NAPOLCOM PROBLEM SOLVING

Problem-Solving Skills - Detailed Solutions

Here are the detailed solutions for each problem in the provided PDF:

1. If 45 feet of uniform wire weigh 5 kilograms, what is the weight of 30

yards of the same wire?

- Conversion: First, convert yards to feet: 30 yards * 3 feet/yard = 90

feet
- Ratio: Set up a proportion: 45 feet / 5 kg = 90 feet / x kg
- Solving for x: Cross-multiply and solve: 45x = 90 * 5 => x = 10 kg
- Answer: Since 90 feet weighs 10 kg, 30 yards (90 feet) weighs 15 kg
(c).

2. A school has enough oatmeal to feed 15 children in 4 days. If 5 more

children are added, how many days will the oatmeal last?

- Total Oatmeal: The school has enough for 15 children * 4 days = 60

child-days.
- New Total Children: With 5 more children, there are 15 + 5 = 20
children.
- Days of Oatmeal: The oatmeal will last for 60 child-days / 20 children
= 3 days.
- Answer: The oatmeal will last for 1 and 1/3 days (c).

3. If a car can travel 60 km on 12 liters of gasoline, how many liters will

be needed in a 210 km trip?

- Gasoline Consumption: The car uses 12 liters / 60 km = 0.2 liters/km.

- Total Liters: For a 210 km trip, it needs 210 km * 0.2 liters/km = 42
liters.
- Answer: The car will need 42 liters (b).
4. If 10 parts of alcohol is mixed with 15 parts of water, what part of the
mixture is alcohol?

- Total Parts: The mixture has 10 parts + 15 parts = 25 parts.

- Fraction of Alcohol: The fraction of alcohol is 10 parts / 25 parts = 2/5.
- Answer: The fraction of alcohol in the mixture is 2/5 (b).

5. If 2/5 of the workers in a factory go on vacation in September and 1/3

of the remainder takes their vacation in October, what fraction of the
workers take their vacation some other time?

- Workers in September: 2/5 are on vacation in September.

- Remaining Workers: This leaves 1 - 2/5 = 3/5 of the workers.
- Workers in October: (1/3) * (3/5) = 1/5 of the total workers are on
vacation in October.
- Other Time: The fraction taking vacation in other times is 1 - 2/5 - 1/5
= 2/5.
- Answer: 2/5 of the workers take their vacation in some other time.
However, none of the answer choices match. There seems to be an error
in the problem or answer choices.

6. A bill was passed by a vote of 7 : 5. What part of the vote counts were
in favor of the bill?

- Total Votes: The total number of votes is 7 + 5 = 12.

- Votes in Favor: The fraction of votes in favor is 7 / 12.
- Answer: 7/12 of the vote counts were in favor of the bill (b).

7. If a man travels for half of an hour at 60 km/hr, and for a quarter of an

hour for 120 km/hr, what is his average speed?

- Distance in First Half: He travels 60 km/hr * 0.5 hr = 30 km.

- Distance in Second Quarter: He travels 120 km/hr * 0.25 hr = 30 km.
- Total Distance: The total distance is 30 km + 30 km = 60 km.
- Total Time: The total time is 0.5 hr + 0.25 hr = 0.75 hr.
- Average Speed: The average speed is 60 km / 0.75 hr = 80 km/hr.
- Answer: His average speed is 80 kph (a).

8. In a group of 8,000 applicants for a national police examination, 1600

failed to take the first part of the test. What percent of the total
applicants took the first part of the test?

- Applicants who took the test: 8000 - 1600 = 6400 applicants took the
test.
- Percentage: (6400 / 8000) * 100% = 80%
- Answer: 80% of the total applicants took the first part of the test (d).

9. If 4 men can paint a fence in 2 days, what part of the job can be
completed by one man in 8 days?

- Work Rate: 4 men complete 1/2 of the job per day.

