Arithmetic and Geometric Sequences & Series Test
1. Which of the following is the general term of an arithmetic sequence with first term 5 and
common difference 3?
a) aₙ = 5 + 3n
b) aₙ = 5 + 3(n - 1)
c) aₙ = 5n + 3
d) aₙ = 3n - 5
2. The 12th term of an arithmetic sequence is 50, and the first term is 8. What is the
common difference?
a) 4
b) 3.5
c) 5
d) 6
3. What is the sum of the first 20 terms of the arithmetic sequence: 7, 11, 15, ... ?
a) 440
b) 460
c) 480
d) 500
4. Which sequence is arithmetic?
a) 2, 4, 8, 16, 32
b) 3, 6, 9, 12, 15
c) 5, 10, 20, 40
d) 1, 4, 9, 16, 25
5. The sum of the first n terms of an arithmetic sequence is given by Sₙ = (n/2)(2a + (n-1)d).
If a = 4 and d = 6, find S₈.
a) 196
b) 208
c) 216
d) 224
6. Find the 15th term of the arithmetic sequence 12, 9, 6, 3, ...
a) –30
b) –27
c) –33
d) –36
7. Which formula can be used to find the number of terms n when a, l, and d are known?
a) n = (l - a) / d
b) n = (l - a) / d + 1
c) n = (a - l) / d
d) n = (a + l) / (2d)
8. The sum of the first 10 terms of an arithmetic sequence is 350. If a = 10, find the common
difference d.
a) 5
b) 6
c) 7
d) 8
9. Which of the following is not an arithmetic sequence?
a) –1, 0, 1, 2, 3
b) 5, 8, 11, 14, 17
c) 2, 4, 6, 8, 10
d) 3, 6, 12, 24, 48
10. The 8th term of an arithmetic sequence is 26, and the 20th term is 62. What is the
common difference?
a) 3
b) 4
c) 5
d) 6
11. Which of the following is a geometric sequence?
a) 2, 4, 6, 8, 10
b) 3, 6, 12, 24, 48
c) 5, 10, 20, 40, 70
d) 4, 8, 12, 16, 20
12. In a geometric sequence, the first term is 5 and the common ratio is 3. Find the 6th term.
a) 405
b) 1215
c) 243
d) 729
13. Which formula gives the sum of the first n terms of a geometric sequence?
a) Sₙ = a(rⁿ - 1) / (r - 1), r ≠ 1
b) Sₙ = (a - rⁿ) / (1 - r)
c) Sₙ = n(a + l) / 2
d) Sₙ = arⁿ⁻¹
14. The 1st term of a geometric sequence is 16, and the 4th term is 2. Find the common
ratio.
a) 1/4
b) 1/2
c) 2
d) 4
15. Find the sum of the first 5 terms of the geometric sequence: 3, 6, 12, ...
a) 93
b) 96
c) 99
d) 102
16. Which of the following best defines the geometric mean of two positive numbers x and
y?
a) (x + y) / 2
b) √(xy)
c) xy
d) x / y
17. The geometric mean of 8 and 18 is:
a) 12
b) 13
c) 14
d) 12√2
18. If the first term of a geometric sequence is 27 and the common ratio is 2/3, find the 7th
term.
a) 64/27
b) 128/27
c) 256/81
d) 128/81
19. Find the sum of the first 8 terms of a geometric sequence where a = 2 and r = 3.
a) 6560
b) 6561
c) 6562
d) 6563
20. Which is the geometric mean of 25 and 49?
a) 34
b) 35
c) 36
d) 37
