NECO 2004 Mathematics · Question 14

A bag contains p dozens of bananas and 3q of these proved to be bad. If I buy one third of the goods ones, how many do I get?

Options

A.P -3q
B. $\frac{1}{3}$ (p - 3q)
C.3q
D.4p - q
E.12p - 3q

Answer: D. 4p - q

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Step 1: Analyze the question The bag has p dozens of bananas. Since 1 dozen = 12, the total number of bananas is 12p. Of these, 3q are bad. Step 2: Find the good ones Good bananas = 12p − 3q Step 3: Take one third of the good ones Number bought = ⅓(12p − 3q) = 4p − q Step 4: Match with the options Check with numbers: Let p = 2 (24 bananas) and q = 2 (6 bad). Good ones = 24 − 6 = 18, and one third of 18 = 6. Using the formula: 4(2) − 2 = 6 ✔ Exam tip: Whenever you see "dozens" in a question, convert to units first (×12) before doing anything else. Many students lose marks by forgetting this. Also, option E (12p − 3q) is a trap: it is the number of good bananas before taking one third.

AI can make mistakes. Report anything that looks wrong.