Appendix A

Examples of questions used in the VCU assessment of quantitative literacy appear below.

Example #1:

An “A” tent is one that is open in the front and back and has no floor.  For an outdoor project you need an “A” tent that is 10 ft long, 8 ft high and has a 12 ft wide opening.  What are the dimensions of the tarp you need to construct the tent?

a.   10 ft x 12 ft            b.   12 ft x 20 ft            c.   10 ft x 20 ft

d.   10 ft x 24 ft            e.   16 ft x 10 ft

Example #2:

The population of a county is 100,000.  A power company predicts that the population will increase by 7% per year.  The county supervisors predict that the population will increase by 7,500 each year.  Which group’s prediction method predicts the larger population in 10 years?

a.         supervisors

b.         power company

c.         both predictions are the same after 10 years

d.         There is not enough information provided to answer the question.