Measuring weight is tested in word problems on the exam.
You will need to understand the basic concepts of United States’ weights and measurements in order to do well on your test.
Remember that the United States has not universally adopted the metric system.
You will see questions on the test that require knowledge of measuring weight for both solid (dry) and fluid (wet) items.
Measuring weight of wet items means that you need to use fluid ounces, pints, quarts, or gallons.
On the other hand, dry items are measured in ounces and pounds.
Dry items are also measured in tons in the case of extremely heavy quantities.
Measuring Weight − Large Items
(1) Which of the following is best unit of measurement for the weight of a truck?
A. gallons
B. horsepower
C. liters
D. pounds per square inch
E. tons
You will recall that feet and inches are linear measurements; they are not used for weight.
Gallons are measures of liquid substances.
Horsepower measures the strength of an engine.
Liters are also used to measure liquid substances, but this measurement is used in the metric system.
Pounds per square inch are used to measure pressure.
As mentioned above, tons measure the weight of heavy items, so tons would be suitable for measuring the weight of a car.
Note that one ton is equal to two thousand pounds.
So, the correct answer is E.
Measuring Weight − Small Items
(2) What is the best unit of measure for the weight of a large bag of flour?
A. feet
B. inches
C. pounds
D. pints
E. quarts
Remember that wet items are measured in pints and quarts, while dry items are measured in ounces, pounds, or tons.
Feet and inches are used for measuring length or height; they are not used for weight.
Sugar is a dry item, so it is measured by dry weight, not fluid weight.
Unlike the truck in the problem above, a bag is sugar is a small item, so it is measured in pounds.
So, the correct answer is C.