An office is divided into 8 equal cubicles. If only one eighth of these cubicles are painted how many cubicles are painted in total?

Introduction / Context:
This puzzle is a short numerical reasoning question that checks whether you understand fractions and can apply them to a simple count. Even though it looks trivial many learners rush and choose an incorrect option because they do not slow down to interpret one eighth correctly. Such questions are common in aptitude tests to see if the basics are solid.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The office is divided into exactly 8 cubicles.- All cubicles are of equal size and are counted separately.- Only one eighth of the cubicles are painted.- We assume that the fraction one eighth applies to the count of cubicles, not to a fraction of each cubicle area.

Concept / Approach:
The core concept is the fraction one eighth, which is written mathematically as 1 divided by 8. When a fraction of a set is given you multiply the total number in the set by that fraction. So here we must compute how many cubicles correspond to 1 divided by 8 of the total of 8 cubicles. This is simple arithmetic but it illustrates the method used for more complex fraction questions.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Represent the phrase one eighth as the fraction 1/8.Step 2: The total number of cubicles is 8, so we want to find 1/8 of 8.Step 3: Multiply the fraction by the total count: 1/8 * 8.Step 4: Compute the product. 1/8 * 8 equals 8 divided by 8 which is 1.Step 5: Therefore exactly 1 cubicle is painted.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can also verify by thinking of the cubicles as seats labelled 1 to 8. If you split them into 8 equal groups, each group has 1 cubicle. One eighth of the set is therefore one group which contains only 1 cubicle. A quick mental picture of 8 squares in a row, with one of them shaded, makes the idea very clear.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A, 2 painted cubicles, would correspond to 2/8 of the total, which simplifies to 1/4, not to 1/8.Option B, 4 painted cubicles, would represent 4/8 or 1/2 of the office, so it is far larger than the required one eighth fraction.Option C, 8 painted cubicles, would mean that every cubicle is painted, which directly contradicts the wording only one eighth.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners misread one eighth as one over something else or as a free choice among the numbers given. Others convert one eighth of 8 into 8 divided by 1 and accidentally answer 8. The correct operation is always fraction multiplied by total. Remember that when the numerator is 1, the result will always be the total divided by the denominator.

Final Answer:
Only 1 of the 8 cubicles is painted.