KA-0019Multi-step arithmetic word problems
4 points, difficulty 2 of 3Level 3–4about 75sA pack of 24 pencils is shared equally among 4 children. Each child then gives 2 pencils to a teacher. How many pencils do the children have left altogether?
Hints
Take them one at a time. The first gives nothing away.
1A nudge
Do the sharing first, then the giving.
2The strategy
Work out how many each child gets, then how many each has after giving 2 away, and only then multiply back up. Label every number as per child or total as you go.
3The full solution
Each child gets 24 divided by 4 = 6 pencils. After giving 2 away each has 4, and four children have 4 x 4 = 16.
Solution
The reliable way
Sharing 24 pencils among 4 children gives each child 6. Each then gives 2 away, leaving 4 each. Four children with 4 each have 16 pencils in total. A quick check: 8 pencils went to the teacher, and 24 - 8 = 16. The transferable idea: label every number as per-child or total as you go.
The elegant way
The teacher receives 2 from each of 4 children, so 8 pencils leave the group and 24 - 8 = 16 remain.
Why this is on the test: Multi-step word problems are lost by mixing a per-person number with a total, and this one puts that trap in the middle.