Mandarin Chinese 1 Quiz: Money And Price Expressions
10 questions · exam conditions
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Money And Price ExpressionsQuestion 1 of 10

Li Ming is at a market. He asks the vendor: '这个多少钱？' The vendor replies: '三十五块五毛。'

How much does the item cost according to the vendor's reply?

¥35.05, because 五毛 means five cents (jiao), which equals 0.05 yuan in decimal form
¥35.50, because 三十五块 means 35 yuan and 五毛 means five jiao, which equals 0.50 yuan
¥350.50, because 三十五 can refer to hundreds in spoken Chinese and 五毛 adds fifty cents
¥35.55, because 五毛 means five units of both mao and fen, totaling an extra five cents on top
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Mandarin Chinese 1 Quiz

Mandarin Chinese 1 Quiz: Money And Price Expressions

Practice Money And Price Expressions in Mandarin Chinese 1 with focused quiz questions that help you check what you know, review explanations, and build confidence with test-style prompts.

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Money And Price Expressions, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for Mandarin Chinese 1.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

All questions

Question 1

Li Ming is at a market. He asks the vendor: '这个多少钱？' The vendor replies: '三十五块五毛。'

How much does the item cost according to the vendor's reply?

  1. ¥35.05, because 五毛 means five cents (jiao), which equals 0.05 yuan in decimal form
  2. ¥35.50, because 三十五块 means 35 yuan and 五毛 means five jiao, which equals 0.50 yuan (correct answer)
  3. ¥350.50, because 三十五 can refer to hundreds in spoken Chinese and 五毛 adds fifty cents
  4. ¥35.55, because 五毛 means five units of both mao and fen, totaling an extra five cents on top
Explanation: When you see a question about Chinese prices, you need to know the three-tier currency system: 块 (kuài) represents yuan (the base unit), 毛 (máo) represents jiao (one-tenth of a yuan, or ¥0.10), and 分 (fēn) represents fen (one-hundredth of a yuan). Think of it like dollars, dimes, and pennies. In the vendor's reply, 三十五块 (sānshíwǔ kuài) means 35 yuan, and 五毛 (wǔ máo) means five jiao. Since one jiao equals ¥0.10, five jiao equals ¥0.50. Adding these together gives you ¥35.50, making B the correct answer. Answer A makes a common conversion mistake — it treats 五毛 as "five cents" in the sense of ¥0.05, confusing 毛/jiao with 分/fen. One 毛 is worth ¥0.10, not ¥0.01, so five 毛 is ¥0.50, not ¥0.05. Answer C invents a rule that doesn't exist — 三十五 in spoken Chinese simply means 35, not 350. There is no context here that shifts the magnitude of the number. Answer D claims that 五毛 somehow counts twice, adding both mao and fen simultaneously. This is pure fabrication — 五毛 names one denomination only. A useful memory trick: 毛 = dime, 分 = penny. Just as ten dimes make a dollar, ten 毛 make one 块. When practicing, try converting prices you hear aloud into decimal form — this builds the automatic recognition you'll need for listening comprehension questions on this exam.

Question 2

Wang Fang buys three items: a notebook for 六块钱, a pen for 两块五毛, and an eraser for 八毛. She pays with a 十块 bill.

How much change should Wang Fang receive after her purchase?

  1. Wang Fang should receive 六毛 (¥0.60) in change after paying ¥10 for the three items
  2. Wang Fang should receive 七毛 (¥0.70) in change after paying ¥10 for the three items (correct answer)
  3. Wang Fang should receive 一块七毛 (¥1.70) in change after paying ¥10 for the three items
  4. Wang Fang should receive 五毛 (¥0.50) in change after paying ¥10 for the three items
Explanation: When working with Chinese money problems, your first step is always to convert everything into a single unit before doing any arithmetic. In Chinese currency, 1块 = 10毛, so mixed expressions like 两块五毛 need to be broken down carefully. Let's walk through Wang Fang's purchases by converting everything to 毛 (jiǎo):
  • Notebook: 六块 = 60毛
  • Pen: 两块五毛 = 25毛
  • Eraser: 八毛 = 8毛
60+25+8=93毛=9块3毛=¥9.3060 + 25 + 8 = 93\text{毛} = 9\text{块}3\text{毛} = ¥9.30 She pays with 十块 (¥10.00), so her change is: 100毛−93毛=7毛=七毛=¥0.70100\text{毛} - 93\text{毛} = 7\text{毛} = \text{七毛} = ¥0.70 That confirms B is correct — Wang Fang receives 七毛 in change. As for the wrong answers: A (六毛) likely results from a simple subtraction error, perhaps misreading 两块五毛 as 两块六毛. C (一块七毛) is a common trap — students may forget to carry over properly when adding, underounting the total to around ¥8.30. D (五毛) suggests the eraser was ignored entirely or the pen was rounded to 三块, showing how small misreadings compound into large errors. A useful study tip: always rewrite every price in pure 毛 before adding. This eliminates confusion from mixed units and mirrors the mental math native speakers use at a market. Practice converting quickly — it shows up often on this exam.

