question: Find the value of y from (12)^3 x 6^4 432 = y?
Options:
(A) 3456
(B) 4567
(C) 4789
(D) 5678
(E) y=5184
answer: Stream of consciousness: Given Exp. = (12)3 x 64 = (12) 3 x 64 = (12)2 x 62 = (72)2 = 5184
432 12 x 62 The answer is (E).

q: If it costs d dollars to make the first 100 copies of a poster and e dollars for each poster after that, what is the total cost of 125 posters?
Options:
(A) 25d + 100e
(B) 100d + 25e
(C) 125de
(D) d + 25e
(E) 125/(de)
a: Stream of consciousness: Dollars needed for first 100 copies = d
Dollars needed for each successive copy = e
Cost of 125 copies = cost of 100 copies + cost of 25 copies = d + 25e The answer is (D).

question: If the ratio of boys to girls in a class is B and the ratio of girls to boys is G; then 7 (B + G) is ?
Options:
(A) more than 7
(B) Less than 3
(C) More than 3
(D) Less than 1/3
(E) none of these
answer: Stream of consciousness: Let number of boys = x
Let number of girls = y
Therefore x/y = B and y/x = G
7(B + G) = 7[(x/y) + (y/x)] = 7[(x2 + y2)/xy] > 7 The answer is (A).

q: In each series, look for the degree and direction of change between the numbers. In other words, do the numbers increase or decrease, and by how much?
Look at this series: 95, 10, 75, 20, 55, ... What number should come next?
Options:
(A) 35
(B) 40
(C) 30
(D) 25
(E) 90
a: Stream of consciousness: C
30
This is an alternating addition and subtraction series. In the first pattern, 20 is subtracted from each number to arrive at the next. In the second, 10 is added to each number to arrive at the next. The answer is (C).

question: At the A-Street Fish Market a vendor sells fresh caught fish. His store is filled with 2/7 bass, 1/5 tuna, 1/7 trout, and the rest are catfish. If a customer just bought 1/7 of all the tuna and 1/7 of all the catfish, and a fisherman arrived to restock the bass, doubling the number of bass, what proportion of fish now in the store are trout?
Options:
(A) 30/71
(B) 4/7
(C) 5/43
(D) 1/2
(E) 1/5
answer: Stream of consciousness: Bass = 2/7 = 10/35
Tuna = 1/5 = 7/35
Trout = 1/7 = 5/35
Catfish = 1 - (10/35 +7/35 + 5/35) = 13/35
Purchased: Tuna = 7/35 - (7/35)(1/7) = 6/35, and
Catfish = 13/35 - (13/35)(1/7) = 12/35
Stocked: doubling the number of bass (2)(10/35) = 20/35
Now: 20 + 6 + 5 + 12 = 43
Trout proportion is now 5/43. The answer is (C).

question: Look at this series: 53, 53, 43, 43, 33, 33, ... What number should come next?
Options:
(A) A) 23
(B) B) 14
(C) C) 27
(D) D) 53
(E) E) 86
answer:
Stream of consciousness: In this series, each number is repeated, then 10 is subtracted to arrive at the next number. The answer is (A).