of overtime at 1½ times his
regular wage. What was Phil T’s
gross income for the week?
A. $260.00
B. $282.75
C. $305.50
D. $328.25
Example #2 – Payroll Deductions
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Howard M. Burgers earns $400
per week managing a fast food
franchise. From this amount,
15% is withheld for income tax
and 7.5% for Social Security.
What is Howard’s take-home
pay?
$400 – $60 – $30 = $310
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EBC/CBASE Prep
MAT 121/Jimo
Example #3 – Discount & Taxes
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Polly Esther’s spring banquet
dress that ordinarily costs $82 is
now offered at a 20% discount. If
sales tax is 5%, what is the total
cost of the dress on sale?
A. $65.10
B. $65.60
C. $68.88
D. $69.70
Level 2 [Strategic reasoning ] – making comparisons
and analyses of relationships
Skill 201
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Subskill
z
Solve word problems involving
time, distance, and velocity
z
See examples
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EBC/CBASE Prep
MAT 121/Jimo
Example #1
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Cliff Hanger is flying his personal plane
from Houston to St. Paul, a distance of
1,150 miles, for a business meeting with
his colleague Justin Time. Cliff plans to
stop in Kansas City for an hour to eat lunch
and refuel. He figures he can average
about 300 miles per hour while he is in the
air. If he leaves Houston at 9:30 A.M., what
time should he tell Justin to meet him at the
airport in St. Paul?
d=rxt
Add 4 hours and 50 minutes
Arrive at 2:20 P.M.
Example #2
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Unlike NASCAR (know how NASCAR got its name?)
drivers who try to finish first, the winning car in a road
rally competition, is the driver who completes the
course closest to a time predetermined by the race
officials. In a particular road rally competition, the
course is 25 miles long, divided into segments of 7, 10,
and 8 miles. Officials have determined that the first leg
of the course should be completed in exactly 14
minutes, the second leg in exactly 15 minutes, and the
third leg in exactly 12 minutes. At what average
speeds, in miles per hour, should the driver go on each
leg of this rally?
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Use a proportion to find each mph
____ mph, ____ mph, and ____ mph
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EBC/CBASE Prep
MAT 121/Jimo
Skill 201
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Subskill
z
Solve word problems involving
ratio and proportion. Recognize
numerical relationships between
elements in a recipe, scaled
models, performance records (i.e.
sports) or scale on a map.
z
See examples
Use a proportion – make the two ratios equal
13.5 miles x 6 inches = 1 inch x 81 miles
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EBC/CBASE Prep
MAT 121/Jimo
36 feet x 36 inches (1 yd) = 16 inches x _____ feet
1296/16 = 81 ft
Skill 202
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Subskill
z
Identify applications of the identity,
inverse, associative, commutative,
distributive, and transitive
properties of real numbers.
z,Grab your glossary #
z
See example
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EBC/CBASE Prep
MAT 121/Jimo
Example
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Dr. Obie Quiet needed art supplies for his class.
He purchased for each of his 24 students, a pair
of scissors for $1.50, a package of construction
paper for $2.00, and a jar of paste for $1.00. To
calculate the cost of these supplies, he added up
the cost of each item and multiplied the sum by
24, getting a total of $108. At the checkout
counter, however, he noticed that the clerk
entered each item and multiplied by 24 before
entering the next item. The clerk also determined
the total cost to be $108. This situation is an
example of which property of real numbers?
A. associative
B. commutative
C. distributive
D. transitive
(a + b) + c = a + (b + c)
a+b=b+a
a(b + c) = ab + ac
if a = b, and b = c, then a = c
Skill 202
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Subskill
z
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Convert a verbal description of a
mathematical relationship to a symbolic
mathematical statement
e.g. Which expression means the
same as “3 more than 5 times a
number is 1 less than twice that
number”?
5n + 3 = 2n - 1
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EBC/CBASE Prep
MAT 121/Jimo
Skill 202
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Subskill
z
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Identify patterns in numerical
progressions and predict further
sequential elements.
e.g. What does N3 equal in this sequence?
1,1,2,4,8,16,N1,N2,N3 . . .