Question 3

Which sentence correctly expresses 'This apple costs two yuan and five jiao' in Mandarin?

  1. 这个苹果两块五毛钱。 — using the colloquial spoken units 块 and 毛 in the standard order after the subject (correct answer)
  2. 这个苹果两元五角钱。 — using the formal written units 元 and 角 together with the spoken word 钱 at the end
  3. 这个苹果两块五钱。 — inserting 钱 immediately after the digit 五 without the unit 毛 to mark jiao
  4. 这个苹果两钱五毛。 — placing 钱 after the yuan amount and 毛 after the jiao amount
Explanation: When expressing prices in Mandarin, you need to know two parallel systems: the colloquial spoken system (块/毛/分) and the formal written system (元/角/分). These systems should not be mixed — choosing one means using it consistently throughout the price expression. In colloquial speech, "two yuan and five jiao" is expressed as 两块五毛钱 (or even just 两块五, dropping the final unit). The structure follows: [yuan amount + 块] + [jiao amount + 毛] + optional 钱 at the very end as a general marker for money. This makes A the correct answer — it uses 块 and 毛 in the right order with 钱 properly placed at the end. B is incorrect because it mixes registers: 元 and 角 are formal written units, yet 钱 is a casual spoken addition. In formal writing, you'd typically write 两元五角 without appending 钱. This hybrid form is unnatural in either register. C drops the unit 毛 entirely, writing 两块五钱. Here, 钱 is misplaced directly after 五, making it sound like "five money" rather than marking the jiao unit. Without 毛, the jiao amount is structurally ambiguous or incorrect. D completely reverses the role of 钱, treating it as a unit following the yuan amount (两钱), which is simply wrong. 钱 is never used as a currency unit in modern Mandarin pricing — 块, 元, or ¥ fill that role. Study tip: Memorize the two systems separately — 块/毛 for speaking, 元/角 for writing — and never blend them in a single price expression.

Question 4

A shopkeeper says: '苹果一斤三块钱，你要几斤？' The customer replies: '我要两斤半。'

If the customer buys the amount they requested, how much will they pay in total?

  1. The customer will pay 六块钱 (¥6.00) for exactly two jin of apples at the stated price
  2. The customer will pay 八块钱 (¥8.00) for two and a half jin, rounding 半 to a full jin at ¥3 each
  3. The customer will pay 九块钱 (¥9.00) for three jin of apples rounded up from two and a half jin
  4. The customer will pay 七块五毛钱 (¥7.50) for two and a half jin of apples at the stated price (correct answer)
Explanation: This question tests two skills at once: understanding Chinese number words (especially fractions) and applying basic arithmetic to a real-world transaction. Start by parsing what each person says. The shopkeeper states 苹果一斤三块钱 — apples cost ¥3 per 斤 (jin, a unit of weight ≈ 500g). The customer replies 我要两斤半 — they want two and a half jin. The key word is 半 (bàn), which means "half." So the customer is requesting 2.5 jin, not 2 or 3. The calculation is straightforward: 2.5×3=7.5 yuan2.5 \times 3 = 7.5 \text{ yuan}. In Chinese currency, 7.5元 is expressed as 七块五毛钱, making D the correct answer. Looking at why the other options fail: A ignores 半 entirely, calculating only for 2 jin (¥6.00) — this is the trap of misreading 两斤半 as simply 两斤. B treats 半斤 as a full jin, rounding 2.5 up to 3 and then somehow arriving at ¥8 (which isn't even 3 × 3), suggesting both a rounding error and an arithmetic mistake. C correctly rounds up to 3 jin but applies that rounding without justification — the shopkeeper stated a per-jin price with no rounding policy, and 3 × 3 = ¥9 reflects an invented assumption. D alone respects both the quantity (2.5 jin) and the exact price. As a study tip, always pay close attention to 半 in Mandarin quantity expressions — it precisely means 0.5 and should never be rounded away when performing calculations.

