FTCE General Knowledge Math Practice Test

Which operation is described by the quotient of a dividend and a divisor?

1. Subtraction

2. Multiplication

3. Division

4. Addition

The correct answer is: Division

The operation described as the quotient of a dividend and a divisor is division. When you divide a number (the dividend) by another number (the divisor), the result is known as the quotient. For example, in the division problem 12 ÷ 3, 12 is the dividend and 3 is the divisor, resulting in a quotient of 4. Understanding division as the operation that finds how many times the divisor fits into the dividend is fundamental in mathematics. It is one of the four basic arithmetic operations, along with addition, subtraction, and multiplication. Each of these operations has its own properties and uses, but division specifically focuses on the relationship between the dividend and divisor to yield the quotient. The other operations—subtraction, multiplication, and addition—serve different purposes and are defined by their unique processes and outcomes. Subtraction finds the difference between two numbers, multiplication combines numbers in repeated addition, and addition combines quantities to find a total. Thus, the correct identification of division for this operation is crucial for understanding basic arithmetic principles.