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ACT math practice test 20

1. If x2 = 36 and y2 = 81, which of the following CANNOT be
the value of x + y?
F. -15
G. -3
H. 0
J. 3
K. 15
2. A system of linear equations is shown below.
4y = 3x + 12
-4y = -3x - 8
Which of the following describes the graph of this system of
linear equations in the standard (x, y) coordinate plane?
A. Two parallel lines with negative slope
B. Two parallel lines with positive slope
C. A single line with negative slope
D. A single line with positive slope
E. Two perpendicular lines

3.
F. -3
G. -2
H. 0
J. 2
K. 9
4. What are the values for a that satisfy the equation
(a + y)(a + z) = 0?
A. -y and -z
B. -y and z
C. -yz
D. y and -z
E. y and z
5. In the circle shown below, C is the center and lies on
segments and . Which of the following statements is
NOT true?

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F. ∠BAC measures 70°
G. is parallel to
H.
J. ∠BCE ≅ ∠DCF
K.
6. What is the slope of the line given by the equation 21x -
3y + 18 = 0?
A. -7
B. -3

C.

D.
E. 7
7. Which of the following is the least common denominator for
the expression below?

F. b × c
G. a × b × c
H. a2 × b × c
J. a2 × b2 × c2
K. a2 × b4 × c5
8. What number can you add to the numerator and

denominator of to get ?
A. -5
B. -3
C. -2
D. 0
E. 1
9. If x + y = 13 and 2y = 16, what is the value of x?

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F. 4
G. 5
H. 7
J. 8
K. 9
10. If the inequality |m| > |n| is true, then which of the
following must be true?
A. m = n
B. m ≠ n
C. m < n
D. m > n
E. m > 0

11. Given that is the equation of a line,

at what point does the line cross the x axis?

F. -15
G. -12
H. 1
J. 4
K. 6

12.
The figure above shows the plan for the ground floor of a
townhouse. The thickness of the walls should be ignored
when answering the questions. The dimensions shown are in
feet, and each region is rectangular.

What is the area, in square feet, of the living room?

A. 360
B. 280
C. 216
D. 168
E. 120

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13.
The figure above shows the plan for the ground floor of a
townhouse. The thickness of the walls should be ignored
when answering the questions. The dimensions shown are in
feet, and each region is rectangular.

What is the perimeter, in feet, of the ground floor of the

townhouse?

F. 76
G. 80
H. 92
J. 180
K. 360
14. Three years ago, the population of a certain species of
bird was calculated at 20 birds per acre. This year, a biologist
recorded a total of 47 birds in an area equal to 3.25 acres. By
about what percentage has the bird population in the
biologist's sample decreased over the last 3 years, to the
nearest tenth?
A. 14.7%
B. 27.7%
C. 38.3%
D. 42.6%
E. 72.3%
15. A right triangle that has sides measured in the same unit
of length is shown below. For any such triangle, (tan α)(sin β)
is equivalent to:

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F.

G.

H.

J.

K.

Answers and Explanations

1. Correct Answer: H
Explanation:
The correct answer is H. If x2 = 36 and y2 = 81, then x = ±6 and y = ±9. There are then 4 possible combinations of x + y:
6 + 9, -6 + 9, 6 + (-9), and -6 + (-9), which have values 15, 3, -3, and -15, respectively. Therefore, the value
of x + y cannot be 0.
2. Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
The correct answer is B. To see the properties of each linear equation more clearly, convert each to slope-intercept

form (y = mx + b, where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept). The equation 4y = 3x + 12 becomes after

you divide by 4. The equation -4y = -3x - 8 becomes after you divide by -4. It is now clear that the equations

are lines with slope , making them parallel lines with positive slope. However, since they have different y-intercepts,
they are two distinct lines.
3. Correct Answer: G
Explanation:

The correct answer is G. The absolute value of any number is nonnegative. Since |- 3|= 3, the value of , or
-2.

4. Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
The correct answer is A. In order for the expression (a + y)(a + z) to equal zero, either a + y = 0 or a + z = 0. Thus
either a = -y or a = -z.
5. Correct Answer: K
Explanation:
The correct answer is K. The statement that CF is congruent to EF is not true because ∠CEF is an isosceles triangle
in which CE and CF are equal. Since the triangle is isosceles, ∠CFE is congruent to ∠CEF, and they have measure
70°. In a triangle, the length of a side is proportional to the measure of the angle opposite it. Since the measure of the

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angle opposite EF is only 40°while the measure of the angle opposite CF is 70°, EF must be shorter than CF.
6. Correct Answer: E
Explanation:
The correct answer is E. To find the slope, convert the equation 21x - 3y + 18 = 0 to slope-intercept form (y = mx + b,
where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept). To do so, first subtract 18 and 21x from both sides to get -3y = -21x - 18.
Then divide both sides by -3 to get y = 7x + 6. Therefore the slope is 7.
7. Correct Answer: J
Explanation:
The correct answer is J. The least common denominator (LCD) is actually the least common multiple of the three
denominators. To find the LCD, first find the greatest common factor of the denominators. In this case, each
denominator contains either a, b, or both b and c, so those are the factors that they have in common. The values that
remain in the three denominators represent what they don't have in common, and are the least common multiples of
each denominator. To find the least common multiple, otherwise known as the least common denominator (LCD),
simply multiply the least common multiples of each denominator together, to get a2 × b2 × c2.
8. Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
The correct answer is C. To solve this problem, try each answer choice to see which one has the desired result. The

correct answer is -2 because adding negative 2 is the same as subtracting 2: , or .

9. Correct Answer: G
Explanation:
The correct answer is G. To solve this problem, first solve the equation 2y = 16 for y to get y = 8. Then substitute y = 8
into the equation x + y = 13 to get x + 8 = 13, making x = 5.
10. Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
The correct answer is B. One possible method of solving this problem is to systematically eliminate wrong answer
choices. It is given that |m| > |n|.
Assuming that statement is true, then m cannot equal n because if m = n, then |m| = |n|; eliminate answer choice A.
Pick numbers for the variables to more clearly see the relationships, as follows:
Answer choice B: When m = 3 and n = 2, |m| > |n| is true. Likewise, when m = -3 and n = -2, |m| > |n| is true.
Therefore, answer choice B is correct.
Answer choice C: When m = 2 and n = 3, |m| > |n| is not true, so answer choice C is incorrect.
Answer choice D: When m = 3 and n = -4, |m| > |n| is not true, so answer choice D is incorrect.
Answer choice E: Because you are not given any information about n, you cannot determine a relationship, so answer
choice E is incorrect.
11. Correct Answer: G
Explanation:

The correct answer is G. A graph crosses the x-axis at the point when y = 0. Given that , let y = 0 such

that . Subtracting 1 from both sides yields . Multiplying by 2 yields -12 = x.

12. Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
The correct answer is D. To calculate the area of the living room, first calculate its dimensions. The length of the living
room is 18′ less the width of the hallway, which is 4′, making it 18 - 4 = 14′. The width of the living room is 20′ less the
width of the kitchen, which is 8′, making it 20 - 8 = 12′. Thus the area of the living room is 14′ ×12′ = 168 square feet.

13. Correct Answer: F

Explanation:

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The correct answer is F. The perimeter is equal to the distance around an object. To calculate the perimeter of the
ground floor of the townhouse, add the sides. The perimeter of the ground floor of the townhouse is 2(20′) + 2(18′), or
40′ + 36′, which is 76′.

14. Correct Answer: B

Explanation:
The correct answer is B. This question asks you to calculate the percentage by which the population has decreased.
First, determine the number of birds that you would expect to find in your sample area if the population density had not
changed. Multiply the population density 3 years ago (20 birds) by the size of the sample area (3.25 acres):

20 × 3.25 = 65

You would expect to find 65 birds in your sample area if there had been no change in population density.

Next, subtract the actual number of birds recorded in the sample area (47) from the expected number of birds (65):

65 - 47 = 18

There are 18 fewer birds in the sample area than what you would expect to find. Since you are asked to calculate the
percentage decrease, set up a proportion:

18 birds is to 65 birds as x percent is to 100 percent.

Cross-multiply and solve for x:

Since the problem asks for an answer to the nearest tenth, round to 27.7. According to the study, the population density
of the particular bird that you are studying has decreased by approximately 27.7%.

15. Correct Answer: H

Explanation:
The correct answer is H. To find the product (tan α)(sin β), break up tan α and sin β to their ratios. The ratio tan α is the

side opposite α divided by the side adjacent to . The ratio sin β is the side opposite β divided by the

hypotenuse: . The product (tan α)(sin β) is, therefore, .

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