Practice Questions for the Mathematics Challenge Exam

DIRECTIONS
Read each question carefully and choose the best answer.

There are 30 practice questions included in this document, but the challenge exam has only 25 questions. You
may not use notes, textbooks, or other references during the exam. The last page of this document contains
information you are expected to know when you take the exam.

You will have 90 minutes to complete the challenge exam. A passing score on the challenge exam is 18 correct
out of 25 (72%).

Developed by: Bonnie Bogush, Laura Dreesen & Michael Nothnagel

For questions 1 – 11, use the following recipe and accompanying information to answer each question.

Cornish Game Hens with Star Anise

Yield: 125 servings

125 Rock Cornish hens

12 tablespoons kosher salt
10 tablespoons chopped thyme
4 gallons chicken stock
7 pints white wine
75 star anise
6¼ # batonnet carrots
1¾ # sliced scallions
8 bunches chives, chopped
8 bulbs garlic, minced

Yield As-purchased cost Other information

Rock Cornish hens 100% $1.69 / pound 1 hen = 1 ¼ pounds
Kosher salt 100% $1.19 / box 1 cup = 9.4 ounces, 1 box = 3 pounds
Thyme 65% $1.95 / bunch 1 cup = 1.6 ounces, 1 bunch = 1¼ ounces
Chicken stock 100% $1.00 / quart
White wine 100% $4.50 / bottle 1 bottle = 750 milliliters
Star anise 100% $4.95 / jar 1 ounce = 60 each, 1 jar = 3 ounces
Carrots 81% $13.00 / 25 pounds
Scallions 82% $0.33 / bunch 1 bunch = 4½ ounces
Chives 96% $0.69 / bunch 1 bunch = 1½ ounces
Garlic 88% $2.00 / pound 1 bulb = 3 ounces

1. What is the total cost of the Cornish hens purchased for the given recipe?
(a) $211.25 (b) $281.67
(c) $169.00 (d) $264.07

2. How many ounces of salt do you need for the given recipe?
(a) 6 ounces (b) 7.05 ounces
(c) 9.4 ounces (d) 14.1 ounces

3. What is the total cost of the thyme purchased for the recipe?
(a) $1.27 (b) $1.56
(c) $2.40 (d) $3.00

Practice Questions for Mathematics Challenge Exam (page 2 of 8)

4. How many pounds of garlic would you need to purchase if you wanted to make three times the original
recipe?
(a) 1.5 pounds (b) 1.7045 pounds
(c) 4.5 pounds (d) 5.1136 pounds

5. What is the total cost of the 7 pints of white wine purchased for the given recipe?
(a) $12.50 (b) $14.92
(c) $9.42 (d) $19.89

6. What is the total cost of the star anise needed for the given recipe?
(a) $1.32 (b) $2.07
(c) $3.96 (d) $6.19

7. How many bunches of scallions would you need to purchase if you wanted to make 2½ times the given
recipe?
(a) 6.22 bunches (b) 7.588 bunches
(c) 15.55 bunches (d) 18.97 bunches

8. What is the cost per pint of the chicken stock?

(a) $0.25 (b) $0.50
(c) $2.00 (d) $4.00

9. What is the cost of the 8 bunches of chives needed for the given recipe?
(a) $5.52 (b) $5.30
(c) $5.75 (d) $5.96

10. Food cost percent is defined as the percent of sales that covers the cost of ingredients. If the total recipe
cost for the given recipe is $371.71, and you want to achieve a 22% food cost for the dish, what should
the approximate selling price per portion be?
(a) $3.63 (b) $5.12
(c) $13.52 (d) $16.90

11. You currently sell one portion of this recipe for $15.95. If the cost per portion is $3.26, then the cost per
portion represents what percent of the selling price?
(a) 4.89% (b) 12.69%
(c) 51.99% (d) 20.43%

Practice Questions for Mathematics Challenge Exam (page 3 of 8)

For questions 12 – 30, use the information provided to answer each question.

12. You have purchased 10 pounds of asparagus for $15.00. If the yield for trimmed asparagus is 60%, then
what is the cost of each pound of trimmed asparagus?
(a) $2.50 (b) $1.50
(c) $0.90 (d) $2.10

13. Which of the following is equivalent to 24 fluid ounces?

(a) 1 quart (b) 48 teaspoons
(c) 48 tablespoons (d) 811.2 milliliters

14. One liter is always equivalent to

(a) 1000 milliliters (b) 28.35 grams
(c) 32 fluid ounces (d) 2.205 cups

15. One cup of water is either equivalent or approximately equivalent to:

(a) 8 ounces (b) ½ pint
(c) 48 teaspoons (d) all of these

16. A recipe for salsa yields 1 quart and calls for 1 bunch of chopped cilantro. Cilantro has a yield of 72%.
How many bunches of cilantro would you need to purchase to make 1 gallon of salsa?
(a) 16 bunches (b) 6 bunches
(c) 5 bunches (d) 4 bunches

