Addition & Subtraction Word Problems Within 20 — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. There are 13 birds in a tree. 5 fly away. How many are left?
A) 9
B) 7
C) 8
D) 6
Birds flying away means fewer are left, so we subtract: 13 - 5 = 8 birds in the tree.
2. Leo has 6 planes. His mom gives him 9 more. How many now?
A) 14
B) 16
C) 13
D) 15
His mom gives him more planes, so we add: 6 + 9 = 15 planes now.
3. A garden has 18 flowers. A rabbit eats 9. How many left?
A) 8
B) 10
C) 9
D) 7
The rabbit eats flowers, taking them away: 18 - 9 = 9 flowers left in the garden.
4. Ava picks 7 apples in the morning and 8 after lunch. How many?
A) 14
B) 16
C) 13
D) 15
Ava picks apples at two different times, so we add both groups: 7 + 8 = 15 apples.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. Ben has 11 grapes. He eats 4. How many left? 7
Eating grapes takes them away, so we subtract: 11 - 4 = 7 grapes left.
2. A park has 9 swings. They add 8 more. How many? 17
Adding more swings means the park has extra: 9 + 8 = 17 swings in all.
3. There are 20 crayons. 7 break. How many remain? 13
Broken crayons cannot be used, so we subtract: 20 - 7 = 13 crayons remain.
4. Lily has 3 dolls. She gets 9 more. How many total? 12
Getting more dolls adds to what Lily already has: 3 + 9 = 12 dolls total.
5. A pond has 15 fish. 6 swim away. How many left? 9
Fish swimming away means fewer stay in the pond: 15 - 6 = 9 fish left.