Word problems adding and subtracting fractions · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Solving fraction word problems

Mathematics · Fractions · ages 9-10
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Noah had 5/8 of a chocolate bar and gave 3/8 to his friend. How much of the bar does Noah have now? Give your answer as a decimal.

    Answer: ______________

  2. A jug contains 3/4 litre of juice. Mum pours out 2/4 litre. How much juice remains in the jug?

    • 1/4 litre
    • 1/2 litre
    • 3/4 litre
    • 1 litre

  3. A juice jug has 3/4 litre. Priya pours out 1/4 litre. Which equation shows how much juice is left?

    • 3/4 - 1/4
    • 3/4 + 1/4
    • 1/4 - 3/4

  4. The word 'left' in a word problem usually means you should add.

    Circle one:   True   False

  5. Priya read 2/7 of a book on Monday and 3/7 of the same book on Tuesday. How much of the book has she read?

    • 5/7 of the book
    • 5/14 of the book
    • 1/7 of the book
    • 6/7 of the book

  6. Two wires measure 1 5/9 metres and 2 4/9 metres. Omar joins them end to end. How many metres long is the joined wire? Type the number.

    Answer: ______________

  7. Two ribbons are 2 3/8 inches and 1 5/8 inches long. Laid end to end, what is their total length?

    • 4 inches
    • 3 1/2 inches
    • 3 3/4 inches
    • 5 inches

  8. Sam says 2/5 + 1/5 = 3/10 because he added the top numbers and the bottom numbers. Is Sam right?

    Circle one:   True   False

  9. Tom has 4 1/4 metres of rope and uses 1 3/4 metres. How much rope is left?

    • 2 1/2
    • 3 1/2
    • 2 1/4
    • 3

  10. Kavi read this problem: 'A jug has 7/8 litre. He pours out 3/8 litre.' Kavi wrote 7/8 + 3/8 = 10/8. What mistake did Kavi make?

    • He should have subtracted, not added, since juice was poured out
    • He added the two denominators together
    • He should have poured out more juice
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Solving fraction word problems W1-mt_ZLqYE7la4Z-s1

  1. 0.25 · Noah keeps 5/8 - 3/8 = 2/8 of the bar, which is 1/4, or 0.25 as a decimal.
  2. 1/4 litre · The jug loses 2/4 litre out of 3/4 litre, and 3/4 - 2/4 = 1/4 litre.
  3. 3/4 - 1/4 · The juice is poured out, so you subtract: 3/4 - 1/4.
  4. False · 'Left' means something was taken away, so the story is telling you to subtract.
  5. 5/7 of the book · Monday and Tuesday add up: 2/7 + 3/7 = 5/7 of the book.
  6. 4 · Add the whole numbers, 1 + 2 = 3. Add the fraction parts, 5/9 + 4/9 = 9/9, which is 1 whole. So 3 + 1 = 4 metres.
  7. 4 inches · Add the whole inches: 2 + 1 = 3. Add the fractions: 3/8 + 5/8 = 8/8 = 1. Altogether 3 + 1 = 4 inches.
  8. False · Sam is wrong. When the bottoms match, only the tops are added: 2/5 + 1/5 = 3/5.
  9. 2 1/2 · 4 1/4 - 1 3/4 = 17/4 - 7/4 = 10/4, which is 2 1/2.
  10. He should have subtracted, not added, since juice was poured out · Poured out means take away. The equation should be 7/8 - 3/8 = 4/8.
Worksheet · LightMySky