Telling Time — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. What time is quarter past 9?
A) 9:30
B) 9:45
C) 9:15
D) 9:00
Quarter past adds 15 minutes (one fourth of an hour) to the named hour, so quarter past 9 is 9:15.
2. If the minute hand points to the 9, what time portion does it show?
A) Quarter past
B) Half past
C) Quarter to
D) On the hour
When the minute hand points to 9, it shows 45 minutes past — that is 15 minutes (one quarter) before the next hour, which we call quarter to.
3. Sam starts homework at 4:00 PM. He works for 15 minutes. What time does he finish?
A) 4:30 PM
B) 4:45 PM
C) 4:15 PM
D) 5:00 PM
Sam adds his 15 minutes of work to the start time of 4:00 PM. The hour stays the same and the minutes become 15, so he finishes at 4:15 PM.
4. Which clock time comes first in the morning?
A) 10:30 AM
B) 7:15 AM
C) 9:00 AM
D) 11:45 AM
Earlier in the morning means a smaller hour number after midnight. 7:15 AM comes before any later AM time and before all PM times on the same day.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. Quarter to 5 is the same as 4:45.
Quarter to 5 means 15 minutes before 5:00. Counting back 15 minutes from 5:00 gives 4:45.
2. 15 minutes after 7:15 is 7:30.
Add 15 to the 15 minutes already past: 15 + 15 = 30. The hour stays at 7, so the time becomes 7:30.
3. At 6:45, the minute hand points to the 9.
Each clock number stands for 5 minutes. Counting by 5s nine times reaches 45, so the minute hand at :45 lands on the 9.
4. There are 4 quarter hours in one hour.
A quarter means one of 4 equal parts. An hour split into quarters of 15 minutes each gives 15 + 15 + 15 + 15 = 60 minutes, so there are 4 quarters in one hour.
5. 30 minutes before 10:00 is 9:30.
Counting back 30 minutes from 10:00 takes you back half an hour to 9:30 (one full half hour earlier).