College Math Placement Practice Test

Ava's dog weighs 135 pounds. If it is 5 times heavier than her cat, how much does her cat weigh?

1. 27 lb

2. 13.5 lb

3. 17 lb

4. 25 lb

The correct answer is: 27 lb

To determine the weight of Ava's cat, we start with the information given: Ava's dog weighs 135 pounds and is stated to be 5 times heavier than her cat. To find the weight of the cat, we can set up an equation based on the relationship described. If we denote the weight of the cat as \( x \), then we can express the dog's weight as follows: \[ 135 = 5x \] To isolate \( x \), we divide both sides of the equation by 5: \[ x = \frac{135}{5} \] Calculating this gives: \[ x = 27 \] Therefore, the weight of Ava's cat is 27 pounds. This aligns with the correct answer choice, which indicates that the cat weighs 27 pounds. This method of translating the relationship given in the problem into a mathematical equation is a fundamental skill in solving word problems, and it illustrates how to work with proportional relationships.