1st Grade Math Quiz: Addition And Subtraction In Word Problems
20 questions · exam conditions
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Addition And Subtraction In Word ProblemsQuestion 1 of 20

Marcus saw 12 birds. Yuki saw 9 birds. How many more birds did Marcus see than Yuki?

21
9
3
4
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1st Grade Math Quiz

1st Grade Math Quiz: Addition And Subtraction In Word Problems

Practice Addition And Subtraction In Word Problems in 1st Grade Math with focused quiz questions that help you check what you know, review explanations, and build confidence with test-style prompts.

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Addition And Subtraction In Word Problems, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for 1st Grade Math.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

All questions

Question 1

Marcus saw 12 birds. Yuki saw 9 birds. How many more birds did Marcus see than Yuki?

  1. 21
  2. 9
  3. 3 (correct answer)
  4. 4
Explanation: This question tests 1st grade ability to solve addition and subtraction word problems within 20 (CCSS.1.OA.1). This is a comparing problem with difference unknown. We compare two amounts to find how many more or fewer. The story tells us Marcus saw 12 birds and Yuki saw 9 birds. Choice C is correct because to find how many more birds Marcus saw, we subtract: 12 - 9 = 3. We can represent this as an equation with unknown: 12 - 9 = ?. Choice A is a common error where students find the total instead of the difference (12 + 9 = 21); this happens because compare problems require understanding 'how many more' as subtraction. To help students: Act out problems with physical objects; draw pictures representing the situation; teach problem type structures explicitly (adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, comparing); use consistent language for each type; practice writing equations with boxes for unknowns; emphasize keywords carefully ('more' can mean add or compare); model thinking aloud ('Marcus has 12, Yuki 9, need how many more for Marcus, so I subtract'); practice all unknown positions; connect to familiar experiences.

Question 2

Keisha has 6 points. She scores 7 more points. How many points does Keisha have now?

  1. 12
  2. 13 (correct answer)
  3. 1
  4. 14
Explanation: Keisha starts with 6 points and scores 7 more, so 6 plus 7 equals 13. 12 is one less than the correct total. 1 comes from subtracting instead of adding the two amounts. 14 is one more than the correct total. Only 13 correctly adds Keisha's starting points and the points she scored.

Question 3

Carlos has some toy cars. He gets 7 more. Now he has 15 toy cars. How many toy cars did Carlos have at the start?

  1. 8 (correct answer)
  2. 22
  3. 7
  4. 9
Explanation: This question tests 1st grade ability to solve addition and subtraction word problems within 20 (CCSS.1.OA.1). This is an adding to problem with start unknown. We add to an unknown starting amount to reach a total, and find the start. The story tells us Carlos has some toy cars, gets 7 more, and now has 15. Choice A is correct because to find how many toy cars Carlos had at the start, we subtract: 15 - 7 = 8. We can represent this as an equation with unknown: ? + 7 = 15. Choice B is a common error where students add instead of working backwards (15 + 7 = 22); this happens because start unknown problems require reversing the typical operation. To help students: Act out problems with physical objects; draw pictures representing the situation; teach problem type structures explicitly (adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, comparing); use consistent language for each type; practice writing equations with boxes for unknowns; emphasize keywords carefully ('more' can mean add or compare); model thinking aloud ('Ended with 15 after adding 7, need start, so I subtract'); practice all unknown positions; connect to familiar experiences.

Question 4

Carlos has 8 stamps. Keisha has 13 stamps. How many more stamps does Keisha have than Carlos?

  1. 21
  2. 5 (correct answer)
  3. 13
  4. 8
Explanation: This question tests 1st grade ability to solve addition and subtraction word problems within 20 (CCSS.1.OA.1). This is a comparing problem with difference unknown. We compare two amounts to find how many more or fewer. The story tells us Carlos has 8 stamps and Keisha has 13 stamps. Choice B is correct because to find how many more stamps Keisha has, we subtract: 13 - 8 = 5. We can represent this as an equation with unknown: 13 - 8 = ?. Choice A is a common error where students find the total instead of the difference: 8 + 13 = 21. To help students: Act out problems with physical objects; draw pictures representing the situation; teach problem type structures explicitly (adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, comparing); use consistent language for each type; practice writing equations with boxes for unknowns; emphasize keywords carefully ('how many more' means subtract to compare); model thinking aloud ('Keisha has 13, Carlos has 8, to find how many more, I subtract'); practice all unknown positions; connect to familiar experiences.

