Plumbing Arithmetic – Set 1

1. The absorption of ink by blotting paper involves which phenomenon?

a. siphon action
b. diffusion of ink through the blotting
c. viscosity of ink
d. capillary action phenomenon

Answer: d. capillary action phenomenon

2. The curved surface area of a cylindrical pillar is 264 m2 and its volume is 924 m3. Find the
ratio of its diameter to its height.

a. 3 : 7
b. 7 : 3
c. 6 : 7
d. 7 : 6

Answer: b. 7: 3

3. Let a thin capillary tube be replaced with another tube of insufficient length then, what will
happen to water?

a. depressed
b. will overflow
c. change its meniscus
d. will not rise

Answer: d. will not rise

4. A right circular cone has a volume of 21 π and height of 7. Find the area of its base.

a. 6 π
b. 9π
c. 9
d. 36

Answer: b. 9π
5. A pump can fill a tank with water in 2 hours. Because of a leak, it took 2 1/3 hours to fill the
tank. The leak can drain all the water of the tank in:

a. 4 1/3 hours
b. 7 hours
c. 8 hours
d. 14 hours

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Answer: d. 14 hours

6. Two pipes A and B can fill a tank in 15 minutes and 20 minutes respectively. Both the pipes
are opened together but after 4 minutes, pipe A is turned off. What is the total time required to
fill the tank?

a. 14 min & 40 sec

b. 11 min & 45 sec
c. 12 min & 30 sec
d. 10 min & 40 sec

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Answer: a. 14 min & 40 sec

7. The diagonal of a rectangle is √41 cm and its area is 20 sq. cm. The perimeter of the rectangle
must be:

a. 9 cm
b. 18 cm
c. 20 cm
d. 27 cm

8. The difference between the length and breadth of a rectangle is 23 m. If its perimeter is 206 m,
then its area is:

a. 1520 m2
b. 2420 m2
c. 2480 m2
d. 2520 m2

Answer: d. 2520 m2
9. An anvil weighs 1648 N on Earth where g = 9.81 m/s2. Determine its weight on (a) the moon,
and (b) on mars with g = 1.67 m/s2, and g = 3.92 m/s2 respectively.

a. 208.56 N , 658.56 N
b. 280.56 N , 658.56 N
c. 280.56 N , 685.56 N
d. 208.56 N , 685.56 N

answer:b.

10. An airplane is flying horizontally with a velocity of 600 km/h and at a height of 1960 m.
When it is vertically at a point A on the ground a bomb is released from it. The bomb strikes the
ground at point B. The distance AB is:

a. 1200 km
b. 0.33 km
c. 33.33 km
d. None of the above

Answer: d. None of the above

11. Sound produced at a point is heard by a person after 5 second, while same sound is heard by
another person after 6 seconds. If the speed of sound is 300 m/s, what could be the maximum and
minimum distances between the two persons?

a. 1.8 km, 0.15 km

b. 2.2 km, 0.20 km
c. 2.8 km, 0.25 km
d. 3.3 km, 0.30 km

Answer: d. 3.3 km, 0.30 km

12. Why metals are good conductors of electricity?

a. they contain free electrons

b. the atoms are lightly packed
c. they have high melting point
d. letters a, b, & c

Answer: d. letters a, b, & c

13. What is the total surface area of a right circular cone of height 14 cm and base radius 7 cm?

a. 344.35 cm2
b. 462 cm2
c. 498.35 cm2
d. 489.53 cm2

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Answer: c. 498.35 cm2

14. The top of a lighthouse is 230 feet above the sea. How far away is an object which is just “on
the horizon”? [Assume the earth is a sphere of radius 3956 miles]

a. 16.56 miles
b. 17.56 miles
c. 18.56 miles
d. 20.56 miles

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Answer: c. 18.56 miles

15. On 8th Feb, 2005 it was Tuesday. What was the day of the week on 8th Feb, 2004?

a. Tuesday
b. Monday
c. Sunday
d. Wednesday

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16. In 100 m race, A covers the distance in 36 seconds and B in 45 seconds. In this race A beats
B by:

a. 20 m
b. 25 m
c. 22.5 m
d. 9 m

Answer: a. 20 m
17. A five-pointed star is also known as:

a. Pentagon
b. Pentagram
c. Pentatron
d. quintagon

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18. In how many different ways can the letters of the word ‘CORPORATION’ be arranged so
that the vowels always come together?

