One cup is approximately equal to how many milliliters (mL)?

One cup is approximately equal to how many milliliters (mL)?

• A. 120 mL
• B. 180 mL
• C. 240 mL
• D. 360 mL

Answer: (C)

Think about how a cup is defined in metric terms. A cup is commonly treated as 8 fluid ounces. Since 1 fluid ounce is about 29.57 milliliters, 8 times 29.57 gives roughly 240 milliliters. Rounding makes it a convenient 240 mL, which is why this value is used as the standard approximate cup measure in many contexts. The other amounts correspond to smaller or larger common measures (for example, 120 mL is about 4 fl oz, 180 mL about 6 fl oz, and 360 mL about 12 fl oz) and do not represent the typical cup size.

Think about how a cup is defined in metric terms. A cup is commonly treated as 8 fluid ounces. Since 1 fluid ounce is about 29.57 milliliters, 8 times 29.57 gives roughly 240 milliliters. Rounding makes it a convenient 240 mL, which is why this value is used as the standard approximate cup measure in many contexts.

The other amounts correspond to smaller or larger common measures (for example, 120 mL is about 4 fl oz, 180 mL about 6 fl oz, and 360 mL about 12 fl oz) and do not represent the typical cup size.