Question 5

Which of the following responses most naturally and correctly answers the question '那件衬衫多少钱？' (How much is that shirt?)

  1. 那件衬衫是很贵。 — using 是 and the adjective 贵 to confirm the shirt is expensive in price
  2. 那件衬衫的钱是四十五。 — using 的钱是 to form a possessive price structure before the number
  3. 那件衬衫四十五块钱。 — stating the price directly with the subject, number, and money unit (correct answer)
  4. 四十五钱那件衬衫。 — fronting the price with 钱 and placing the subject at the end of the sentence
Explanation: When expressing prices in Mandarin, the standard sentence structure is: Subject + Price + 块钱 (or another currency unit). There's no linking verb like 是 required between the subject and its price — the number and currency unit alone complete the statement naturally. Option C, 那件衬衫四十五块钱, follows this structure perfectly. The subject (那件衬衫, "that shirt") is followed directly by the price (四十五块钱, "45 kuai"), forming a clean, natural response to a "how much" question. This is how native speakers actually express prices in everyday conversation. Option A fails because it uses 是 with the adjective 贵 ("expensive"), which doesn't answer how much the shirt costs — it only comments on its relative price. Even structurally, saying 那件衬衫是很贵 is awkward; with adjectives describing a subject, you typically drop 是 and use 很 directly (那件衬衫很贵). Option B introduces 的钱是 as a possessive-style construction before the number, which sounds unnatural and overly complicated. Chinese price statements don't require this kind of structure — adding 的钱是 is a direct translation trap from English ("the shirt's money is...") that doesn't exist in natural Mandarin. Option D places the price before the subject (四十五钱那件衬衫), which reverses the correct word order entirely. Additionally, 钱 alone doesn't function as a currency unit the way 块钱 does — you need the measure word 块. Study tip: When answering price questions in Mandarin, remember: Subject + Number + 块钱. No 是, no 的钱是 — keep it simple and direct.

Question 6

Two friends are shopping. Friend A says: '这双鞋比那双便宜二十块。' Friend B says: '那双鞋八十块。'

Based on the conversation, how much does the pair of shoes Friend A is referring to cost?

  1. The shoes cost ¥40, because 便宜 means 'cheap' so the price is halved relative to the ¥80 reference price
  2. The shoes cost ¥100, because 便宜二十块 means twenty yuan more expensive when used with 比 in a comparison
  3. The shoes cost ¥80, because 比...便宜 cancels out and both pairs end up being the same price
  4. The shoes cost ¥60, because 那双 costs ¥80 and 这双 is ¥20 cheaper, so ¥80 − ¥20 = ¥60 (correct answer)
Explanation: When you see a 比 (bǐ) comparison sentence in Mandarin, your job is to identify what is being compared and in which direction. The structure A 比 B + adjective + amount tells you how A differs from B by that amount. Here, 这双鞋比那双便宜二十块 breaks down as: "This pair of shoes, compared to that pair, is 20 yuan cheaper." Friend B confirms that pair (那双) costs ¥80. So you simply subtract: 80−20=6080 - 20 = 60. The shoes Friend A is pointing to cost ¥60, making D correct. Choice A is a trap that treats 便宜 as a mathematical operation (halving the price) rather than a comparative adjective meaning "cheaper by a stated amount." 便宜 alone means "cheap/inexpensive," but in a 比 sentence it expresses a relative difference, not a ratio. Choice B reverses the meaning entirely — 便宜二十块 never means "twenty yuan more expensive." If Friend A wanted to say more expensive, the sentence would use 贵 (guì) instead. Choice C misreads the grammar by assuming the comparison "cancels out," which has no basis in Mandarin structure; 比...便宜 always signals a price lower than the reference item, not equal to it. A handy tip: in 比 comparison sentences, match the adjective to its direction — 便宜 (cheaper) means subtract the amount from the reference price, while 贵 (more expensive) means add it. Keeping this directional rule in mind will help you avoid reversals and arithmetic errors on comparison questions.

