GED practice questions with answers: all four subjects, worked
Below are 18 original GED-style questions with worked answers: four math, a reading passage with four questions and two grammar items for language arts, four science and four social studies. Each shows the right answer and why the others are wrong. None is a real GED item and none appears in our paid practice tests.
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- full reading passage
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- real GED items
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What do GED math questions look like?
Short real-world word problems: a scale, a line through a point, a unit price and a quadratic. Set up the calculation before you reach for the calculator.
GED-style question 1 · Scale drawing
On a map, 1 inch represents 50 miles. Two towns are 2 inches apart on the map. How far apart are they in real life?
- A200 miles
- B100 miles
- C20 miles
- D25 miles
Worked answer
B: 100 miles. Multiply map distance by the scale: 2 × 50 = 100 miles.
GED-style question 2 · Equation of a line
A line has a slope of 1 and passes through (−4, −2). Which is its equation?
- Ay = −4x + 2
- By = −x − 6
- Cy = x + 2
- Dy = x − 6
Worked answer
C: y = x + 2. Use y = mx + b: −2 = 1(−4) + b, so −2 = −4 + b and b = 2. The equation is y = x + 2.
GED-style question 3 · Unit rate
A 20-ounce box of cereal costs $4.40 and a 64-ounce box costs $15.36. Which is the better buy, and what does it cost per ounce?
- AThe 20-ounce box, at $0.22 an ounce
- BThe 20-ounce box, at $0.07 an ounce
- CThey cost the same per ounce
- DThe 64-ounce box, at $0.24 an ounce
Worked answer
A: The 20-ounce box, at $0.22 an ounce. Divide price by ounces: $4.40 ÷ 20 = $0.22 and $15.36 ÷ 64 = $0.24. The lower unit price is the better buy.
GED-style question 4 · Quadratic equation
What are the solutions of x² − 13x + 42 = 0?
- Ax = −13 and x = 42
- Bx = −7 and x = −6
- Cx = −7 and x = 6
- Dx = 6 and x = 7
Worked answer
D: x = 6 and x = 7. Find two numbers that multiply to 42 and add to −13: −7 and −6. So (x − 7)(x − 6) = 0, and each factor is zero when x = 7 or x = 6.
More, with a timed drill: GED math practice test.
What do GED language arts questions look like?
A passage with several questions about its main idea, details, structure and word meaning, then sentence edits. Every reading answer is in the text.
Walk through the produce section of any supermarket and you are looking at the work of bees. Apples, almonds, blueberries, cherries and squash all depend heavily on insects to carry pollen from one flower to another. Without pollination, many of these plants produce little or no fruit.
Honeybees are the best-known pollinators because beekeepers can move them. Each spring, trucks carry hives across the country so the bees can work in orchards for a few weeks before moving to the next crop. But honeybees are only part of the story. Thousands of wild bee species, many of them small and solitary, also pollinate crops and wild plants. Some, such as bumblebees, are better than honeybees at pollinating tomatoes, because they shake pollen loose by vibrating their flight muscles.
In recent decades, beekeepers have reported losing a large share of their colonies each year. Scientists point to several causes acting together: parasites such as the varroa mite, diseases, poor nutrition when bees feed on a single crop, and certain pesticides. Wild bees face many of the same threats, along with the loss of the meadows and hedgerows where they nest.
Farmers and homeowners can help. Planting a variety of flowers that bloom from spring to fall gives bees food across the season. Leaving some bare ground and old stems provides nesting sites. Following pesticide labels, especially warnings about spraying while plants are in bloom, protects bees that are visiting the flowers. Small steps on many farms and in many yards can add up to a large difference.
GED-style question 5 · Main idea
Which statement best expresses the central idea of the passage?
- ASupermarkets should stop selling fruit that needs bees
- BPesticides are the single cause of bee losses
- CHoneybees are the only insects that pollinate crops
- DBees, both managed and wild, are vital to many food crops and face threats that people can help reduce
Worked answer
D: Bees, both managed and wild, are vital to many food crops and face threats that people can help reduce. The passage explains bees' role in food production, the threats they face and ways to help.
GED-style question 6 · Detail
According to the passage, why are bumblebees especially good at pollinating tomatoes?
- AThey are not affected by pesticides
- BThey can be moved by truck from farm to farm
- CThey vibrate their flight muscles to shake pollen loose
- DThey live in very large colonies
Worked answer
C: They vibrate their flight muscles to shake pollen loose. The second paragraph says bumblebees "shake pollen loose by vibrating their flight muscles".
GED-style question 7 · Structure
How does the third paragraph relate to the rest of the passage?
- AIt defines the word "pollination"
- BIt tells a story about a single beekeeper
- CIt explains the problems that the final paragraph's suggestions are meant to address
- DIt contradicts the claim that bees pollinate crops
Worked answer
C: It explains the problems that the final paragraph's suggestions are meant to address. Paragraph three lists threats to bees; paragraph four offers steps that respond to those threats.
GED-style question 8 · Vocabulary
In the second paragraph, the word "solitary" most nearly means
- Avery rare
- Bable to sting
- Cbrightly colored
- Dliving alone rather than in a large colony
Worked answer
D: living alone rather than in a large colony. The text contrasts wild bees that are "small and solitary" with honeybees kept in hives, so "solitary" means living alone.
GED-style question 9 · Sentence structure
Which version of the sentence is written correctly?
- AThe power went out. So that we lit candles.
- BThe power went out, we lit candles.
- CThe power went out we lit candles.
- DThe power went out, so we lit candles.
Worked answer
D: The power went out, so we lit candles.. Two complete sentences can be joined with a comma plus a conjunction such as "so". A comma alone makes a comma splice, and no punctuation makes a run-on.