Question 5

Amir has 6 red apples and 8 green apples. How many apples does Amir have altogether?

  1. 2
  2. 14 (correct answer)
  3. 8
  4. 16
Explanation: This question tests 1st grade ability to solve addition and subtraction word problems within 20 (CCSS.1.OA.1). This is a putting together problem with total unknown. We combine two parts to find the whole. The story tells us Amir has 6 red apples and 8 green apples. Choice B is correct because to find how many apples Amir has altogether, we add: 6 + 8 = 14. We can represent this as an equation with unknown: 6 + 8 = ?. Choice D is a common error where students add incorrectly, perhaps doubling one number (8 + 8 = 16); this happens because calculation facts may not be automatic yet. To help students: Act out problems with physical objects; draw pictures representing the situation; teach problem type structures explicitly (adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, comparing); use consistent language for each type; practice writing equations with boxes for unknowns; emphasize keywords carefully ('more' can mean add or compare); model thinking aloud ('I have 6 red and 8 green, need the total, so I add'); practice all unknown positions; connect to familiar experiences.

Question 6

Keisha has some balloons. She gives away 5 balloons. Now she has 9 balloons. How many balloons did Keisha have at first?

  1. 4
  2. 14 (correct answer)
  3. 9
  4. 5
Explanation: This question tests 1st grade ability to solve addition and subtraction word problems within 20 (CCSS.1.OA.1). This is a taking from problem with start unknown. We subtract from an unknown starting amount to reach a result, and find the start. The story tells us Keisha has some balloons, gives away 5, and now has 9. Choice B is correct because to find how many balloons Keisha had at first, we add back: 9 + 5 = 14. We can represent this as an equation with unknown: ? - 5 = 9. Choice A is a common error where students subtract instead of adding back (9 - 5 = 4); this happens because start unknown problems require reversing the typical operation. To help students: Act out problems with physical objects; draw pictures representing the situation; teach problem type structures explicitly (adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, comparing); use consistent language for each type; practice writing equations with boxes for unknowns; emphasize keywords carefully ('more' can mean add or compare); model thinking aloud ('Ended with 9 after giving away 5, need start, so I add back'); practice all unknown positions; connect to familiar experiences.

Question 7

Yuki has 7 points. Amir has 4 more points than Yuki. How many points does Amir have?

  1. 3
  2. 11 (correct answer)
  3. 7
  4. 12
Explanation: This question tests 1st grade ability to solve addition and subtraction word problems within 20 (CCSS.1.OA.1). This is a comparing problem with referent unknown. We know one amount and how many more the other has, and find the second amount. The story tells us Yuki has 7 points and Amir has 4 more than Yuki. Choice B is correct because to find how many points Amir has, we add: 7 + 4 = 11. We can represent this as an equation with unknown: 7 + 4 = ?. Choice D is a common error where students add incorrectly, perhaps adding extra (7 + 5 = 12); this happens because calculation facts may not be automatic yet. To help students: Act out problems with physical objects; draw pictures representing the situation; teach problem type structures explicitly (adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, comparing); use consistent language for each type; practice writing equations with boxes for unknowns; emphasize keywords carefully ('more' can mean add or compare); model thinking aloud ('Yuki has 7, Amir has 4 more, so I add to find Amir's'); practice all unknown positions; connect to familiar experiences.

Question 8

Maya has 16 apples. She eats 9 apples. How many apples does Maya have left?

  1. 7 (correct answer)
  2. 8
  3. 9
  4. 25
Explanation: This question tests 1st grade ability to solve addition and subtraction word problems within 20 (CCSS.1.OA.1). This is a taking from problem with result unknown. We start with one amount and take away some to find what's left. The story tells us Maya has 16 apples and eats 9. Choice A is correct because to find how many apples Maya has left, we subtract: 16 - 9 = 7. We can represent this as an equation with unknown: 16 - 9 = ?. Choice D is a common error where students use the wrong operation and add: 16 + 9 = 25. To help students: Act out problems with physical objects; draw pictures representing the situation; teach problem type structures explicitly (adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, comparing); use consistent language for each type; practice writing equations with boxes for unknowns; emphasize keywords carefully ('left' indicates subtraction); model thinking aloud ('I started with 16, took away 9, now I need to find what's left, so I subtract'); practice all unknown positions; connect to familiar experiences.

