There are 8 runners in a race. the 4 fastest runners will win trophies. halfway through the race, 2 of the runners drop out of the race. what fraction of the remaining runners will win a trophy?

At first = 8 runners
Halfway, 2 dropped out, remaining 8 - 2 = 6 runners
4 fastest runners win
Fraction = 4/6 = 2/3

4/6 or 2/3 of the remaining runners will win a trophy. 
There are 6 runners left, and 4 will win a trophy. 4/6 simplifies to 2/3

The question is kind of confusing. if it's asking how many variations of answers can you give. then do 4^5 for your answer.this would be something like the first question could be a and the 2nd c or first b next c etc. if you can, ask the teacher for a better confirmation of what it's asking. if i'm assuming correctly what it's asking, it's 625 different variations.