Question

A student receives his grade report from a local community college, but the GPA is smudged. He took the following classes: a 2 hour credit art, a 3 hour credit history, a 4 hour credit science course, a 3 hour credit mathematics course, and a 1 hour science lab. He received a "B" in the art class, an "A" in the history class, a "C" in the science class, a "B" in the mathematics class, and an "A" in the science lab. What was his GPA if the letter grades are based on a 4 point scale? (A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0)

• A. 2.7
• B. 2.8
• C. 3.0
• D. 3.1
• E. 3.2

Hint:

To avoid errors in GPA calculations, create a simple table with columns for Course, Credit Hours, Grade, Grade Points, and Quality Points. This keeps your work organized.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
A Grade Point Average (GPA) is a weighted average. The "weights" are the credit hours for each course, and the "values" are the grade points assigned to the letter grades.
Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
The formula for GPA is: \[ \text{GPA} = \frac{\text{Total Quality Points}}{\text{Total Credit Hours}} \] Where Total Quality Points = \( \sum (\text{Credit Hours for a course} \times \text{Grade Points for that course}) \).
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
First, let's list the information and calculate the quality points for each course.
Art: 2 credit hours, Grade B (3 points). Quality Points = \( 2 \times 3 = 6 \)
History: 3 credit hours, Grade A (4 points). Quality Points = \( 3 \times 4 = 12 \)
Science Course: 4 credit hours, Grade C (2 points). Quality Points = \( 4 \times 2 = 8 \)
Mathematics: 3 credit hours, Grade B (3 points). Quality Points = \( 3 \times 3 = 9 \)
Science Lab: 1 credit hour, Grade A (4 points). Quality Points = \( 1 \times 4 = 4 \)
Next, calculate the Total Quality Points and Total Credit Hours.
Total Quality Points = \( 6 + 12 + 8 + 9 + 4 = 39 \).
Total Credit Hours = \( 2 + 3 + 4 + 3 + 1 = 13 \).
Finally, calculate the GPA using the formula: \[ \text{GPA} = \frac{39}{13} = 3.0 \] Step 4: Final Answer:
The student's GPA was 3.0. The correct option is (C).