Jacob likes to create his meals randomly. Tonight, he grabs 2 whole fists of grapes, 1 whole fist of strawberries, 2 cupped hands of brown rice, 2 open palms of ground beef, and 3 thumbs of spinach. If a cup equals 8 oz, how many cups is his meal?

• A. 8.5
• B. 4
• C. 5.5
• D. 3
• E. 11.5

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the problem. Jacob's meal portions are measured using hand-based portion sizes (fists, cupped hands, open palms, thumbs). The goal is to convert these portions into cups, where 1 cup equals 8 oz.
2. Step 2: Identify the portion-to-cup conversion for each food item. For example, determine how many ounces or cups are represented by 1 fist, 1 cupped hand, 1 open palm, and 1 thumb. This information is typically provided in a portion guide or nutritional reference.
3. Step 3: Multiply the portion size of each food item by its corresponding conversion factor. For instance, if 1 fist equals X cups, then 2 fists of grapes would equal 2 × X cups. Repeat this for all food items: strawberries, brown rice, ground beef, and spinach.
4. Step 4: Add the converted cup values for all food items together to calculate the total number of cups in Jacob's meal. Use the formula: Total cups = (cups from grapes) + (cups from strawberries) + (cups from brown rice) + (cups from ground beef) + (cups from spinach).
5. Step 5: Compare the calculated total to the provided answer choices (8.5, 4, 5.5, 3, 11.5) and select the correct one that matches your result.