17. A case of lettuce weighs 24 pounds and contains 16 heads of lettuce. If the lettuce has a yield of 72%,
and each serving is one quarter of a head, how many servings will you get from this case?
(a) 16 servings (b) 24 servings
(c) 46 servings (d) 64 servings

18. You have purchased 36 pounds of red peppers. After fabricating them you have 8 pounds 4 ounces of
waste. What is the approximate yield percent for these peppers?
(a) 22.92% (b) 27.75%
(c) 72.25% (d) 77.08%

19. A ratio for lemonade is 3 parts water, 1 part lemon juice, and 2 parts honey. How many quarts of honey
do you need to make 3 gallons of lemonade?
(a) 4 quarts (b) 1 quart
(c) 2 quarts (d) ½ quart

Practice Questions for Mathematics Challenge Exam (page 4 of 8)

20. A ratio for Café Mocha is 2 parts cream, 1 part coffee, and ½ part chocolate. How many quarts of
chocolate should you use with 3 quarts of cream?
(a) ⅓ quart (b) ¾ quart
(c) 1½ quarts (d) 6 quarts

21. When decreasing a recipe, the factor by which you multiply all the ingredient quantities is
(a) negative (b) greater than one
(c) less than one (d) impossible to predict

22. Which of the following recipe quantities would indicate that the yield percent should not be applied
when calculating a quantity to purchase?
(a) 4 bulbs of garlic, minced (b) 3 cups of peeled and cored apples
(c) 10 ounces of sliced onions (d) all of these

23. A recipe for chocolate pudding yields fifty ½ cup servings. By what factor should you multiply all the
ingredient quantities to make twenty 1-cup portions?
(a) 0.4 (b) 0.8
(c) 1.25 (d) 2.5

24. You have purchased a 30-pound case of whole pears. A recipe calls for 2 pounds of peeled, cored and
thinly sliced pear per tart. If the yield percent for fabricated pears is 76.6%, how many tarts will you be
able to make with the case?
(a) 15 tarts (b) 11 tarts
(c) 19 tarts (d) 45 tarts

25. One cup of salt weighs 9.41 ounces. How many cups could you measure from 3.125 liters of salt?
(a) 8.4185 cups (b) 13.2031 cups
(c) 11.2247 cups (d) 9.2968 cups

26. A recipe for mango custard calls for 1500 grams of peeled and diced mango. Approximately how many
ounces of diced mango must be used?
(a) 11 ounces (b) 44 ounces
(b) 3 ounces (d) 53 ounces

27. Your target food cost percent in your restaurant is 25%. You calculate that a dish is actually running at
a 30% food cost. Which of the following actions would help you get closer to your target of 25%?
(a) use more expensive ingredients
(b) increase the portion size so the recipe makes fewer portions
(c) increase the selling price
(d) none of these will help you get closer to your target
Practice Questions for Mathematics Challenge Exam (page 5 of 8)
28. The ingredients for one portion of lasagna cost $4.36. Which of these selling prices would make the
food cost percent closest to 29%?
(a) $14.95 (b) $12.95
(c) $11.95 (d) $10.95

29. This past weekend, you sold 450 steak kabobs at $11.95 each. If the food cost percent is 31%, then how
much money will the restaurant have left after paying for the food?
(a) $7,350 (b) $5,377
(c) $1,667 (d) $3,710

30. A standard wine bottle contains 750 milliliters of wine. How many 3-fluid ounce servings will you get
from 12 bottles of wine?
(a) 8.45 servings (b) 101 servings
(c) 739 servings (d) 266 servings

Practice Questions for Mathematics Challenge Exam (page 6 of 8)

ANSWERS
1. D
2. B
3. C
4. C
5. D
6. B
7. D
8. B
9. A
10. C
11. D
12. A
13. C
14. A
15. D
16. D
17. D
18. D
19. A
20. B
21. C
22. A
23. B
24. B
25. B
26. D
27. C
28. A
29. D
30. B

Practice Questions for Mathematics Challenge Exam (page 7 of 8)

FACTS AND FORMULAS
Some of the questions on the challenge exam use the following information. This information will not be given
to you when you take the challenge exam.

1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons = ½ fluid ounce

1 fluid ounce = 29.59 milliliters
1 C = 8 fluid ounces = 16 tablespoons
1 pint = 2 cups
1 quart = 2 pints
1 liter = 1000 milliliters = 33.8 fluid ounces
1 gallon = 4 quarts

1 ounce = 28.35 grams

1 pound = 16 ounces = 453.6 grams
1 kilogram = 1000 grams = 2.205 pounds

Yield percent = edible portion quantity ÷ as-purchased quantity

As-purchased quantity × yield percent = edible portion quantity
Edible portion quantity ÷ yield percent = as-purchased quantity

Food cost percent = cost per portion ÷ selling price

Selling price = cost per portion ÷ food cost percent

Practice Questions for Mathematics Challenge Exam (page 8 of 8)