Mario was making cookies. He mixed 2 1/2 cups of flour, 1 1/4 cups of sugar and be 1/2 cup of brown sugar together in a bowl. How many cups did he have altogether?

Add 2 + 1 = 3  then 1/2 +1/2 =1   
so 3 +1 = 4 and you have 1/4 left so your answer is  4 1/4