GED-style question 10 · Transitions
Which transition best completes the sentence? "The apartment is small. ____, it is close to the train station."
- ASimilarly
- BHowever
- CFor example
- DTherefore
Worked answer
B: However. The second sentence offers a contrast (a benefit after a drawback), so "However" fits.
More, with a timed drill: GED language arts practice test.
A handful of questions is a taste. A full test is the measure.
8 full GED-style tests and 16 subject drills, with an explanation for every question you miss.
The GED Pass Pack gives you 8 full mocks on the real clock, 16 drills of 12 questions for the sections that cost you points, and a predictor that turns your mocks into the odds of reaching your target. One payment, no subscription, and your free score stays free.
Prep courses for these tests usually cost $19 to $129. The GED Pass Pack is US$39 (£29), once.
- 8
- timed mocks
- 16
- topic drills
- 1
- score predictor
What do GED science questions look like?
One core idea per question, or a quick calculation from data: cells, atoms, Earth's layers and speed.
GED-style question 11 · Cells
Mitosis produces two daughter cells. How do their chromosomes compare with the parent cell's?
- AEach has half as many chromosomes as the parent
- BEach has twice as many chromosomes as the parent
- CEach has the same number of chromosomes as the parent
- DOne has all the chromosomes and the other has none
Worked answer
C: Each has the same number of chromosomes as the parent. Mitosis copies the chromosomes and splits them evenly, so each daughter cell is a genetic copy with the same number. Meiosis is the division that halves the number to make sex cells.
GED-style question 12 · Atoms
An atom has 11 protons and 12 neutrons. What is its mass number?
- A1
- B12
- C11
- D23
Worked answer
D: 23. Mass number = protons + neutrons = 11 + 12 = 23. The number of protons (11) is the atomic number, which identifies the element (sodium).
GED-style question 13 · Earth's structure
Which layer of Earth is the thinnest?
- AThe crust
- BThe inner core
- CThe mantle
- DThe outer core
Worked answer
A: The crust. The crust is only about 5 to 70 km thick, very thin compared with the mantle (about 2,900 km) and the core.
GED-style question 14 · Speed
A cyclist rides 37.5 km in 2.5 hours at a steady pace. What is the average speed? (speed = distance ÷ time)
- A35 km/h
- B15 km/h
- C0.07 km/h
- D93.75 km/h
Worked answer
B: 15 km/h. Speed = distance ÷ time = 37.5 ÷ 2.5 = 15 km/h.
More, with a timed drill: GED science practice test.
What do GED social studies questions look like?
Founding documents, U.S. history, supply and demand, and a table to read. Ask what the source actually says before you choose.
GED-style question 15 · Founding documents
The Preamble begins "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union..." What is the main purpose of the Preamble?
- ATo list the rights of individual citizens
- BTo describe how the president is elected
- CTo declare independence from Great Britain
- DTo state the goals of the Constitution and that its authority comes from the people
Worked answer
D: To state the goals of the Constitution and that its authority comes from the people. The Preamble sets out why the Constitution was written (union, justice, domestic tranquility, defense, welfare, liberty). It grants no powers and lists no specific rights.
GED-style question 16 · Expansion
In 1803 the United States bought a huge territory west of the Mississippi River from France, roughly doubling the country's size. What was this called?
- AThe Oregon Treaty
- BThe Mexican Cession
- CThe Louisiana Purchase
- DThe Gadsden Purchase
Worked answer
C: The Louisiana Purchase. President Thomas Jefferson's government bought the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon's France in 1803 for about $15 million.
GED-style question 17 · Supply and demand
A frost destroys much of the orange crop. What usually happens to the price of oranges?
- AIt falls, because there are fewer oranges
- BIt rises, because supply falls while demand stays about the same
- CIt falls, because people want fewer oranges
- DIt stays the same, because demand is unchanged
Worked answer
B: It rises, because supply falls while demand stays about the same. A drop in supply with steady demand creates a shortage at the old price, so the price rises.
GED-style question 18 · Reading a table
The table shows the population of four counties in two census years. By what percent did the population of Ash County change from 2010 to 2020?
County 2010 2020 Dale County 40,000 42,000 Ash County 60,000 75,000 Birch County 120,000 129,600 Cedar County 25,000 27,500 - AAn increase of 50%
- BAn increase of 15%
- CA decrease of 25%
- DAn increase of 25%
Worked answer
D: An increase of 25%. Change ÷ starting population × 100: (75,000 − 60,000) ÷ 60,000 × 100 = 25%.
More, with a timed drill: GED social studies practice test.
How long should each GED question take?
About 2.5 minutes a math question and around 2 minutes elsewhere, though Language Arts also has to leave 45 minutes for the essay.
| Subject | Time and questions | Even pace |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematical Reasoning | 115 min for about 46 | about 150 s |
| Reasoning Through Language Arts | 150 min for about 46, plus one essay | about 196 s |
| Science | 90 min for about 34 to 40 | about 142 s |
| Social Studies | 70 min for about 35 | about 120 s |
Take the free GED-style practice test to try that pace across all four subjects, and read the GED test guide for the format and booking.
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Know which subject is ready before you pay for it
8 full tests and 16 subject drills, in one payment.
The GED Pass Pack gives you 8 full mocks on the real clock, 16 drills of 12 questions for the sections that cost you points, and a predictor that turns your mocks into the odds of reaching your target. One payment, no subscription, and your free score stays free.
Prep courses for these tests usually cost $19 to $129. The GED Pass Pack is US$39 (£29), once.
- 8
- timed mocks
- 16
- topic drills
- 1
- score predictor