Question 9

Keisha has 15 points in a game. She scores 4 more points. How many points does Keisha have now? 15+4=?15 + 4 = ?

  1. 11
  2. 19 (correct answer)
  3. 20
  4. 15
Explanation: This question tests 1st grade ability to solve addition and subtraction word problems within 20 (CCSS.1.OA.1). This is an adding to problem with result unknown. We start with one amount and add more to find the total. The story tells us Keisha has 15 points and scores 4 more. Choice B is correct because to find how many points Keisha has now, we add: 15 + 4 = 19. We can represent this as 15 + 4 = ?. Choice A is a common error where students use the wrong operation, subtracting instead of adding: 15 - 4 = 11. This happens because choosing the operation from word problem context is challenging. To help students: Act out problems with physical objects; draw pictures representing the situation; teach problem type structures explicitly (adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, comparing); use consistent language for each type; practice writing equations with boxes for unknowns; emphasize keywords carefully ('more' can mean add or compare); model thinking aloud ('I started with 15, added 4, need the total, so I add'); practice all unknown positions; connect to familiar experiences.

Question 10

Yuki has 13 shells. Carlos has 9 shells. How many more shells does Yuki have than Carlos? 13−9=?13 - 9 = ?

  1. 22
  2. 4 (correct answer)
  3. 9
  4. 5
Explanation: This question tests 1st grade ability to solve addition and subtraction word problems within 20 (CCSS.1.OA.1). This is a comparing problem with difference unknown. We compare two amounts to find how many more or fewer. The story tells us Yuki has 13 shells and Carlos has 9 shells. Choice B is correct because to find how many more shells Yuki has than Carlos, we subtract: 13−9=413 - 9 = 4. We can represent this as 13−9=?13 - 9 = ?. Choice A is a common error where students find the total instead of the difference, adding: 13+9=2213 + 9 = 22. This happens because in compare problems, students may not recognize 'how many more' as subtraction. To help students: Act out problems with physical objects; draw pictures representing the situation; teach problem type structures explicitly (adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, comparing); use consistent language for each type; practice writing equations with boxes for unknowns; emphasize keywords carefully ('more' can mean add or compare); model thinking aloud ('Yuki has 13, Carlos 9, to find how many more, I subtract'); practice all unknown positions; connect to familiar experiences.

Question 11

Read the story. Maya has 8 apples. She eats some apples. Now she has 3 apples. How many apples did Maya eat?

  1. 11
  2. 5 (correct answer)
  3. 3
  4. 8
Explanation: This question tests 1st grade ability to solve addition and subtraction word problems within 20 (CCSS.1.OA.1). This is a taking from problem with change unknown. We start with one amount, end with another, and find what was taken away. The story tells us Maya has 8 apples, eats some, and now has 3. Choice B is correct because to find how many apples Maya ate, we subtract: 8 - 3 = 5, or 8 - ? = 3. We can represent this as 8 - ? = 3. Choice A is a common error where students add instead, getting 8 + 3 = 11. This happens because change unknown requires reversing the typical operation. To help students: Act out problems with physical objects; draw pictures representing the situation; teach problem type structures explicitly (adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, comparing); use consistent language for each type; practice writing equations with boxes for unknowns; emphasize keywords carefully ('eats some' with remainder given suggests finding the subtracted amount); model thinking aloud ('Started with 8, now 3 left, so how many eaten? I subtract'); practice all unknown positions; connect to familiar experiences.

Question 12

Solve the problem. Marcus has 12 toy cars. Yuki has 9 toy cars. How many more cars does Marcus have than Yuki?

  1. 21
  2. 9
  3. 4
  4. 3 (correct answer)
Explanation: This question tests 1st grade ability to solve addition and subtraction word problems within 20 (CCSS.1.OA.1). This is a comparing problem with difference unknown. We compare two amounts to find how many more or fewer. The story tells us Marcus has 12 toy cars and Yuki has 9. Choice D is correct because to find how many more cars Marcus has, we subtract: 12 - 9 = 3. We can represent this as 12 - 9 = ?. Choice A is a common error where students add to find the total instead of the difference, getting 12 + 9 = 21. This happens because compare problems require understanding 'how many more' as subtraction. To help students: Act out problems with physical objects; draw pictures representing the situation; teach problem type structures explicitly (adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, comparing); use consistent language for each type; practice writing equations with boxes for unknowns; emphasize keywords carefully ('more' can mean add or compare); model thinking aloud ('Marcus has 12, Yuki 9, how many more? I line them up and subtract'); practice all unknown positions; connect to familiar experiences.

