For $x ≥ 0$ and $y > 0$, $x^y$ grows with $x$ for fixed $y$; it grows with $y$ for fixed $x > 1$, and decreases with $y$ for fixed $x < 1$. This becomes much more obvious if you take the logarithm.

So increasing $x$ from $1/3$ to $1/2$ increases the result, and decreasing the exponent from $1/2$ to $1/3$ also increases the result since $x < 1$. No need to calculate anything.

Checking whether $\left(\frac{1}{3}\right)^{1/3} < \left(\frac{1}{2}\right)^{1/2}$ would have been more difficult. Raising to the sixth power would give $1/9 < 1/8$ which is a lot closer than $1/4 > 1/{27}$.

For $x ≥ 0$ and $y > 0$, $x^y$ grows with $x$ for fixed $y$; it grows with $y$ for fixed $x > 1$, and decreases with $y$ for fixed $x < 1$. This becomes much more obvious if you take the logarithm. Special case as David said: For $0 < x < 1$, a cube root is greater than a square root.

So increasing $x$ from $1/3$ to $1/2$ increases the result, and decreasing the exponent from $1/2$ to $1/3$ also increases the result since $x < 1$. No need to calculate anything.

Checking whether $\left(\frac{1}{3}\right)^{1/3} < \left(\frac{1}{2}\right)^{1/2}$ would have been more difficult. Raising to the sixth power would give $1/9 < 1/8$ which is a lot closer than $1/4 > 1/{27}$.