A bookshop had an equal number of comics and novels for sale. After selling some of them, 25 of the comics and 34 of the novels were left. What fraction of all the comics and novels were sold?
- 2340
- 1740
- 1720
- 720
Need a hint?
Find the fraction SOLD for each type first, then take the combined number sold out of the combined total. Pick an equal number for each type, such as 20.
Worked answer
- Comics left 25, so comics sold = 1 - 25 = 35.
- Novels left 34, so novels sold = 1 - 34 = 14.
- Let each type have 20 books (equal numbers, 40 in total). Comics sold = 35 of 20 = 12; novels sold = 14 of 20 = 5.
- Total sold = 12 + 5 = 17 out of 40 books, so the fraction sold = 1740.
Answer: 1740
The mistake this question tests
Habit
Fraction of a remainder
Pupils often find the fraction left (2340) instead of the fraction sold, or add 35 and 14 to get 1720 without dividing by the 2 equal groups.
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