Addition And Subtraction In Word Problems - 1st Grade Math

1. What equation matches: Sam has some marbles; gets $7$ more; now has $15$ marbles?

   $? + 7 = 15$. Unknown at start; adding 7 gives the final total.

2. What is the value of $?$ in $6 + 5 = ?$?

   $11$. Count up from 6 or use fingers to add 5 more.

3. Which equation matches: "Tia has $10$ beads. Max has $7$. How many more beads does Tia have?"

   $10 - 7 = \square$. "How many more" means compare by subtracting.

4. What equation matches: There are $12$ apples; $4$ are eaten; how many are left?

   $12 - 4 = ?$. Taking from means removing some from the total.

5. What equation matches: $8$ red flowers and $6$ yellow flowers; how many flowers in all?

   $8 + 6 = ?$. Putting together means combining two groups.

6. What is the total: "There are $4$ red birds and $9$ blue birds. How many birds?"

   $13$. Add both groups: $4 + 9 = 13$ birds total.

7. What is the value of $?$ in $? - 5 = 13$?

   $18$. Add back the 5 eaten to the 13 left.

8. What is the unknown smaller amount: "Sam has $11$ candies. That is $3$ more than Jo. How many does Jo have?"

   $8$. Sam has $3$ more, so Jo has $11 - 3 = 8$ candies.

9. What is the value of $?$ in $17 - 9 = ?$?

   $8$. Subtract storybooks from total to find others.

10. What is the missing number: "$\square$ dogs and $6$ cats make $14$ pets. How many dogs?"

    $8$. Find what adds to $6$ to make $14$: $14 - 6 = 8$ dogs.

11. What is the value of $?$ in $8 + 6 = ?$?

    $14$. Combine 8 and 6 to find the total.

12. What is the difference: "Ava has $13$ pencils. Eli has $8$. How many more pencils does Ava have?"

    $5$. Compare by subtracting: $13 - 8 = 5$ more pencils.

13. What is the missing number: $\square - 5 = 9$?

    $14$. Find what minus $5$ equals $9$: $9 + 5 = 14$.

14. What is the missing number: $7 + \square = 12$?

    $5$. Find what adds to $7$ to make $12$: $12 - 7 = 5$.

15. What is the value of $?$ in $14 - 9 = ?$?

    $5$. Ben has 5 more than Ana's 9 cards.

16. What equation matches: Ava has $6$ more pencils than Jay; Jay has $7$ pencils; how many does Ava have?

    $7 + 6 = ?$. Add Jay's amount to the 6 more that Ava has.

17. What is the missing number: $\square + 9 = 15$?

    $6$. Find what adds to $9$ to make $15$: $15 - 9 = 6$.

18. What is the missing number: $9$ cars and $\square$ trucks make $17$ vehicles. How many trucks?

    $8$. Find what adds to $9$ to make $17$: $17 - 9 = 8$ trucks.

19. What is the value of $?$ in $7 + 6 = ?$?

    $13$. 7 plus 6 more equals Ava's total.

20. What is the missing number: "Ben had $16$ marbles. He lost some and has $9$. How many lost?"

    $7$. Find how many were lost: $16 - 9 = 7$ marbles.

21. What is the answer: "Noah has $15$ stickers and gives away $6$. How many remain?"

    $9$. Subtract what was given away: $15 - 6 = 9$.

22. What is the value of $?$ in $12 - 4 = ?$?

    $8$. Start with 12 and count back 4 to find what's left.

23. What is the missing number: $6 + 8 = \square$?

    $14$. Add the two numbers: $6 + 8 = 14$.

24. What equation matches: "I had $9$. I gave away $4$. How many left?"

    $9 - 4 = \square$. "Gave away" means subtract from what you had.

25. What is the value of $?$ in $? + 12 = 20$?

    $8$. 20 minus 12 gives the missing part.

26. What equation matches: There were some cookies; $5$ were eaten; $13$ cookies are left?

    $? - 5 = 13$. Start unknown; after taking 5, 13 remain.

27. What is the missing number: "Mia has $8$ balloons. She gets some more and has $14$. How many more?"

    $6$. Find the difference: $14 - 8 = 6$ more balloons.

28. What is the missing number: $14 - \square = 8$?

    $6$. Find what subtracted from $14$ gives $8$: $14 - 8 = 6$.

29. What equation matches: Lea had $16$ balloons; some flew away; $9$ are left; how many flew away?

    $16 - ? = 9$. Unknown in middle; subtract to find how many left.

30. What equation matches: $20$ crayons total; $?$ are blue and $12$ are not blue; how many are blue?

    $? + 12 = 20$. Part-whole: blue crayons plus 12 equals 20 total.

31. What equation matches: Mia has $6$ stickers and gets $5$ more; how many now?

    $6 + 5 = ?$. Adding to means combining quantities to find the total.

32. What is the missing part: "There are $12$ cats. $5$ are black. How many are not black?"

    $7$. Subtract the known part from total: $12 - 5 = 7$.

33. What is the value of $?$ in $? + 7 = 15$?

    $8$. Think: what number plus 7 equals 15?

34. What is the unknown larger amount: "Kim has $6$ books. Lee has $4$ more than Kim. How many does Lee have?"

    $10$. Lee has $4$ more than Kim's $6$: $6 + 4 = 10$ books.

35. What equation matches: "I had $5$. I got $3$ more. How many now?"

    $5 + 3 = \square$. "Had" plus "got more" means addition.

36. What is the missing number: $17 - 9 = \square$?

    $8$. Subtract to find the difference: $17 - 9 = 8$.

37. What equation matches: Ben has $14$ cards; Ana has $9$ cards; how many more cards does Ben have?

    $14 - 9 = ?$. Comparing finds the difference between two amounts.

38. What equation matches: $17$ books total; $9$ are storybooks; how many are not storybooks?

    $17 - 9 = ?$. Taking apart finds one part when you know the whole.

39. What is the value of $?$ in $16 - ? = 9$?

    $7$. 16 minus what equals 9? Count the difference.

40. What is the answer: "Lina has $6$ apples and gets $7$ more. How many apples?"

    $13$. Add to find the total: $6 + 7 = 13$.

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