Question 7

Chen Jie wants to buy a jacket. The original price tag reads 二百八十块. The store is having a sale and the jacket is 七折 (70% of the original price).

How much does Chen Jie pay for the jacket after the discount?

  1. Chen Jie pays 一百九十六块 (¥196), calculated as ¥280 multiplied by 0.70 for the 七折 discount (correct answer)
  2. Chen Jie pays 二百一十块 (¥210), calculated as ¥280 minus 70 yuan as a flat discount of 七十块
  3. Chen Jie pays 八十四块 (¥84), calculated as ¥280 multiplied by 0.30 as the discount amount itself
  4. Chen Jie pays 一百九十六块五毛 (¥196.50), calculated as ¥280 at 70% with an added half-yuan service fee
Explanation: When you see discount pricing in Chinese, the key concept to understand is the 折 (zhé) system. Unlike Western percentages that describe what you save, 折 tells you what fraction of the original price you pay. So 七折 means you pay 7/10, or 70%, of the original price — not that you save 70%. Here, the original price is 二百八十块 (¥280). Applying 七折 means multiplying by 0.70: 280×0.70=196280 \times 0.70 = 196 That gives you 一百九十六块 (¥196), which is exactly what answer A states — making it correct. Answer B is a common trap. It treats 七折 as a flat deduction of 七十块 (¥70), subtracting rather than multiplying: 280−70=210280 - 70 = 210. This confuses the discount system with a simple rebate and misreads 七 as a fixed amount. Answer C makes the opposite error from A — it multiplies by 0.30 instead of 0.70, calculating the amount saved rather than the amount paid: 280×0.30=84280 \times 0.30 = 84. This would only be correct if the question asked for the discount value itself, not the final price. Answer D arrives at the right base calculation but invents a ¥0.50 service fee that appears nowhere in the passage. Always answer based on information given — don't add details that aren't there. Your study tip: memorize that X折 = pay X×10% of original price. So 八折 = pay 80%, 六折 = pay 60%, and so on. This pattern appears frequently in real-life Chinese shopping contexts and on this exam.

Question 8

A student wants to say 'How much does this cost?' in Mandarin. Which of the following is the most natural and grammatically correct way to ask the price of an item?

  1. 这个要多少？ — using 要 (yào) as the main verb to inquire about the price of an item
  2. 这个多少钱？ — using 多少钱 directly after the subject without a verb to ask the price (correct answer)
  3. 这个是多少？ — using 是 (shì) as the linking verb before 多少 to form a price question
  4. 多少这个钱？ — placing 多少 before the subject 这个 to emphasize the question word
Explanation: When asking about price in Mandarin, it helps to know that Chinese sentence structure doesn't always require a verb. Unlike English, Mandarin frequently uses "verbless" sentences where a noun phrase alone carries the meaning — and price questions are a perfect example of this pattern. The most natural and correct way to ask "How much does this cost?" is B) 这个多少钱？ Here, 这个 (zhège) means "this," 多少 (duōshao) means "how much," and 钱 (qián) means "money/money cost." The phrase flows directly: this — how much money? No linking verb is needed because 多少钱 functions as a complete price-inquiry phrase on its own. Native speakers use this construction constantly in everyday shopping situations. A) 这个要多少？ isn't entirely unnatural — 要 can appear in price contexts — but omitting 钱 makes it vague (how much what?). It sounds incomplete compared to the standard phrasing. C) 这个是多少？ uses 是 (shì), the "to be" verb, which Mandarin does not typically use before question words like 多少 in price questions. This construction feels awkward and unidiomatic to native speakers. D) 多少这个钱？ scrambles the word order entirely. In Mandarin, question words like 多少 stay in place — they don't move to the front of the sentence the way English question words do. This is a common mistake for English speakers. A useful study tip: memorize 这个多少钱？ as a fixed chunk. It's one of the most practical phrases in Mandarin, and recognizing that price questions drop the verb will help you spot similar patterns throughout the exam.

