Math Drills
Increasing Situations
1Word Problems

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What this worksheet covers
- Worksheet
- Increasing Situations
These scenes run backwards from the number reached after an increase to the number that stood there before. Finding the Amount Added asks how many were put in, Finding the Starting Amount asks how many were there to begin with, and both come out by taking the known number away from the number reached.
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An answer can be put back into the situation and tested. Add the starting amount to the amount that came in and the number reached should appear. Because the two questions read so much alike, the starting amount gets written where the amount added was wanted, and the work carries on regardless.
This is the first of the two lessons. Decreasing Situations turns the direction round, although working back from the later number to what came before does not change. That way of thinking is built here, in the direction of growth.
- Finding the Amount Added3 questions
- Finding the Starting Amount3 questions
Questions & answers
Problems and answers on this worksheet
These are the problems in “Working Backward Word Problems”, shown with their answers.
(1)At the poultry farm, there were 34 chicks. Some more hatched, so there were 59. How many chicks hatched? Answer □
Answer: 25chicks
(2)In the library, there were 15 books. Some more arrived, so there were 42. How many books arrived? Answer □
Answer: 27books
(3)Ethan had 32 pencils. He got some more, so he had 51. How many pencils did he get? Answer □
Answer: 19pencils
(4)There were how many oranges. 35 more were given, so there were 81. How many were there at first? Answer □
Answer: 46oranges
(5)There were how many stickers. 18 more were given, so there were 43. How many were there at first? Answer □
Answer: 25stickers
(6)In the parking lot, how many cars were parked. 16 more came, so there were 38. How many were parked at first? Answer □
Answer: 22cars