Sum of all preceding numbers [128]
e.g What does N2 equal in this sequence?
101,70,41,14,-11,N1,N2 . . .
Subtraction of successive odd numbers
(31, 29, 27, 25) [-55]
Skill 202
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Use and interpret such set
concepts as union and
intersection, and identify finite,
infinite, and empty sets
Identify integers, real numbers,
rational numbers, and irrational
numbers
„ ,Grab your glossary #
„ see examples
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EBC/CBASE Prep
MAT 121/Jimo
Example
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Which is a finite* set?
*limited # of elements in a set - countable
A. rational numbers between 5 and
10 inclusive
B. irrational numbers between 5 and
10 inclusive
C. whole numbers between 5 and 10
inclusive
D. real numbers between 5 and 10
inclusive
Example
Which set is infinite?
A. The set of all integers
B. The set of positive whole
numbers less than 10
C. {0}
D. {2, 4, 6, 8}
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EBC/CBASE Prep
MAT 121/Jimo
Example
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Which equation has solutions
that are irrational* numbers?
*Can’t be expressed as a quotient of integers or as a
repeating ( 2/7) or terminating decimal (1/4)
A. x2 = 1
B. x2 = 2
C. x2 = 4
D. x2 = 16
Skill 203
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Calculate and interpret mean,
median, mode and range.
„ ,Grab your glossary #
„
see examples
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EBC/CBASE Prep
MAT 121/Jimo
Example
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For a school project in health class,
Bubba Gump gathered data at a family
reunion (Forrest Gump was there too)
on the number of dental cavities each
cousin had. All the underage kissing
cousins who had married each other at
a shotgun ceremony (hardly any
branches in that family tree) had these
numbers of cavities 0,0,1,2,4,4,5,5,5,
6,6,6,6,6,7,7,8,10, and 12. What is the
mean number of cavities for the ten
underage couples?
105 / 20 = 5.25
Example
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Miss Marge Inoferror gave a 100-point test in her
Statistics 101 class. She expected that there would be a
normal distribution of scores on this test. Which set of
statistical parameters supports the teacher’s
expectations?
A. The scores ranged from 65 to 95, and the
mean, mode, and median all equaled 80.
B. The scores ranged from 0 to 100, the mean
and mode equaled 50, and the median equaled
55.
C. The scores ranged from 50 to 100, and the
mean, mode, and the median all equaled 80.
D. The scores ranged from 65 to 95, the mean
equaled 80, and the mode and median equaled
75.
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EBC/CBASE Prep
MAT 121/Jimo
Skill 203
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Recognize inappropriate
statistical reasoning and
incorrect or misleading displays
of statistical data.
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See example
Level 3
Adaptive
Reasoning
Express value
judgment,
predict
outcomes, or
hypothesize
Option B – curve should be more steep
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EBC/CBASE Prep
MAT 121/Jimo
Skill 203
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Calculate and interpret
probability, including that of
independent and mutually
exclusive events
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See examples
Example
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What is the probability that with
his eyes closed, Eminem’s (Slim
Shady) first pick from a bowl
with 3 green M & M’s and 15
brown M & M’s will be green?
3 out of 18 (the total M & M’s) or
1 out of 6 chance.
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EBC/CBASE Prep
MAT 121/Jimo
Example
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How many different ways can
Sarah Bellem (her mom’s sister
is Anti Bellum) answer 10
questions on a true/false exam?
2 choices for each so 210
What if it were 10 questions on
a standard multiple-choice
exam?
4 choices for each or 410
Example
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The probability of having a boy is 50
percent. Romeo and Candice Wait
now have two children, both of whom
are boys. What is the probability that
the couple’s third child will be male?
z
z
z
z
A.
B.
C.
D.
0.125
0.50
1.00
1.25
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EBC/CBASE Prep
MAT 121/Jimo
Example
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Willie Cheatem selected three cards
from a standard deck of 52 playing
cards. Amazingly, all three were
aces! He set those three aside and
then chose another card from the
from the deck. What is the probability
that it is a red ace? Express your
answer as a decimal to the
hundredths.
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