PSAT Math Multiple-Choice Question 365: Answer and Explanation

Question: 365

The average college student reads at a rate of about 5 words per second. If the pages of Jorge's textbook contain an average of 500 words per page, how long will it take him to read a 45-page chapter?

• A. 50 minutes
• B. 1 hour, 15 minutes
• C. 1 hour, 25 minutes
• D. 1 hour, 40 minutes

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

B

Difficulty: Medium

Getting to the Answer: Pay careful attention to the units. As you read the question, decide how and when you will need to convert units. The answer choices are given in hours and minutes, but it's easier to solve for m in minutes by setting up one large conversion:

Because 75 minutes is not an answer choice, convert it to hours and minutes: 75 minutes = 1 hour, 15 minutes, (B).