TABE Level D Math: Computation in Context

Computation in context means finding the answers to a variety of real-life problems. You may have to add, subtract, multiply, divide, or work with percents to do these problems. There is no set method for doing these problems. You just have to read the problems carefully and make sure you are answering the question. 

Example A. Suzanne has a monthly budget of $2000. Her monthly rent is $800. What percent of her monthly budget is spent on rent? A. 20% B. 40% C. 60% D. 80%

Rent is part of the total. Use the formula and method for finding percent from
Section 3.1.5: Therefore, .
The correct answer is b.

The table below shows the weight of the shrimp catch by Gulf Shellfish one weekend. Examples B land C are based on this table.
Weekend Shrimp Catch

Example B. What was the total weekend catch?

You get the total by adding the Saturday and Sunday catches: . The correct answer is d.

Example C. How much bigger was Saturday’s catch than Sunday’s? A. 4,464 B. 4,564 C. 5,464 D. 5,564
You get the difference by subtracting Sunday’s catch from Saturday’s: . The correct answer is a.

Example D. Jim’s pulse count is 17 for fifteen seconds. What is his number of beats per minute? A. 58 B. 68 C. 78 D. 88
There are 4 fifteen-second periods each minute. Multiply . The correct answer is b.

Example E. What is the total length of a walking trail is shown below?

A. B. 4 miles C. . D. 5 miles
Add the three distances shown: to get miles miles (c).

Example F. Four businesses share a building. They want to build a parking garage at a cost of $9,000,000. They will pay equal amounts. How much would each business have to pay? A. $225,000 B. $250,000 C. $2,250,000 D. $2,500,000
Divide 9,000,000 by 4 to get $2,250,000.

Example G. Chicopee Canoe Rental charges $20 plus $5 an hour to rent a canoe. How much would it cost to rent a canoe for 2 hours? A. $25 B. $30 C. $35 D. $50

Computation in Context Practice

1. Frank is using a recipe that calls for cup of flour. He only wants to make half of the recipe. How much flour should he use? A. B. C. D.

Use a restaurant’s pizza menu shown below to answer questions 2 and 3.


2. How much is a 6″ individual pizza with two toppings? A. $11.75 B. $14.00 C. $14.50 D. $17.00

3. How much are two 12″ large pizzas with one topping each? A. $43.50 B. $39.75 C. $36.00 D. $25.50

4. The homeowners association gave the local food bank 270 pounds of food. If there are 50 members in the association, and they each gave the same amount of food, how much did each member give? A. 4.5 pounds B. 4.55 pounds C. 5.4 pounds D. 5.45 pounds

5. The regular price of a washing machine is $450. It is on sale for 20% off. What is the sale price? A. $430 B. $400 C. $360 D. $330

6. In a survey of 2000 people, 45% were opposed to gun control. How many people in the survey opposed gun control? A. 450 B. 600 C. 800 D. 900

7. A vinyl strip is used to separate the carpeting from tile flooring. The strip needs to be placed as shown in the diagram below? How long a strip is needed? A. 149.4 cm. B. 150.4 cm. C. 155.4 cm. D. 159.4 cm.


8. Three carpenters each work on a job for 4 hours. They each receive $10.50 an hour for their work. What is the cost of this job?

A. $42.00 B. $31.50 C. $94.50 D. $126.00

9. What is the smallest number of coins that can be used to make 58 cents? A. 4 B. 5 C. 6 D. 7

10. Fran picks up two packages of ground meat at the grocery store. One weighs 2.45 pounds (lbs.) and the other weighs 3.48 lbs. What is the total weight of the two packages of ground meat? A. 5.83 lbs. B. 5.93 lbs. C. $6.03 lbs. D. 6.93 lbs.

Answers: Computation in Context Practice

1. d 2. b 3. a 4. c 5. c 6. d 7. d 8. d 9. c 10. b