Order of Operations Introduction — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. Evaluate: (7 + 3) x 4 = 40
7 + 3 equals 10, and 10 x 4 equals 40 because parentheses are first.
2. Evaluate: 7 + 3 x 4 = 19
3 x 4 equals 12, and 7 + 12 equals 19 by following PEMDAS rules.
3. Evaluate: 20 - (4 + 6) = 10
4 + 6 equals 10, and 20 - 10 equals 10 since parentheses come first.
4. Evaluate: 6 x 2 - 4 = 8
6 x 2 equals 12, and 12 - 4 equals 8 because multiplication outranks subtraction.
5. Evaluate: 24 / (6 - 2) = 6
6 - 2 equals 4, and 24 / 4 equals 6 because parentheses always come first.
6. Evaluate: 5 + 4 x 3 - 2 = 15
4 x 3 equals 12, then 5 + 12 equals 17, and 17 - 2 equals 15.
7. Evaluate: (9 - 3) x (2 + 1) = 18
9 - 3 equals 6, and 2 + 1 equals 3, so 6 x 3 equals 18.
8. Evaluate: 16 / 4 + 2 x 3 = 10
16 / 4 equals 4 and 2 x 3 equals 6, and 4 + 6 equals 10 following PEMDAS.
9. Evaluate: 30 - 2 x (3 + 4) = 16
3 + 4 equals 7, then 2 x 7 equals 14, and 30 - 14 equals 16.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
(6 + 2) x 5
→ 40
40
6 + 2 x 5
→ 16
16
(15 - 5) / 2
→ 5
5
15 - 6 / 2
→ 12
12
Parentheses change which operation runs first, leading to very different final values for similar-looking problems.