PSLE
Vanessa spent ¹₅ of her money on a skirt and 4 blouses. The skirt cost 3 times as much as each blouse. Vanessa spent ¹₂ of her remaining money on a necklace. She spent $190 more on the necklace than on the 4 blouses.
(a) What fraction of Vanessa's money was spent on each blouse?
(b) How much money did Vanessa have at first?
(a)
Cost of 1 blouse = 1 u

Cost of 4 blouses
= 4 x 1 u
= 4 u

Cost of 1 skirt = 3 u

Cost of 1 skirt and 4 blouses
= 3 u + 4 u
= 7 u

Fraction of Vanessa's money spent on each blouse
= ¹₇ x ¹₅
= ¹₃₅

(b)
¹₅ of her money = 7 u
⁴₅ of her money = 4 x 7 u = 28 u

Vanessa's remaining money = 28 u

Cost of the necklace
= ¹₂ x 28 u
= 14 u

Amount that Vanessa spent more on the necklace than on the 4 blouses
= 14 u - 4 u
= 10 u

10 u = 190

1 u = 190 ÷ 10 = 19

⁵₅ of her money = 5 x 7 u = 35 u

Amount that Vanessa had at first
= 35 u
= 35 x 19
= $665

Answer(s): (a) ¹₃₅ ; (b) $665