a. 810
b. 1440
c. 2520
d. 50400

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19. A boat can go 10 miles upstream in 30 minutes. The return trip downstream takes only 20
minutes. What is the speed of the boat in still water and the speed of the current in Mph?

a. 35 , 5
b. 25 , 5
c. 45 , 5
d. 25 , 15

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Answer: b. 25, 5

20. Mario’s hat is four more than Alex’s hat and one-half that of Miguel’s hat. If the total
number of hats is 24, how many hats does Miguel have?

a. 14
b. 7
c. 3
d. 16

Answer: a. 14
21. A flagstaff 17.5 m high casts a shadow of length 40.25 m. The height of the building, which
casts a shadow of length 28.75 m under similar conditions will be:

a. 10.00 m
b. 12.50 m
c. 17.50 m
d. 21.25 m

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Answer: b. 12.50 m

22. How many kilograms of water must be evaporated from 10 kg of an 9% salt solution to
produce 5% salt solution?

a. 6.6
b. 6.4
c. 6.2
d. 6.0

Answer: b. 6.4

23. If one-third of one-fourth of a number is 15, then three-tenth of that number is:

a. 35
b. 36
c. 45
d. 54

Answer: d. 54

24. A 50,000 gallon tank receives 250,000 gph flow. What is the detention time in hours?

a. 6.1 hrs
b. 5.4 hrs
c. 4.8 hrs
d. 4.2 hrs

Answer: c. 4.8 hrs

25. A right triangle with sides 3 cm, 4 cm and 5 cm is rotated the side of 3 cm to form a cone.
The volume of the cone so formed is:

a. 37.70 cm3
b. 47.12 cm3
c. 50.26 cm3
d. 62.83 cm3

Answer: c. 50.26 cm3

26. A water tank is filled with water to a height of 3.2m above the orifice which is connected at
the side of the tank. If the orifice is 3.5m above the ground find the time for the water to hit the
ground?

a. 0.81 sec
b. 0.75 sec
c. 0.85 sec
d. 0.95 sec

Answer: c. 0.85 sec

27. A trough having an equilateral triangle and section has sides equal to 0.4 m. If the trough is
full of water and is 8 m long, compute the volume of water in the trough.

a. 0.554 m3
b. 0.654 m3
c. 0.754 m3
d. 0.854 m3

Answer: a. 0.554 m3

28. A stone is projected from the ground with a velocity of 15 m/s at an angle 30° with the
horizontal ground. How high in feet will it rise? Use g = 9.81 m/s2

a. 9.40 ft
b. 8.40 ft
c. 7.40 ft
d. 6.40 ft

Answer: a. 9.40 ft
29. A pole cast a shadow of 15 meters long when the angle of elevation of the sun is 61°. If the
pole has lean 15° from the vertical directly toward the sun, what is the length of the pole?

a. 45.23 m
b. 54.23 m
c. 65.23 m
d. 53.23 m

Answer: b. 54.23 m

30. The surface area of a sphere is 4πr2. Find the percentage increase in its diameter when the
surface area increases by 21%.

a. 5 %
b. 10 %
c. 15 %
d. 20 %

Answer: b. 10 %

31. The section of the sphere cut by a plane through its center is termed as:

a. small circle
b. semi-circle
c. big circle
d. great circle

Answer: d. great circle

32. The statement “ a + b = b + a “ is a

a. associative law of addition

b. commutative law of addition
c. associative law of multiplication
d. commutative law of multiplication

