Subtraction of Fractions Problem Solving Grade 6 MELC

A bakery sold 3/4 of a cake on Monday and 1/2 of a cake on Tuesday. How much cake was left?

• 2/5

• 1/3

• 1/2

• 1/4

Answer explanation

To find the amount of cake left, subtract the portions sold from the whole cake. 1 - (3/4 + 1/2) = 1/4. Therefore, 1/4 of the cake was left.

If a student had 5/8 of a pizza and ate 1/4 of it, how much pizza is left?

• 4/8

• 2/8

• 1/2

• 3/8

Answer explanation

To find the amount of pizza left, subtract 1/4 from 5/8. 5/8 - 1/4 = 5/8 - 2/8 = 3/8. Therefore, 3/8 of the pizza is left.

Sara had 2/3 of a bag of candies. She gave 1/6 of the candies to her friend. How many candies does Sara have left?

• 1/3

• 1/2

• 1/5

• 1/4

Answer explanation

Sara had 2/3 of the candies, then gave 1/6 to her friend. 2/3 - 1/6 = 4/6 - 1/6 = 3/6 = 1/2. Sara has 1/2 of the candies left.

A farmer harvested 4/5 of his cornfield. He then sold 1/10 of the harvested corn. What fraction of the cornfield did he sell?

• 3/20

• 1/5

• 2/25

• 1/10

Answer explanation

The farmer sold 1/10 of 4/5 of his cornfield, which is (1/10) * (4/5) = 4/50 = 2/25. Therefore, he sold 2/25 of the cornfield.

In a school play, 3/4 of the students performed in the morning and 1/3 performed in the afternoon. What fraction of the students did not perform?

• 2/5

• 3/8

• 1/7

• 1/12

Answer explanation

To find the fraction of students who did not perform, subtract the fractions who performed from 1. (1 - 3/4 - 1/3) = 1/12. Therefore, 1/12 of the students did not perform.

A recipe calls for 2/3 cup of sugar. If you only have 1/4 cup of sugar, how much more sugar do you need?

• 1/3 cup

• 1/2 cup

• 3/4 cup

• 5/12 cup

Answer explanation

To find out how much more sugar is needed, subtract 1/4 cup from 2/3 cup, which equals 5/12 cup. Therefore, you need 5/12 cup more sugar.

A tank was filled with 7/8 liter of water. If 1/2 liter of water leaked out, how much water is left in the tank?

• 3/8 liter

• 1 liter

• 5/8 liter

• 1/4 liter

Answer explanation

After 1/2 liter leaks out, 7/8 - 1/2 = 3/8 liter of water is left in the tank, making 3/8 liter the correct choice.

A store had 5/6 of a box of pencils. If 1/3 of the pencils were sold, what fraction of the box is left?

• 1/2

• 5/9

• 2/5

• 3/7

Answer explanation

To find the fraction left, subtract 1/3 (sold) from 5/6 (initial). 5/6 - 1/3 = 5/9. Therefore, 5/9 of the box is left.

If a rope was 3/4 meter long and 1/8 meter was cut off, how long is the remaining rope?

• 1/2 meter

• 3/8 meter

• 1/4 meter

• 5/8 meter

Answer explanation

The remaining rope is 3/4 - 1/8 = 5/8 meters long after cutting off 1/8 meter. Therefore, the correct answer is 5/8 meter.

A baker used 2/5 of a bag of flour to bake bread. If he used 1/10 of the remaining flour to bake a cake, what fraction of the bag of flour is left?

• 24/25

• 1/5

• 2/15

• 3/10

Answer explanation

The baker used 2/5 of the flour, leaving 3/5. Then he used 1/10 of the remaining, which is 1/10 * 3/5 = 3/50. The fraction left is 1 - 2/5 - 3/50 = 24/25.