An improper fraction is defined as

• A. Numerator smaller than the denominator
• B. Numerator equals denominator
• C. Denominator smaller than numerator
• D. Numerator bigger than denominator

Answer: (D)

Understanding when a fraction is improper: it happens when the top number (the numerator) is bigger than the bottom number (the denominator). That makes the fraction represent a value greater than 1, since you’re effectively having more parts than a whole. For example, 7/4 equals 1 3/4, clearly over one. If the numerator equals the denominator, like 4/4, the value is 1; some definitions treat that as improper too, but in this item the focus is on the numerator being larger. If the numerator is smaller, like 3/5, you have a proper fraction, representing less than 1. So the description that the numerator is bigger than the denominator best matches the idea of an improper fraction in this context.