How many pounds of green peas must be purchased if 10 lbs are needed and the green peas have a yield percentage of 40%?

• A. 25
• B. 10
• C. 40
• D. 5

Answer: (A)

When you’re dealing with yield, you’re looking at how much usable product you get from what you purchase. If the yield is 40%, only 0.40 of what you buy becomes usable.

To get 10 pounds of usable peas, you need to purchase enough so that 0.40 times that amount equals 10. So you divide 10 by 0.40: 10 ÷ 0.40 = 25.

Checking: 25 pounds purchased × 0.40 yield = 10 pounds usable. The other options would give 4, 16, or 2 pounds of usable peas, which aren’t enough to reach the 10-pound goal.