Question

Martha is sewing dresses for her granddaughters. She needs 2 1/4 feet of ribbon for one dress and 5 feet of ribbon for another. If she already has 3 1/2 feet of ribbon, how much more ribbon does she need?

a) 2 3/4 feet
b) 5 3/4 feet
c) 7 3/4 feet
d) 10 1/4 feet

Answer 1

Martha needs a total of 7 1/4 feet of ribbon for both dresses. She already has 3 1/2 feet of ribbon, so she requires an additional 3 3/4 feet of ribbon, which is not one of the options provided in the question.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question is asking for a calculation of additional ribbon that Martha needs to sew two dresses. To determine the amount of ribbon needed, we add the ribbon required for both dresses and then subtract the ribbon she already has.

First, we calculate the total required ribbon length for both dresses:

• 2 1/4 feet for one dress
• 5 feet for another dress

Adding these together: 2 1/4 + 5 = 7 1/4 feet in total.

Next, we subtract the ribbon Martha already possesses:

• She has 3 1/2 feet of ribbon

Subtracting this from the total required length: 7 1/4 - 3 1/2 = 3 3/4 feet.

The correct answer is not explicitly listed in the options, which seems to be an error. Martha needs an additional 3 3/4 feet of ribbon, which means that none of the given options (a) 2 3/4 feet, (b) 5 3/4 feet, (c) 7 3/4 feet, or (d) 10 1/4 feet is correct.