Math Drills
Increasing Situations
3Word 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)In the rice field, there were 41 frogs. Some more came, so there were 69. How many frogs came? Answer □
Answer: 28frogs
(2)In the pond, there were 43 fish. Some more came, so there were 71. How many fish came? Answer □
Answer: 28fish
(3)In the park, there were 24 dogs. Some more came, so there were 41. How many dogs came? Answer □
Answer: 17dogs
(4)How many children were playing. 15 more came, so there were 36. How many were playing at first? Answer □
Answer: 21children
(5)There were how many sparrows. 11 more flew in, so there were 26. How many were there at first? Answer □
Answer: 15sparrows
(6)How many tulips were blooming. 20 more bloomed, so there were 48. How many were blooming at first? Answer □
Answer: 28tulips
