Order of Operations Introduction — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. Evaluate: (5 + 3) x 2 = 16
5 + 3 equals 8, and 8 x 2 equals 16 because parentheses come first in PEMDAS.
2. Evaluate: 5 + 3 x 2 = 11
3 x 2 equals 6, and 5 + 6 equals 11 since multiplication outranks addition.
3. Evaluate: (10 - 4) / 2 = 3
10 - 4 equals 6, and 6 / 2 equals 3 because parentheses are top priority.
4. Evaluate: 8 - 2 + 5 x 3 = 21
5 x 3 equals 15, then 8 - 2 equals 6, and 6 + 15 equals 21.
5. Evaluate: 12 / (2 + 2) = 3
2 + 2 equals 4, and 12 / 4 equals 3 since parentheses come before division.
6. Evaluate: 4 x (6 - 1) = 20
6 - 1 equals 5, and 4 x 5 equals 20 because parentheses outrank multiplication.
7. Evaluate: 9 + 6 / 3 - 1 = 10
6 / 3 equals 2, then 9 + 2 equals 11, and 11 - 1 equals 10.
8. The expression (3 + 2) x 4 equals 20
3 + 2 equals 5, and 5 x 4 equals 20 by following parentheses first.
9. Without parentheses, 3 + 2 x 4 equals 11
2 x 4 equals 8, and 3 + 8 equals 11 because multiplication is done first.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
(4 + 2) x 3
→ 18
18
4 + 2 x 3
→ 10
10
(8 - 2) / 2
→ 3
3
10 - 6 / 2
→ 7
7
Each expression follows PEMDAS so the answer depends on whether parentheses are present and what they group.