01_106716 ffirs.qxp 4/30/07 9:27 PM Page i ASVAB FOR DUMmIES‰ 2ND EDITION by Rod Powers with Jennifer Lawler 01_106716 ffirs.qxp 4/30/07 9:27 PM Page iv 01_106716 ffirs.qxp 4/30/07 9:27 PM Page i ASVAB FOR DUMmIES‰ 2ND EDITION by Rod Powers with Jennifer Lawler 01_106716 ffirs.qxp 4/30/07 9:27 PM Page ii ASVAB For Dummies®, 2nd Edition Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600. 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Library of Congress Control Number: 2007925977 ISBN: 978-0-470-10671-6 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 01_106716 ffirs.qxp 4/30/07 9:27 PM Page iii About the Authors Rod Powers joined the United States Air Force in 1975 intending to become a spy. He was devastated to learn that he should’ve joined the CIA instead because the military doesn’t have that particular enlisted job. Regardless, he fell in love with the military and made it both a passion and a career, retiring with 23 years of service. Rod spent 11 of those years as a first sergeant, helping to solve the problems of the enlisted corps. Since his retirement from the military in 1998, Rod has become a world renowned military careers expert. Through his highly popular U.S. Military Information Web site on About.com (http://usmilitary.about.com), Rod has advised thousands of troops about all aspects of the U.S. Armed Forces career information. Rod is the proud father of twin girls, both of whom enjoy successful careers in the United State Air Force. Rod currently resides in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he attempts to prove that there’s no such thing as too much sunshine. Even today, Powers tries to run his life according to long-lived military ideals and standards, but he gets a bit confused about why nobody will obey his orders anymore. Jennifer Lawler has published nearly 20 books on topics ranging from country music to kick- boxing. One of her books, Martial Arts For Dummies, was published by Wiley. A former college English teacher, she taught test-prep skills to students before leaving the teaching profession to become a full-time writer — not that teaching made her tear her hair out or anything. Lawler never made it to boot camp, but she can do more pushups than a lot of people her age. She teaches martial arts to children with special needs and lives with her daughter and two rambunctious dogs. 01_106716 ffirs.qxp 4/30/07 9:27 PM Page iv 01_106716 ffirs.qxp 4/30/07 9:27 PM Page v Dedication To Jeanie and Chrissy — because everything is for you. Always. — Rod Powers Authors’ Acknowledgments The authors want to thank SFC Thomas Johnson, test control officer/guidance counselor for the Indiana Army National Guard, for reviewing the final manuscript for technical accuracy. We would also like to thank Brian “Chip” Anderson, math teacher extraordinaire, for editing the math chapters and reminding us how to solve for x. Special thanks goes out to Tracy Boggier, our Acquisitions Editor; Kristin DeMint, our won- derful Project Editor; and our top-notch Copy Editor, Carrie Burchfield, who dotted our i’s and crossed our t’s. Finally, we send more special thanks to the recruiting commands of the United States Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard for providing invaluable resource information. 01_106716 ffirs.qxp 4/30/07 9:27 PM Page vi Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development Composition Services Project Editor: Kristin DeMint Project Coordinator: Lynsey Osborn (Previous Edition: Marcia L. Johnson) Layout and Graphics: Carrie A. Foster, Denny Hager, Acquisitions Editor: Tracy Boggier Joyce Haughey, Stephanie D. Jumper Copy Editor: Carrie A. Burchfield Anniversary Logo Design: Richard Pacifico (Previous Edition: Mike Baker) Proofreaders: Laura Albert, Joanne Keaton Technical Editor: SFC Thomas Johnson, Indiana Army Indexer: Valerie Haynes Perry National Guard Senior Editorial Manager: Jennifer Ehrlich Editorial Assistants: Erin Calligan Mooney, Joe Niesen, Leeann Harney Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com) Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel Publishing for Technology Dummies Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User Composition Services Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services 02_106716 ftoc.qxp 4/30/07 11:43 PM Page vii Contents at a Glance Introduction.................................................................................1 Part I: Forewarned Is Forearmed: Understanding the ASVAB ...........5 Chapter 1: The ASVAB in a Nutshell...........................................................................................................7 Chapter 2: So, You Want to be a Tank Driver? What It Takes to Get Your Dream Job .......................17 Chapter 3: Test-Taking and Study Techniques .......................................................................................23 Part II: Words to Live By: Communication Skills...........................31 Chapter 4: Word Knowledge .....................................................................................................................33 Chapter 5: Paragraph Comprehension ....................................................................................................43 Chapter 6: All’s Well That Tests Well: Communication Practice Questions........................................55 Part III: All’s Fair in Math and War: Arithmetic Skills ..................63 Chapter 7: Arithmetic Reasoning .............................................................................................................65 Chapter 8: Mathematics Knowledge ........................................................................................................81 Chapter 9: Brother, Can You Spare an Equation? Arithmetic Practice Questions .............................99 Part IV: The Whole Ball of Facts: Technical Skills.......................107 Chapter 10: General Science ...................................................................................................................109