Question 13

Jamal has 14 cookies. He eats 6 cookies. How many cookies does Jamal have left? 14−6=?14 - 6 = ?

  1. 20
  2. 6
  3. 9
  4. 8 (correct answer)
Explanation: This question tests 1st grade ability to solve addition and subtraction word problems within 20 (CCSS.1.OA.1). This is a taking from problem with result unknown. We start with one amount and take away some to find what is left. The story tells us Jamal has 14 cookies and eats 6 cookies. Choice D is correct because to find how many cookies Jamal has left, we subtract: 14−6=814 - 6 = 8. We can represent this as 14−6=?14 - 6 = ?. Choice B is a common error where students select a number from the story without solving, such as picking the amount eaten, 6. This happens because calculation facts may not be automatic yet. To help students: Act out problems with physical objects; draw pictures representing the situation; teach problem type structures explicitly (adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, comparing); use consistent language for each type; practice writing equations with boxes for unknowns; emphasize keywords carefully ('more' can mean add or compare); model thinking aloud ('I started with 14, took away 6, now I need to find what's left, so I subtract'); practice all unknown positions; connect to familiar experiences.

Question 14

Maya has 18 stickers. 11 stickers are stars. How many stickers are not stars?

  1. 7 (correct answer)
  2. 29
  3. 11
  4. 6
Explanation: This question tests 1st grade ability to solve addition and subtraction word problems within 20 (CCSS.1.OA.1). This is a taking apart problem with one addend unknown. We start with a total and one part, and find the other part. The story tells us Maya has 18 stickers and 11 are stars. Choice A is correct because to find how many stickers are not stars, we subtract: 18 - 11 = 7. We can represent this as an equation with unknown: 18 - 11 = ?. Choice B is a common error where students add instead of subtracting (18 + 11 = 29); this happens because choosing the operation from word problem context is challenging. To help students: Act out problems with physical objects; draw pictures representing the situation; teach problem type structures explicitly (adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, comparing); use consistent language for each type; practice writing equations with boxes for unknowns; emphasize keywords carefully ('more' can mean add or compare); model thinking aloud ('I have 18 total, 11 are stars, need non-stars, so I subtract'); practice all unknown positions; connect to familiar experiences.

Question 15

Read the story. Emma has some books. She gives away 5 books. Now she has 9 books left. How many books did Emma have at the start?

  1. 4
  2. 14 (correct answer)
  3. 5
  4. 9
Explanation: This question tests 1st grade ability to solve addition and subtraction word problems within 20 (CCSS.1.OA.1). This is a taking from problem with start unknown. We subtract from an unknown starting amount to reach a remainder, finding the start by adding. The story tells us Emma has some books, gives away 5, now has 9 left. Choice B is correct because to find how many books Emma had at the start, we add: 9 + 5 = 14, or ? - 5 = 9. We can represent this as ? - 5 = 9. Choice A is a common error where students subtract instead, getting 9 - 5 = 4. This happens because start unknown requires working backwards. To help students: Act out problems with physical objects; draw pictures representing the situation; teach problem type structures explicitly (adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, comparing); use consistent language for each type; practice writing equations with boxes for unknowns; emphasize keywords carefully ('at the start' with subtraction and remainder suggests finding initial amount); model thinking aloud ('Ended with 9 after giving 5, so start was? I add back'); practice all unknown positions; connect to familiar experiences.

