1. **State the problem:** A man was going to the mall. He met a man with seven wives, the 7 wives had 7 cats each, and each cat had 7 kittens. We need to find how many persons were going to the mall. 2. **Analyze the problem:** The problem asks for the number of persons going to the mall, not the total number of beings (including cats and kittens). 3. **Identify the persons:** - The first man who was going to the mall: 1 person - The man he met with seven wives: 1 person - The seven wives: 7 persons 4. **Calculate total persons going to the mall:** Since the problem states only the first man was going to the mall, and he met the other man and his wives, it implies only the first man was going to the mall. 5. **Final answer:** Only 1 person was going to the mall. **Note:** The other man and his wives were met on the way, so they were not necessarily going to the mall.