Addition & Subtraction Word Problems Within 20 — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. Sara has 8 stickers. Tom gives her 7 more. How many does Sara have now?
A) 13
B) 14
C) 15
D) 16
Tom gives Sara more stickers, so we add: 8 + 7 = 15 stickers now.
2. There are 17 balloons. 9 pop. How many are left?
A) 7
B) 8
C) 9
D) 6
Balloons popping means they are gone, so we subtract: 17 - 9 = 8 balloons left.
3. A farmer has 6 hens. He buys 8 more. How many hens total?
A) 12
B) 13
C) 14
D) 15
Buying more hens adds to the group: 6 + 8 = 14 hens total on the farm.
4. Mia has 20 beads. She gives 11 to a friend. How many left?
A) 8
B) 10
C) 9
D) 11
Giving beads away takes them from Mia, so we subtract: 20 - 11 = 9 beads left.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. Jake has 5 trucks. He gets 9 more. How many total? 14
Getting more trucks means Jake has extra, so we add: 5 + 9 = 14 trucks total.
2. A bowl has 16 cherries. You eat 7. How many left? 9
Eating cherries takes them out of the bowl: 16 - 7 = 9 cherries left.
3. There are 4 rabbits. 8 more hop over. How many? 12
More rabbits hop over to join, so we add: 4 + 8 = 12 rabbits in all.
4. Emma has 19 cards. She loses 6. How many remain? 13
Losing cards means they are gone, so we subtract: 19 - 6 = 13 cards remain.
5. A box has 7 pencils. You add 6 more. How many? 13
Adding pencils to the box gives us more, so we add: 7 + 6 = 13 pencils.