Soon after graduating from college, Jonathan applied for an entry-level job in the R&D department of a national company. After submitting a cover letter and résumé, he was called for a job interview. Following the interview, the human resources director gave Jonathan a short math quiz.
Jonathan spent about 20 minutes answering the questions:
Question 1: Noah, a runner, is training for the Olympics. He has been putting 100 percent effort into his training, but his coach tells him that he needs to give it 110 percent. Is the coach correct?
Answer: No, the coach is not correct. If Noah gives 110 percent effort, he will lose to runners who are giving 1,000 percent effort. As my football coach in high school used to tell me, “If you aren’t giving it 1,000 percent, you aren’t really trying.” I agree with him 1,000 percent.
Question 2: You and your roommate are splitting utilities. The electric bill is $150 monthly, cable is $200 and water is $50. Your roommate is paying the water bill and the electric bill. What must you do?
Answer: I must cancel cable. $200 is too much!
Question 3: You bought one gallon of milk at a store, but on the drive home, ⅓ spilled in your car. What are you left with?
Answer: A very smelly car.
Question 4: If you watch two movies for 90 minutes each on Hulu and three movies for 120 minutes each on Netflix, how many minutes do you spend on the average movie?
Answer: Zero. I do not watch average movies.
Question 5: Maria asks her husband, Matt, to work in their garden for 90 minutes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 30 minutes on other days, except Sundays. What is the mean number of minutes that Matt works in the garden?
Answer: It’s a very hot summer. Anything more than 30 minutes is mean.
Question 6: If five drivers on the highway are going over the speed limit and seven drivers are going under the speed limit, is the median driver breaking the law?
Answer: Yes, it is illegal to drive on the median. You must stay on the road.
Question 7: If you are working as a bank teller for four hours a day, earning $15 per hour, and working as a sales associate at a department store for four hours a day, earning $12 per hour, how much are you making per day?
Answer: I am not making anything. They are both service jobs.
Question 8: The government taxes you at a rate of 30 percent. If Congress increases your tax rate by 50 percent, what will your new tax rate be?
Answer: It depends on whether I move to Canada or Mexico.
Question 9: If a balloon has a radius of 10 centimeters and pi is 3.1, what is its volume?
Answer: Very loud if you pop it.
Question 10: An Indian man steps on a scale and it says 100 kg. He moves to America, gains 100 lbs and steps on another scale. What does this scale say?
Answer: Ouch!
EXTRA CREDIT
Question 11: Do you know the meaning of sine and cosine?
Answer: Yes, if you are applying for a loan, you need to sine and your parents need to cosine.
The human resources director was very impressed with Jonathan’s answers and offered him a job in the company’s advertising department.