Answer: b. commutative law of addition

33. From the top of a building 50 feet high the angles of elevation and depression of the top and
bottom of another building are 19° 41’ and 26° 34’ respectively. What are the height and
distance of the second building?

a. 85’ 9” and 100 ft

b. 87’ 9” and 100 ft
c. 88’ 9” and 100 ft
d. 82’ 9” and 100 ft

Answer: a. 85’ 9” and 100 ft

34. Today is Monday. After 61 days, it will be:

a. Wednesday
b. Saturday
c. Sunday
d. Thursday

Answer: b. Saturday

35. What value of x will result to an infinity answer in the expression

a. 5
b. 3
c. -3
d. -5

Answer: c. -3

36. How many minutes after 3pm will be minute hand of the watch coincide with the hour hand?

a. 18’
b. 16 4/11’
c. 17 ½’
d. 16 ½’

Answer: b. 16 4/11’

37. The frustum of a regular triangular pyramid has equilateral triangles for its bases. The lower
and upper base edges are 9cm and 3cm, respectively. If the volume is 118.2 cu m., how far apart
are the base?

a. 9m
b. 7m
c. 10m
d. 6m

Answer: b. 7m

38. If 9x = 81, what is the value of x?

a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4

Answer: b. 2

39. What is the ratio of the length of the diagonals of a cube to its side?

a.
b. 1/2
c. 2
d.

Answer: a.

40. If two bodies of different masses, initially at rest, are acted upon by the same force for the
same time, then what will be the same in both bodies?

a. velocity
b. acceleration
c. kinetic energy
d. momentum

Answer: d. momentum

41. A man complete a journey in 10 hours. He travels first half of the journey at the rate of 21
km/hr and second half at the rate of 24 km/hr. Find the total journey in km.

a. 220
b. 224
c. 230
d. 234

Answer: b. 224
 42. A father said to his son, “I was as old as you are at the present at the time of your birth”. If
the father’s age is 38 years now, the son’s age five years back was:

a. 14 yrs old
b. 19 yrs old
c. 33 yrs old
d. 38 yrs old

Answer: a. 14 yrs old

43. What is so very special about the number 8549176320?

a. it’s a cyclic number

b. it’s a Fibonacci series
c. It is the largest number yet enumerated orally
d. It contains digits in an alphabetical order.

Answer: d. It contains digits in an alphabetical order

44. Twenty men can finish the job in 30 days, Twenty five men were hired at the start and 10
quits after 20 days. How many days will it take to finish the job?

a. 30 days
b. 27 days
c. 25 days
d. 15 days

Answer: b. 27 days

45. The height of an equilateral triangle is 24 meters. What is its area?

a. 332.55 m2
b. 342.55 m2
c. 352.55 m2
d. 312.55 m2

Answer: a. 332.55 m2

46. How many gallons of water will a tank with dimensions of 1200 mm in length 90 cm in
diameter hold?

a. 201.53
b. 214.19
c. 249.11
d. 294.49
Answer: a. 201.53

47. A line segment joining two points on a circle is called:

a. arc
b. tangent
c. sector
d. chord

Answer: d. chord

48. The plumbing fixture unit is equivalent to

a. 7.5 liters/min
b. 7.5 psi
c. 7.5 gpm
d. 7.5 cpm

Answer: c. 7.5 gpm

49. A tank is 60′ x 80′ x 10′ and the flow is 2.0 mgd? What is the detention time in hours?

a. 3.3 hours
b. 4.3 hours
c. 5.3 hours
d. 6.3 hours

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Answer: b. 4.3 hours

50. A tank is 100′ in diameter and 22 feet deep. If the flow into the tank is 1500 gpm and the
flow out of the tank is 300 gpm, how many hours will it take to fill the tank?

a. 17.9 hours
b. 18.9 hours
c. 19.9 hours
d. 20.9 hours

Answer: a. 17.9 hours