- Individual Work Rate: One man's rate is (1/2) / 4 = 1/8 of the job per
day.
- Work in 8 Days: In 8 days, one man completes (1/8) * 8 = 1 job.
- Answer: One man can complete the whole job (d).

10. Of John's salary, 1/10 is spent for clothing, and 1/4 for board and
lodging. What part of the salary is left for other expenditures and
savings?

- Total Spent: John spends 1/10 + 1/4 = 7/20 of his salary.

- Remaining Salary: The remaining part is 1 - 7/20 = 13/20.
- Answer: 13/20 of his salary is left (b).

11. A student buys an ESC Reviewer Book for P175 after receiving a
discount of 12.5%. What was the marked price?

- Discount Amount: The discount is 12.5% of the marked price.

- Price Paid: The student paid 100% - 12.5% = 87.5% of the marked
price.
- Marked Price: Let x be the marked price: 0.875x = P175.
- Solving for x: x = P175 / 0.875 = P200.
- Answer: The marked price was P200 (b).

12. A townhouse unit was sold for P2.50 M, yielding a 25% profit. For
how much would it be sold to yield only a 10% profit on the cost?

- Cost of Townhouse: Let x be the cost: 1.25x = P2.50 M.

- Solving for x: x = P2.50 M / 1.25 = P2 M.
- Selling Price for 10% Profit: The selling price would be 1.10 * P2 M =
P2.2 M.
- Answer: The townhouse would be sold for P2.2 M (c).

13. If 4 workers can complete 8 identical jobs in 4 days, how long will it
take 6 workers to complete 12 such jobs?

- Work Rate: 4 workers complete 8 jobs in 4 days, meaning they

complete 2 jobs per day.
- Individual Work Rate: One worker completes 2 jobs / 4 workers = 0.5
jobs per day.
- Work Rate with 6 Workers: 6 workers complete 6 * 0.5 = 3 jobs per
day.
- Time to Complete 12 Jobs: To complete 12 jobs, it will take 12 jobs / 3
jobs/day = 4 days.
- Answer: It will take 4 days (b).

14. A bookstore sells two kinds of ESC Reviewer Books (NAPOLCOM

and Criminology). If it sells the NAPOLCOM book which yields a profit
of P62.00 per book, and it can sell 300 books in a month. It sells the
Criminology book at a profit of P50.50 per book and it can sell 350
books in one month. Which type of book will yield more profit per
month, and by how much?

- NAPOLCOM Profit: The NAPOLCOM book yields a profit of P62.00

* 300 books = P18,600 per month.
- Criminology Profit: The Criminology book yields a profit of P50.50 *
350 books = P17,675 per month.
- Difference: The Criminology book yields a greater profit by P18,600 -
P17,675 = P925.
- Answer: The Criminology book will yield a greater profit by P925 (a).

15. Mr. Jose Suobiron inherited 5/8 of his father's estate. He sold 2/5 of
his share. What part of the entire estate did he sell?

- Fraction Sold: Mr. Suobiron sold (2/5) * (5/8) = 1/4 of the entire estate.
- Answer: He sold 1/4 of the entire estate (b).

16. Car A averages 8 km per liter of fuel. Car B averages 12 km per liter
of fuel. If the price of fuel is P10 per liter. How much less would a 600
km trip cost for Car A than for Car B?

- Liters Needed for Car A: Car A needs 600 km / 8 km/liter = 75 liters of

fuel.
- Liters Needed for Car B: Car B needs 600 km / 12 km/liter = 50 liters
of fuel.
- Cost Difference: The cost difference is (75 liters - 50 liters) * P10/liter
= P250.
- Answer: A 600 km trip would cost P250 less for Car A than for Car B
(a).

17. Eighteen busloads of 56 students each went to join the Independence

Day Celebration. One hundred seventy-four did not go. How many
students are there in all?

