Subtraction within 5 Fluency — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. Lia had some apples. She ate 2 and had 3 left. How many at first?
A) 5
B) 4
C) 3
D) 2
Two eaten plus three left equals five, so Lia started with five apples in total.
2. Max had some toys. He gave 1 away and 3 remained. How many at first?
A) 3
B) 4
C) 5
D) 2
One given plus three left equals four, so Max started with four toys altogether.
3. Some fish swam. 2 swam off and 2 stayed. How many at first?
A) 2
B) 3
C) 4
D) 5
Two left plus two stayed equals four, so four fish were swimming at the start.
4. Some birds sat. 3 flew off and 2 stayed. How many at first?
A) 2
B) 3
C) 4
D) 5
Three flown plus two stayed equals five, so five birds were sitting on the branch.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. 5 - 2 = 3
Two plus three equals five, so the missing start number must be five.
2. 4 - 1 = 3
One plus three equals four, which is the number you began with before subtracting.
3. 4 - 2 = 2
Two plus two equals four, so the start number in this equation is four.
4. 5 - 3 = 2
Three plus two equals five, so five is the missing start in this subtraction.
5. 5 - 3 = 2
Five minus three equals two, so three is the number that was taken away.