Three-Digit Addition & Subtraction — Answer Key
Part A: Fix the Sentence
Each sentence has an error. Rewrite it correctly on the line.
1. Fix the sentence:
532 - 278 = 264.
Corrected: 532 - 278 = 254 because when borrowing from the tens place, 12 - 8 = 4, then 2 - 7 requires borrowing again.
You cannot subtract 8 from 2 in the ones, so borrow from the tens to make 12 - 8 = 4. After borrowing, the tens become 2 - 7, which needs another borrow from the hundreds, leading to the correct answer of 254.
2. Fix the sentence:
614 - 357 = 367.
Corrected: 614 - 357 = 257 because 14 - 7 = 7, 0 - 5 requires borrowing so 10 - 5 = 5, then 5 - 3 = 2.
In the ones, 14 - 7 = 7 after borrowing. The tens column becomes 0 - 5, which needs another borrow, giving 10 - 5 = 5, and the hundreds become 5 - 3 = 2, so the answer is 257.
3. Fix the sentence:
800 - 456 = 454.
Corrected: 800 - 456 = 344 because you must borrow across zeros, giving 7-9-10 minus 4-5-6.
Subtracting from 800 means borrowing across two zeros. The hundreds, tens, and ones become 7, 9, and 10, so 7-9-10 minus 4-5-6 gives 344.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. 745 - 312 = 433.
Line up the digits and subtract column by column: 5 - 2 = 3 in the ones, 4 - 1 = 3 in the tens, and 7 - 3 = 4 in the hundreds. No borrowing is needed, so the difference is 433.
2. 963 - 548 = 415.
Ones: 13 - 8 = 5 after borrowing 1 from the tens. Tens: 5 - 4 = 1. Hundreds: 9 - 5 = 4. The result is 415.
3. 500 - 237 = 263.
Because 500 has zeros in the tens and ones, you must borrow across both. After regrouping, you compute 4-9-10 minus 2-3-7, which gives 263.
4. 871 - 459 = 412.
Ones: 11 - 9 = 2 after borrowing from the tens. Tens: 6 - 5 = 1. Hundreds: 8 - 4 = 4. The difference is 412.
Part C: True or False?
Read each statement. Circle True or False.
1. When subtracting 634 - 289, you need to borrow from the tens place first.
True False
True. The ones column needs 4 - 9, which is impossible without borrowing, so you take 1 from the tens place to make it 14 - 9.
2. 900 - 350 = 650.
True False
False. Subtracting 350 from 900 leaves 550, since 9 hundreds minus 3 hundreds is 6 hundreds and you must borrow once for the tens column.
3. The difference between 756 and 431 is 325.
True False
True. Subtracting 431 from 756 column by column gives 5 ones, 2 tens, and 3 hundreds, which is exactly 325.