NCERT Solutions for Class 5th Maths Chapter 2 /6 paratha or 4/5 paratha? — Comparing Fractions — Same Numerator
Book page 234 Updated on2026-09-19
Q1.
One child says, ‘I ate 4/6 paratha yesterday evening.’ The other says, ‘I ate 4/5 paratha yesterday evening.’ Between Sevi and Shami, can you tell who ate more? Use your fraction kit to find the answer.
Answer
The one who ate 4/5 — Shami — ate more.
Both children ate 4 pieces. So the answer depends on whose pieces were bigger.
Take out the 1/5 pieces and the 1/6 pieces from your kit.
Put one 1/5 piece on top of one 1/6 piece. The 1/5 piece sticks out — it is bigger.
Both children ate 4 pieces. Shami's 4 pieces were each bigger.
So Shami ate more: 4/5 > 4/6.
Both parathas are the same size. Only the cutting is different.
Why it happens: Cutting a paratha into 6 makes smaller pieces than cutting it into 5. So each 1/6 is smaller than each 1/5. Four small pieces come to less than four bigger pieces.
Q2.
Do the following pictures help you reason? Share your thoughts in the class.
Sevi’s paratha
Shami’s paratha
The two parathas printed on page 23 — one cut into 5 equal pieces, the other into 6 equal pieces.
Answer
Yes, the pictures settle it at once. The two parathas in the pictures are the same size, but one is cut into 5 pieces and the other into 6.
Sample answer for the class discussion:
The whole is the same in both pictures — one paratha.
The paratha cut into 5 has fewer, bigger pieces. The one cut into 6 has more, smaller pieces.
So one 1/6 piece is smaller than one 1/5 piece.
Each child ate 4 pieces, so the one with the bigger pieces ate more. Therefore 4/6 < 4/5.
1/6 < 1/5 4 × (1/6) < 4 × (1/5) So 4/6 < 4/5
The rule: When two fractions have the same numerator (the same top number), the one with the smaller denominator is bigger — because its pieces are bigger.
Q3.
Compare the following fractions using < and > signs. (a) 3/8 ___ 3/7 (b) 4/9 ___ 4/10 (c) 2/7 ___ 2/5 (d) 5/7 ___ 5/6 (e) 6/9 ___ 6/10 (f) 7/9 ___ 7/11
Answer
Every pair has the same top number. So look at the bottom numbers: the smaller bottom number means bigger pieces, and therefore the bigger fraction.
Part
Pair
Which piece is bigger?
Answer
(a)
3/8 and 3/7
1/7 is bigger than 1/8
3/8 < 3/7
(b)
4/9 and 4/10
1/9 is bigger than 1/10
4/9 > 4/10
(c)
2/7 and 2/5
1/5 is bigger than 1/7
2/7 < 2/5
(d)
5/7 and 5/6
1/6 is bigger than 1/7
5/7 < 5/6
(e)
6/9 and 6/10
1/9 is bigger than 1/10
6/9 > 6/10
(f)
7/9 and 7/11
1/9 is bigger than 1/11
7/9 > 7/11
Part (a) drawn on two strips of the same length.
Remember it this way: More people sharing one paratha means a smaller share each. A bigger bottom number means a smaller piece.