Question 16

Marcus has 18 stamps. 10 stamps are animals. How many stamps are not animals? 10+?=1810 + ? = 18

  1. 28
  2. 10
  3. 8 (correct answer)
  4. 7
Explanation: This question tests 1st grade ability to solve addition and subtraction word problems within 20 (CCSS.1.OA.1). This is a putting together problem with addend unknown, or taking apart with part unknown. We know the total and one part, and find the other part. The story tells us Marcus has 18 stamps, of which 10 are animals. Choice C is correct because to find how many stamps are not animals, we subtract: 18−10=818 - 10 = 8, or add up: 10+8=1810 + 8 = 18. We can represent this as 10+?=1810 + ? = 18. Choice B is a common error where students select a number from the story without solving, such as picking 10. This happens because calculation facts may not be automatic yet. To help students: Act out problems with physical objects; draw pictures representing the situation; teach problem type structures explicitly (adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, comparing); use consistent language for each type; practice writing equations with boxes for unknowns; emphasize keywords carefully ('more' can mean add or compare); model thinking aloud ('I have 18 total, 10 are animals, need the non-animals, so I subtract'); practice all unknown positions; connect to familiar experiences.

Question 17

Emma has 7 stickers. She gets 6 more stickers. How many stickers does Emma have now?

  1. 7
  2. 12
  3. 13 (correct answer)
  4. 14
Explanation: This question tests 1st grade ability to solve addition and subtraction word problems within 20 (CCSS.1.OA.1). This is an adding to problem with result unknown. We start with one amount and add more to find the total. The story tells us Emma has 7 stickers and gets 6 more. Choice C is correct because to find how many stickers Emma has now, we add: 7 + 6 = 13. We can represent this as an equation with unknown: 7 + 6 = ?. Choice B is a common error where students might subtract instead of add, getting 7 - 6 = 1, but that's not an option; alternatively, they might add incorrectly to get 12. To help students: Act out problems with physical objects; draw pictures representing the situation; teach problem type structures explicitly (adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, comparing); use consistent language for each type; practice writing equations with boxes for unknowns; emphasize keywords carefully ('more' can mean add or compare); model thinking aloud ('I started with 7, got 6 more, now I need to find the total, so I add'); practice all unknown positions; connect to familiar experiences.

Question 18

Amir has 11 toy cars. He gives away some cars. He has 8 cars left. How many cars did Amir give away? 11−?=811 - ? = 8

  1. 3 (correct answer)
  2. 19
  3. 8
  4. 4
Explanation: This question tests 1st grade ability to solve addition and subtraction word problems within 20 (CCSS.1.OA.1). This is a taking from problem with change unknown. We start with one amount, end with another, and find what was taken away. The story tells us Amir has 11 toy cars, gives away some, and has 8 left. Choice A is correct because to find how many cars Amir gave away, we subtract: 11 - 8 = 3. We can represent this as 11 - ? = 8. Choice D is a common error where students calculate incorrectly, such as subtracting in the wrong order like 8 - 4 = 4 or miscounting. This happens because change and start unknown require reversing the typical operation. To help students: Act out problems with physical objects; draw pictures representing the situation; teach problem type structures explicitly (adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, comparing); use consistent language for each type; practice writing equations with boxes for unknowns; emphasize keywords carefully ('more' can mean add or compare); model thinking aloud ('I started with 11, ended with 8, need to find what was taken, so I subtract'); practice all unknown positions; connect to familiar experiences.

Question 19

Maya had some stickers. She gave 7 stickers to her brother and 5 stickers to her sister. Now she has 6 stickers left. How many stickers did Maya have at the beginning?

  1. 1212 stickers
  2. 1818 stickers (correct answer)
  3. 1313 stickers
  4. 1111 stickers
Explanation: This is a 'taking from' problem where the unknown is in the starting position. Maya gave away 7 + 5 = 12 stickers total and has 6 left. So she started with 12 + 6 = 18 stickers. Choice A (12) represents only the stickers given away. Choice C (13) comes from adding 7 + 6 incorrectly. Choice D (11) comes from subtracting 7 - 6 + 5 incorrectly.

Question 20

Sam collected 9 rocks on Monday. On Tuesday, he collected some more rocks. Now he has 17 rocks total. On Wednesday, he gave away 5 rocks. How many rocks does Sam have now?

  1. 88 rocks
  2. 1212 rocks (correct answer)
  3. 2222 rocks
  4. 1313 rocks
Explanation: This is a multi-step problem involving adding to and taking from. Sam started with 17 rocks after Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday he gave away 5 rocks, so 17 - 5 = 12 rocks remain. Choice A (8) comes from incorrectly calculating 17 - 9 instead of 17 - 5. Choice C (22) comes from adding instead of subtracting: 17 + 5. Choice D (13) comes from calculating the rocks he collected on Tuesday (17 - 9 = 8) and then incorrectly adding 5.