Fractions in Your Lunchbox

A pizza has 8 slices and you eat 2 before your friends arrive. What fraction of the pizza is gone?

• 1/2
• 1/4
• 1/8
• 2/6

Answer: 1/4. You ate 2/8. Divide top and bottom by 2 and it simplifies to 1/4.

Four cakes, four shares: 2/3, 3/4, 5/8 and 7/12. Which share is the biggest?

• 5/8
• 7/12
• 3/4
• 2/3

Answer: 3/4. As decimals they are about 0.67, 0.75, 0.625 and 0.58, so 3/4 wins.

A ₹100 toy goes up 10% before Diwali, then drops 10% after. What does it cost now?

• ₹90
• ₹100
• ₹101
• ₹99

Answer: ₹99. Up 10% gives ₹110. The 10% drop is worked on ₹110, so it is ₹11, leaving ₹99.

Cut one roti into 4 equal pieces and eat 2. Into how many equal pieces must you cut a second roti so that 3 of them make the same amount?

• 6 pieces
• 5 pieces
• 8 pieces
• 12 pieces

Answer: 6 pieces. 2/4 is the same as 1/2, and 3/6 is also 1/2. These are called equivalent fractions.

Which gives more cake pieces: 5/6 of 60, or 60% of 90?

• 5/6 of 60
• 60% of 90
• Both are equal
• It cannot be worked out

Answer: 60% of 90. 5/6 of 60 is 50, while 60% of 90 is 54.

A ₹800 kurta has a '25% off' tag. How much do you pay at the counter?

• ₹200
• ₹575
• ₹600
• ₹775

Answer: ₹600. 25% is a quarter, and a quarter of 800 is 200. So you pay 800 − 200 = ₹600.

A recipe asks for 0.375 kg of butter. What fraction of a kilogram is that?

• 3/4
• 37/50
• 1/3
• 3/8

Answer: 3/8. 0.375 = 375/1000. Divide top and bottom by 125 and you get 3/8.

Four friends share one laddoo: one gets 1/2, one 1/3, one 1/4 and one 1/8. Which share is the smallest?

• 1/2
• 1/8
• 1/3
• 1/4

Answer: 1/8. When the top number is the same, the bigger the bottom number, the smaller the piece. Eight pieces are smaller than two.

You score 3 out of 5 in a class test. What is that as a percentage?

• 35%
• 53%
• 60%
• 65%

Answer: 60%. 3/5 = 6/10 = 60/100, which is 60%.

2 cups of rice feed 4 people. Two more guests arrive. How many cups do you need now?

• 3 cups
• 2.5 cups
• 4 cups
• 6 cups

Answer: 3 cups. That is half a cup per person, so 6 people need 6 × 1/2 = 3 cups.

You have ₹50 and spend 3/10 of it on a samosa and chai. How much money is left?

• ₹15
• ₹20
• ₹30
• ₹35

Answer: ₹35. 3/10 of 50 is 15, so you spent ₹15 and have 50 − 15 = ₹35 left. Or: you keep 7/10 of 50.

You drink 1/3 of a bottle of juice in the morning and another 1/4 at lunch. How much of the bottle is gone?

• 7/12
• 2/7
• 5/12
• 1/2

Answer: 7/12. Use a common denominator: 1/3 = 4/12 and 1/4 = 3/12, so 4/12 + 3/12 = 7/12. Adding tops and bottoms (2/7) is the classic trap.

A recipe needs 2 1/2 cups of flour, but you only have a half-cup scoop. How many scoops do you need?

• 3 scoops
• 4 scoops
• 5 scoops
• 6 scoops

Answer: 5 scoops. 2 1/2 = 5/2, and 5/2 ÷ 1/2 = 5. Each whole cup takes 2 scoops, plus 1 for the half.

A pack of 6 bananas costs ₹42. At the same rate, what do 4 bananas cost?

• ₹24
• ₹28
• ₹30
• ₹32

Answer: ₹28. One banana costs 42 ÷ 6 = ₹7, so 4 bananas cost 4 × 7 = ₹28.

Shop A gives 20% off a ₹500 school bag. Shop B gives ₹90 off the same bag. Where do you pay less, and by how much?

• Shop B, by ₹10
• Both cost the same
• Shop A, by ₹20
• Shop A, by ₹10

Answer: Shop A, by ₹10. 20% of 500 is 100, so Shop A charges ₹400. Shop B charges 500 − 90 = ₹410, so Shop A is ₹10 cheaper.