Question 9

A vendor says: '一共五十三块零八分。' A student writes this price as ¥53.80. What error did the student make?

  1. No error was made — 零八分 refers to eight jiao, and eight jiao equals ¥0.80, making ¥53.80 correct
  2. The student misread 五十三 as 53 instead of 530, so the correct price should be ¥530.08 with fen added correctly
  3. The student confused fen with jiao — 零八分 means 8 fen = ¥0.08, so the correct price is ¥53.08, not ¥53.80 (correct answer)
  4. The student misapplied 零, which signals rounding to the nearest yuan, making the correct written price ¥53.00
Explanation: When working with Chinese money, you need to know three units: 块/元 (kuài/yuán) for yuan, 毛/角 (máo/jiǎo) for tenth of a yuan (¥0.10), and 分 (fēn) for hundredth of a yuan (¥0.01). This question tests whether you can correctly identify which unit 分 represents. The vendor said 零八分 — 零 here acts as a placeholder meaning "and" or "with a small remainder," and 八分 means 8 fēn. Since 1 fēn = ¥0.01, then 8 fēn = ¥0.08. The full price is therefore ¥53.08, making C the correct answer. The student's error was treating 分 as if it were 角 (jiǎo) — placing 8 in the tenths column (¥0.80) instead of the hundredths column (¥0.08). A is wrong because it incorrectly equates 分 with 角. Eight jiao would be expressed as 八毛/八角, not 八分. These are completely different units that students frequently confuse. B is wrong because 五十三 unambiguously means 53, not 530. Chinese number formation is straightforward here — 五百三十 would be needed to express 530. D is wrong because 零 does not signal rounding. In price expressions, 零 simply bridges a gap between larger and smaller units (e.g., ¥53 and 8 fēn), similar to saying "fifty-three dollars and eight cents." As a study tip: always distinguish 分 (fēn, ¥0.01) from 角/毛 (jiǎo/máo, ¥0.10) — this mix-up is a classic trap on Chinese currency questions.

Question 10

A student hears '一百二十八块九毛三分' and must write the price numerically. Which of the following is correct?

  1. ¥128.93, because 一百二十八块 = 128 yuan, 九毛 = 0.90 yuan, and 三分 = 0.03 yuan (correct answer)
  2. ¥128.39, because 九毛 = 0.09 yuan and 三分 = 0.30 yuan, which are reversed in decimal position
  3. ¥1289.30, because 一百二十八 can be parsed as a four-digit number in some regional dialects
  4. ¥128.90, because 三分 is so small it is typically omitted when writing prices in decimal form
Explanation: When you hear a Chinese price spoken aloud, your job is to map each monetary unit to its correct decimal position. Chinese currency uses three units: 块/元 (yuán, the whole yuan), 毛/角 (máo, tenths of a yuan), and 分 (fēn, hundredths of a yuan). Think of them as the ones, dimes, and pennies of Chinese money. Breaking down 一百二十八块九毛三分: 一百二十八块 gives you 128 yuan (the whole number), 九毛 gives you 9 tenths of a yuan (¥0.90), and 三分 gives you 3 hundredths of a yuan (¥0.03). Adding these together: 128+0.90+0.03=128.93128 + 0.90 + 0.03 = 128.93, making A (¥128.93) correct. Choice B (¥128.39) swaps the decimal positions of 毛 and 分 — it treats 九毛 as ¥0.09 and 三分 as ¥0.30, which reverses the hierarchy. Remember: 毛 always occupies the tenths place, 分 always the hundredths place, never the other way around. Choice C (¥1289.30) incorrectly re-parses 一百二十八 as a four-digit number. No standard or regional Mandarin dialect interprets this phrase as anything other than 128. This distractor tests whether you'll second-guess straightforward vocabulary. Choice D (¥128.90) simply drops 三分, claiming it's negligible. While informal speech sometimes omits 分, the question asks you to transcribe what was heard — 三分 was spoken and must be recorded. Your study tip: memorize the unit hierarchy 块 → 毛 → 分 as ones → tenths → hundredths, and always transcribe every unit you hear rather than omitting small amounts.