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Grade 7 · Math

7th grade Multi-step problems with positive and negative numbers, and checking they make sense worksheet

6 printable versionsChallenge Me10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

Level: Building Confidence · On Level · Challenge Me

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Multi-step problems with positive and negative numbers, and checking they make sense

Grade 7 Math Worksheet - Challenge Me

NameDate

Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.

  1. Tala watches a whale at -2.5 m (below the surface is negative). It dives 3/4 m per second for 6 seconds, then rises 1.5 m per second for 4 seconds. Where is it now?

  2. Ari hikes from -4.5 m (lake level is 0). The trail climbs 2.5 m per minute for 6 minutes, then descends 1.25 m per minute for 8 minutes. What is the height then?

  3. Bo's bucket of water is 14 cm deep. A leak makes the water fall 3/4 cm each hour. Now it is 5 cm deep. For how many hours has it been leaking?

  4. At dawn, Esme's thermometer reads -7.5°F. The temperature rises 1.5 degrees each hour. Now it reads -1.5°F. How many hours have passed?

  5. A whale starts at -18 m (below the surface is negative) and rises 1/2 m each second. Now Jun sees it at -12 m. How many seconds has it been rising?

  6. Kira's kite starts at 20 m and falls 2.5 m each minute. Now it is 7.5 m high. For how many minutes has it been falling?

  7. Noah estimates (-9.8) ÷ (-2.8) as about 3, but the TV game shows -3.5. What is most likely wrong with the game's answer?

    • The sign is wrong.
    • The answer on the screen makes sense.
    • The decimal point is in the wrong place.
  8. Pia estimates 5.4 × 7.9 as about 40, but the app shows 4.266. What is most likely wrong with the app's answer?

    • The decimal point is in the wrong place.
    • The sign is wrong.
    • The answer on the screen makes sense.
  9. At noon, Ren's thermometer reads 4.5°F. By night the total change is -3.5 degrees. What does the -3.5 tell you?

    • The temperature at night is -3.5°F.
    • The temperature did not change.
    • The temperature at night is 3.5 degrees warmer than at noon.
    • The temperature at night is 3.5 degrees colder than at noon.
  10. Zee's team starts a game with 8.5 points. After the game, the total change is -3.25 points. What does the -3.25 tell you?

    • The final score is 3.25 points higher than the starting score.
    • The final score is -3.25 points.
    • The final score is 3.25 points lower than the starting score.
    • The score stayed the same.
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7th grade Multi-step problems with positive and negative numbers, and checking they make sense worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Multi-step problems with positive and negative numbers, and checking they make sense. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can solve a story that needs two or three steps with positive and negative fractions and decimals, one step at a time.
  • I can turn a fraction into a decimal when a problem uses both, and keep track of which way each change goes.
  • I can use a quick estimate to see whether an answer is the right size and the right sign, and say what a negative total means.

Standard: 7.NS.A.3, 7.EE.B.3

Words to know

total change: All the changes added together, with their signs.

mean: The total of some numbers shared equally: add them, then divide by how many.

estimate: A quick answer from friendly numbers, to check the real answer is near.

rate: How much something changes each time, like -0.75 degrees each hour.

reasonable: An answer that is about the right size and on the right side of 0.

Common mistakes

Your child got the right size but the wrong sign on the answer.

Your child added the rate and the time instead of multiplying.

Your child stopped after the first step.

What to say

Ask: after the last change, is the number left or right of 0?

Ask: if something drops 2 each hour for 5 hours, is that 2 + 5 or 2 × 5?

Ask: where does the story start, and has that been used yet?

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with multi-step problems with positive and negative numbers, and checking they make sense?

Your child got the right size but the wrong sign on the answer.

How can I help my child with multi-step problems with positive and negative numbers, and checking they make sense?

Ask: after the last change, is the number left or right of 0?

Are these 7th grade math worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

More grade 7 math

See all grade 7 math

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