Question

interpreting pie graphs
the pie graph shows which language classes students attended. study the graph and answer the questions below.
language classes attended by the students

1. which language was studied the most?
2. what fraction of the students studied mandarin?
3. what fraction of the total number of students attended either arabic or french classes?
4. did more than 1/2 the students study the same language?
5. if there were 120 students, how many students attended the mandarin class?
6. which languages were studied by more than 1/4 of the students?

Explanation:

Step1: Compare fractions for question 1

Compare $\frac{1}{2},\frac{1}{3},\frac{1}{12},\frac{1}{24},\frac{7}{24}$. Since $\frac{1}{2}$ is the largest, Spanish was studied the most.

Step2: Identify fraction for Mandarin for question 2

The fraction of students who studied Mandarin is $\frac{1}{3}$.

Step3: Add fractions for Arabic and French for question 3

Fraction of students in Arabic class is $\frac{7}{24}$ and in French class is $\frac{1}{24}$. So $\frac{7}{24}+\frac{1}{24}=\frac{7 + 1}{24}=\frac{8}{24}=\frac{1}{3}$.

Step4: Check if any fraction is more than $\frac{1}{2}$ for question 4

The largest fraction is $\frac{1}{2}$ (Spanish), so no single - language has more than $\frac{1}{2}$ of the students.

Step5: Calculate number of Mandarin students for question 5

If there are 120 students and the fraction of Mandarin students is $\frac{1}{3}$, then the number of Mandarin students is $120\times\frac{1}{3}=40$.

Step6: Compare fractions with $\frac{1}{4}$ for question 6

$\frac{1}{4}=\frac{6}{24}$. Spanish ($\frac{1}{2}=\frac{12}{24}$), Mandarin ($\frac{1}{3}=\frac{8}{24}$) are more than $\frac{6}{24}$.

Answer:

1. Spanish
2. $\frac{1}{3}$
3. $\frac{1}{3}$
4. No
5. 40
6. Spanish, Mandarin