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

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 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 - Building Confidence

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

  1. Bo's kite is 12 m high. Each minute its height changes by -1.5 m, for 5 minutes. What is the total change in height, and how high is the kite then?

  2. Esme's robot starts at -2.5 on a number line. Each step changes its place by 0.75, for 7 steps. What is the total change, and where does the robot end?

  3. Jun watches a whale at -6.5 m (below the surface is negative). Each second its depth changes by -2.5 m, for 3 seconds. What is the total change, and where is it then?

  4. Read this first

    Use this

    A table of four rows. Row | As given | As a decimal: 1 | -3/4 | -0.75; 2 | 0.5 | 0.5; 3 | -1/4 | -0.25; 4 | 2 | 2.

  5. Luz logs how a pond's water level changes each day, in cm. The table shows each change two ways. What is the total change for the four days?

  6. Use this

    A table of four rows. Row | As given | As a decimal: 1 | 1/2 | 0.5; 2 | -1.25 | -1.25; 3 | 1.5 | 1.5; 4 | -3 | -3.

  7. Milo logs how the temperature changes on four days, in degrees. The table shows each change two ways. What is the total change?

  8. Use this

    A table of four rows. Row | As given | As a decimal: 1 | -1.5 | -1.5; 2 | 3/4 | 0.75; 3 | 0.25 | 0.25; 4 | -1/4 | -0.25.

  9. Noah logs how a game score changes in four rounds, in points. The table shows each change two ways. What is the total change?

  10. Use this

    A table of four rows. Row | As given | As a decimal: 1 | 2.5 | 2.5; 2 | -1/4 | -0.25; 3 | -3/4 | -0.75; 4 | 1/4 | 0.25.

  11. Pia logs how the thickness of a pond's ice changes on four days, in cm. The table shows each change two ways. What is the total change?

  12. Ren multiplies (-4.9) × 3.1 on a phone calculator, but the screen is smudged. Use a quick estimate. Which answer makes sense?

    • -1.519
    • -15.19
    • -151.9
    • 15.19
  13. Tala multiplies 6.8 × (-2.1) on paper, but a drip hides the answer. Use a quick estimate. Which answer makes sense?

    • 14.28
    • -1.428
    • -14.28
    • -142.8
  14. Ari multiplies 4.2 × (-3.8) before the bell, but the answer is smudged. Use a quick estimate. Which answer makes sense?

    • -15.96
    • 15.96
    • -159.6
    • -1.596
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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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