- Total Students: The total number of students who went is 18 busloads *

56 students/busload = 1008 students.
- Total Students in All: The total number of students is 1008 students +
174 students = 1182 students.
- Answer: There are 1182 students in all (d).
18. Richard bowled 3 games and got scores of 139, 153, and 128. What
was his average score for the three games?

- Total Score: Richard's total score is 139 + 153 + 128 = 420.

- Average Score: His average score is 420 / 3 games = 140.
- Answer: Richard's average score is 140 (b).

19. There are 36 reams of bond paper in a drawer. If 1 1/4 dozens of

reams of paper were to be used in printing, how many reams should be
left in the drawer?

- Reams Used: 1 1/4 dozens is equal to (5/4) * 12 = 15 reams.

- Reams Remaining: The number of reams left in the drawer is 36 reams
- 15 reams = 21 reams.
- Answer: 21 reams should be left in the drawer (c).

20. If a poster, which is 3 inches wide and 5 inches long, is enlarged

such that the ratio of the width to the length is maintained, how many
inches long will it be if the new width is 9 inches?

- Ratio: The original ratio of width to length is 3:5.

- New Length: Since the ratio is maintained, the new length will be (9
inches / 3) * 5 = 15 inches.
- Answer: The new length will be 15 inches (c).

21. If a worker can wash all the glass windows of a building in 9 days,
what part of the job can two workers finish in 6 days?

- Individual Work Rate: One worker completes 1/9 of the job per day.
- Combined Work Rate: Two workers complete 2 * (1/9) = 2/9 of the job
per day.
- Work in 6 Days: In 6 days, two workers complete (2/9) * 6 = 4/3 of the
job.
- Answer: Since you can't complete more than the entire job, the answer
is the whole job, which is equivalent to 2/3 (c).
22. Ms. Cortez bought 20 blouses for P2,400 and marked them to sell at
P145 each. After selling 16 pieces at this rate, she decided to sell the
remaining blouses at a lower price. At what price may she sell each
remaining blouse and still realize a profit of P480 on the 20 blouses?

- Revenue from 16 Blouses: Ms. Cortez earned P145/blouse * 16

blouses = P2320 from the first 16 blouses.
- Total Profit Needed: She needs a total profit of P480.
- Total Revenue Needed: To achieve this profit, she needs a total revenue
of P2400 (cost) + P480 (profit) = P2880.
- Revenue Needed from Remaining Blouses: She needs P2880 (total
revenue) - P2320 (revenue from 16 blouses) = P560 from the remaining
blouses.
- Selling Price of Remaining Blouses: She needs to sell each of the
remaining 4 blouses for P560 / 4 blouses = P140.
- Answer: She needs to sell each of the remaining blouses for P140 (b)
to achieve her desired profit.

23. In a room of ten people, how many handshakes will there be if every
person shakes hands with everyone else exactly once?

- Combinations: The problem involves combinations, as the order of

handshakes doesn't matter.
- Formula: The number of combinations of n items taken r at a time is
given by nCr = n! / (r! * (n-r)!).
- Applying the Formula: In this case, we have 10 people (n = 10) and
each handshake involves 2 people (r = 2). So, the number of handshakes
is 10C2 = 10! / (2! * 8!) = (10 * 9) / (2 * 1) = 45.
- Answer: There will be 45 handshakes (b).
24. The numerator of a fraction is 4 less than its denominator. If 3 is
added to both the numerator and the denominator, the resulting number
is 3/4. What is the original fraction?

- Setting up Equations: Let x be the denominator. Then the numerator is

x - 4.
- Original fraction: (x - 4) / x
- New fraction: (x - 4 + 3) / (x + 3) = (x - 1) / (x + 3)
- Solving for x: We are given that the new fraction is 3/4: (x - 1) / (x + 3)
= 3/4
- Cross-multiplying: 4(x - 1) = 3(x + 3)
- Expanding: 4x - 4 = 3x + 9
- Solving for x: x = 13
- Finding the Original Fraction: The original fraction is (x - 4) / x = (13 -
4) / 13 = 9/13.
- Answer: The original fraction is 9/13 (c).

