A farmer uses $\frac{2}{5}$ of his land to grow cassava, $\frac{1}{3}$ of the remaining for yam and the rest for maize. Find the part of the land used for maize

Analyze the question: The land is split into three parts: cassava, yam, and maize. We need the fraction left for maize.

Concept: "Of the remaining" means we take a fraction of what is left after cassava, not of the whole land.

Solution:

1. Cassava: 2/5 of the land
2. Remaining after cassava: 1 − 2/5 = 3/5
3. Yam: 1/3 of the remaining = 1/3 × 3/5 = 1/5
4. Maize (the rest): 3/5 − 1/5 = 2/5

Check: Cassava + yam + maize = 2/5 + 1/5 + 2/5 = 5/5 = 1 ✓

The part of the land used for maize is 2/5, which is option B.

Tip: When you see "of the remaining," always subtract first to find what is left, then take the fraction of that amount. Check your work by adding all the parts to make sure they total 1.