Volume (Capacity) • Topic 5 of 5

Practical Applications

Capacity is one of the most useful pieces of mathematics a child will ever learn, and CTET likes to test it through everyday word problems that mirror real life. The kinds of situations that appear are: a milkman selling 1 L 500 mL of milk to one house and 750 mL to another and finding the total; a petrol pump filling 3 L into one scooter and 5 L into another; a cook using 250 mL of oil from a 2 L bottle and finding how much is left; sharing a 1 L bottle of juice equally into glasses of 200 mL; or a water tank being filled by buckets of a known capacity. Solving these calls for the same skills built earlier — converting units so everything is in the same measure, then adding, subtracting, multiplying or dividing as the story demands. A reliable method is to convert mixed measures to a single unit (usually millilitres), do the arithmetic, then convert the answer back to litres and millilitres if needed. For teaching, these contexts matter because they make abstract numbers meaningful: a child who has poured juice into glasses understands division of capacity far better than one who has only seen sums on a board. CTET pedagogy questions therefore often ask for the best real-life activity or the most relatable context to teach capacity, and the answer is almost always the hands-on, everyday one — measuring during cooking, shopping for packaged drinks, or filling water at home — rather than abstract drill.

✅ Solved examples

1. A milkman sells 1 L 500 mL of milk to one house and 750 mL to another. How much milk did he sell in all?
Convert: 1 L 500 mL = 1500 mL. Add: 1500 + 750 = 2250 mL = 2 L 250 mL. He sold 2 litres 250 millilitres in all.
2. A bottle has 2 L of oil. A cook uses 350 mL. How much oil is left?
2 L = 2000 mL. Subtract: 2000 - 350 = 1650 mL = 1 L 650 mL. So 1 litre 650 millilitres of oil is left.
3. A 1 L bottle of juice is poured equally into glasses of 250 mL each. How many glasses can be filled?
1 L = 1000 mL. Divide: 1000 / 250 = 4. So 4 glasses can be filled.
4. A bucket holds 8 L of water. How many litres do 5 such buckets hold?
Multiply: 8 x 5 = 40 L. Five buckets hold 40 litres of water.

✏️ Practice — try these, take hints as needed

1. A jug has 3 L of water. 1 L 250 mL is poured out. How much water remains?
3 L = 3000 mL.
Subtract 1250 mL.
1 L 750 mL
2. A petrol pump fills 4 L into one bike and 6 L into another. Total petrol filled?
Add the two amounts.
Both already in litres.
10 L
3. A medicine bottle holds 200 mL. A child takes a 5 mL dose three times a day. How much is taken in one day?
5 mL x 3 doses.
Multiply.
15 mL
4. Which is the best way to make capacity meaningful for Class 2 pupils?
Not abstract board sums.
Real pouring, cooking or shopping contexts.
Hands-on, real-life measuring activities

📝 Topic test — 8 questions

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