NCERT Solutions for Class 4th Maths Chapter 9 Common multiples, the cat and the rat, and a number hunt — Common Multiples

Book page 130 Updated on2026-09-19

Q1.
Which numbers do both the frog and the squirrel touch? A few common multiples of 3 and 4 are _____________________________.
Answer
0361218
The frog’s path. The frog starts at 0 and lands on every third number.
04812
The squirrel’s path. It starts at 0 and lands on every fourth number.
Frog (3s): 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36
Squirrel (4s): 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36

A few common multiples of 3 and 4 are 12, 24, 36, 48 and 60.

Why it happens: 12 is 4 groups of 3 and also 3 groups of 4. After that the two animals meet again every 12 steps.
Q2.
Which numbers do both the rabbit and the kangaroo touch? A few common multiples of 6 and 8 are ________________________.
Answer
061218
The rabbit’s path. It starts at 0 and lands on every sixth number.
0816
The kangaroo’s path. It starts at 0 and lands on every eighth number.
Rabbit (6s): 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54, 60, 66, 72
Kangaroo (8s): 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 72

A few common multiples of 6 and 8 are 24, 48, 72 and 96.

Check it yourself: 24 = 4 sixes and 24 = 3 eights. Both animals land there.
Q3.
If the cat and the rat land on the same number, the cat will catch the rat. The cat is now on 6 and the rat on 12. When the cat jumps 3 steps forward, the rat jumps 2 steps forward. Will the cat catch the rat? If yes, at which number?
Answer
123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930catrat
The number track. The cat is on 6 and the rat is on 12.

Yes, the cat catches the rat at 24.

Let us write where each one is after every jump.

JumpCat (+3)Rat (+2)
start612
1914
21216
31518
41820
52122
62424

Both reach 24 after 6 jumps.

Why it happens: The cat is 6 steps behind. In each jump the cat gains 3 − 2 = 1 step. So after 6 jumps the gap of 6 becomes 0 and they meet at 24.
Q4.
Find multiplication and division sentences below. Shade the sentences. How many can you find? Two examples are done for you.
Answer
34274982
4210205224
128064881
326226162
236186531
10341122714
202261072
2058225102

The number grid in the book. Read across a row or down a column.

Read three boxes in a row (left to right) or three boxes in a column (top to bottom). We found 17 sentences.

Across the rows:

  • Row 2: 2 × 10 = 20 and 2 × 2 = 4
  • Row 3: 8 ÷ 8 = 1
  • Row 4: 3 × 2 = 6
  • Row 5: 2 × 3 = 6 and 3 × 6 = 18
  • Row 6: 2 × 7 = 14
  • Row 8: 2 × 5 = 10

Down the columns:

  • Column 1: 3 × 4 = 12 and 10 × 2 = 20
  • Column 2: 4 × 2 = 8
  • Column 3: 4 × 2 = 8
  • Column 4: 1 × 2 = 2
  • Column 5: 2 × 6 = 12 and 12 ÷ 6 = 2
  • Column 6: 5 × 2 = 10
  • Column 7: 2 × 8 = 16
Note: In our copy of the book the two “examples done for you” are not printed with any shading, so all 17 sentences are listed above. You may also find a few more if your teacher lets you read a row from right to left.
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