Answer:
10 pounds.
Step-by-step explanation:
In this scenario, we can use the Rule of Three to solve for the whole weight of the stew. This rule is used for ratio problems. You simply need to multiply the available diagonal values together and then divide by the remaining value to get the value of the single variable in the ratio. Like so...
40% <=====> 4 pounds
100% <=====> x pounds
(100 * 4) / 40 = x pounds
400 / 40 = x pounds
10 = x pounds
Finally, we can see that the total weight of the stew if she followed the original recipe would be 10 pounds.