NCERT Solutions for Class 5th Maths Chapter 2 Tamanna's chocolates and Grids A, B, C — Playing with a Grid
Book page 17 Updated on2026-09-19
Q1.
Tamanna is a student of Grade 5. She has two chocolates of different sizes. She says that 1/3 of one of her chocolates is bigger than 1/2 of the other chocolate. Is that correct? Explain why this is so.
Answer
Yes, Tamanna is correct. She is right because her two chocolates are not the same size.
Look at the two bars in the book. Count the squares.
The squares are the same size, but the bars are not. So 1/3 of the big bar beats 1/2 of the small bar.
Small chocolate = 2 × 2 = 4 squares 1/2 of it = 4 ÷ 2 = 2 squares
Big chocolate = 3 × 3 = 9 squares 1/3 of it = 9 ÷ 3 = 3 squares
3 squares > 2 squares, so 1/3 of the big chocolate is bigger
Why it happens: A fraction is always a part of something. The 1/3 here is a part of a big chocolate. The 1/2 is a part of a small chocolate. So the two pieces are cut from two different wholes, and the bigger whole can give the bigger piece even though 1/3 sounds smaller than 1/2.
Remember the book's rule: To compare two fractions of two wholes, the wholes from which the fractions are derived must be the same.
Q2.
When can we say that 1/2 of something is greater than 1/3 of something?
Answer
We can say it when both fractions are taken from the same whole.
Take one paratha. Cut it in 2 equal parts and keep one part — that is 1/2. Now take the same paratha, cut it in 3 equal parts and keep one part — that is 1/3.
Same paratha, two different cuts. The half is clearly the longer piece.
Same whole, cut into 2 → each part is bigger Same whole, cut into 3 → each part is smaller So 1/2 > 1/3
Why it happens: When you share the same thing among more people, each person gets less. Two friends sharing one paratha get more each than three friends sharing the same paratha.
Also true: If the wholes are different, 1/2 of a small thing can be smaller than 1/3 of a big thing — that is exactly what happened with Tamanna's chocolates in Q1. So always ask first: 1/2 of what?
Q3.
Identify 1/2 of the chocolate (the small bar). Identify 1/3 of the chocolate (the big bar).
Answer
1/2 of the small bar = 2 squares. 1/3 of the big bar = 3 squares.
Here is how to find them, step by step.
Count the squares in the bar. Small bar: 2 rows of 2 = 4 squares. Big bar: 3 rows of 3 = 9 squares.
Look at the bottom number of the fraction. For 1/2 the bottom number is 2. For 1/3 it is 3.
Divide the squares into that many equal groups. 4 squares into 2 equal groups → 2 squares in each group. 9 squares into 3 equal groups → 3 squares in each group.
Take one group. That one group is the fraction you wanted.
1/2 of the small chocolate = 4 ÷ 2 = 2 squares 1/3 of the big chocolate = 9 ÷ 3 = 3 squares
Check it yourself: 2 squares + 2 squares = 4 squares, the whole small bar. 3 + 3 + 3 = 9 squares, the whole big bar. The groups fit exactly, so the parts are equal.
Q4.
Shade 1/8 of Grid A in red.
Answer
Shade any 6 squares. Grid A has 8 columns and 6 rows, so it has 48 small squares. One-eighth of 48 is 6.
Squares in Grid A = 8 × 6 = 48 1/8 of 48 = 48 ÷ 8 = 6 squares
The easiest 6 squares to shade are one whole column, because a column has exactly 6 squares.
Grid A has 48 squares. Each column of 6 squares is one-eighth of the grid.
Why it happens: The 8 columns are all the same size, and together they make the whole grid. So each single column is one of 8 equal parts — that is exactly what 1/8 means.
Check it yourself: 6 squares × 8 columns = 48 squares. The eight columns fill the grid with nothing left over.
Q5.
Shade 1/6 of Grid B in blue.
Answer
Shade any 8 squares. Grid B is the same size as Grid A: 8 columns and 6 rows, so 48 small squares.
Squares in Grid B = 8 × 6 = 48 1/6 of 48 = 48 ÷ 6 = 8 squares
One whole row has exactly 8 squares, so shading one full row is the neatest way.
Grid B has 6 rows. Each row of 8 squares is one-sixth of the grid.
Why it happens: The 6 rows are equal and together they make the whole grid, so one row is one of 6 equal parts — that is 1/6.
Shade any 4 squares. Grid C also has 8 × 6 = 48 small squares.
1/12 of 48 = 48 ÷ 12 = 4 squares
A neat way is to shade a block of 2 squares across and 2 squares down, or half a row.
Four squares out of 48 is one-twelfth of Grid C.
Why it happens: Twelve blocks of 4 squares fill the grid: 4 × 12 = 48. So each block of 4 is one of 12 equal parts.
Compare the three answers: 1/8 gave 6 squares, 1/6 gave 8 squares, 1/12 gave 4 squares. The grids are the same, so the bigger the bottom number, the smaller the shaded piece.
Q7.
Do you see 1/3 in any of the grids? Mark it.
Answer
Yes — 1/3 of any of these grids is 16 squares, which is exactly 2 full rows.
Squares in a grid = 8 × 6 = 48 1/3 of 48 = 48 ÷ 3 = 16 squares 2 rows = 2 × 8 = 16 squares ✓
The 6 rows split neatly into 3 groups of 2 rows each. Each group is one-third.
Why it happens: The grid has 6 rows. Six rows can be shared into 3 equal groups of 2 rows. Each group is one of 3 equal parts of the grid, so each group is 1/3.
Another way to mark it: Two rows of 8 is 16 squares. So is a block that is 4 squares across and 4 squares down. Any 16 squares of the 48 make one-third — but a neat block is easier to see.