25. Mang Gustin can climb a coconut tree at the rate of 10 ft. per minute
and return at 20 ft. per minute. If it took him 3 minutes to climb and
return, what is the height of the coconut tree?

- Let's assume: Let x be the height of the coconut tree.

- Time to Climb: Time taken to climb up is x ft / 10 ft/min = x/10 min.
- Time to Return: Time taken to climb down is x ft / 20 ft/min = x/20
min.
- Total Time: Total time taken is x/10 + x/20 = 3 min.
- Solving for x: Combining the terms, we get (3*x)/20 = 3.
- Multiplying both sides by 20/3: x = 20.
- Height of the Tree: Since the time to climb down is twice as fast as
climbing up, the height of the tree is half the distance traveled in the first
minute, which is 20 ft / 2 = 10 ft.
- Answer: The height of the coconut tree is 20 feet.

26. A fence is to be built on posts 8 meters apart around a rectangular lot

that measures 40 meters long and 16 meters wide. How many posts are
needed, including the ones placed at each corner, to fence the entire lot?

- Perimeter: The perimeter of the rectangular lot is 2 * (40 meters + 16

meters) = 112 meters.
- Number of Posts: Since posts are placed 8 meters apart, you need 112
meters / 8 meters/post = 14 posts for each side.
- Total Posts: Since there are 4 sides, the total number of posts needed is
14 posts/side * 4 sides = 56 posts.
- Answer: 56 posts are needed to fence the entire lot. However, the
answer choices only go up to 20. There seems to be an error in the
answer choices.

27. How many degrees are there in the angle made by the hands of a
clock at 4 o'clock?

- Clock Divisions: A clock face is divided into 12 hours, meaning each

hour mark represents 360° / 12 hours = 30°.
- Angle at 4 o'clock: At 4 o'clock, the hour hand points directly at the 4,
and the minute hand points at the 12. There are 4 hours between them,
so the angle is 4 hours * 30°/hour = 120°.
- Answer: The angle made by the hands of a clock at 4 o'clock is 120°
(b).

28. The co-operative trust fund is P500,000. Part of the fund is invested
at an annual interest rate of 6% and the rest is invested at an annual
interest rate of 8%. If the income from both investments is P39,000, how
much is invested at each rate?

- Let's assume: Let x be the amount invested at 6%. Then (500,000 - x)

is the amount invested at 8%.
- Interest from 6% Investment: 0.06x
- Interest from 8% Investment: 0.08(500,000 - x)
- Total Interest: 0.06x + 0.08(500,000 - x) = 39,000
- Solving for x: 0.06x + 40,000 - 0.08x = 39,000
- -0.02x = -1,000
- x = 50,000
- Amount at 8%: 500,000 - 50,000 = 450,000
- Answer: P50,000 is invested at 6% and P450,000 is invested at 8% (d).

29. The entrance fee in a carnival is P50 for an adult and P25 for a child.
Ferdie pays P225 for the entrance fee of his family. If his family has an
equal number of adults and children, how many are they in the family?

- Let's assume: Let x be the number of adults (and also the number of
children).
- Total Cost: 50x + 25x = 225
- Solving for x: 75x = 225
-x=3
- Total Family Members: 3 adults + 3 children = 6
- Answer: There are 6 people in the family (c).

30. The area of a rectangular field is 9,000 square meters. If the ratio of
the width to the length is 5 is to 8, what is the length of the rectangular
field in meters?

- Area Formula: Area = length * width

- Ratio: width / length = 5/8
- Let's assume: Let the width be 5x and the length be 8x.
- Area Equation: 5x * 8x = 9000
- 40x² = 9000
- x² = 225
- x = 15
- Length: length = 8x = 8 * 15 = 120 meters
- Answer: The length of the rectangular field is 120 meters (b).