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Grade 7 · Math

7th grade Subtract positive and negative whole numbers worksheet

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Subtract positive and negative whole numbers

Grade 7 Math Worksheet - Challenge Me

NameDate

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

  1. Esme writes a three-number puzzle on the whiteboard. What is (-12) - 7 - (-9)?

  2. Jun draws a long puzzle card from the jar. What is 15 - (-8) - 22?

  3. Milo's quiz team has 24 points. The judge removes a bonus worth 31 points, then removes a penalty worth -14 points. What is the team's score now?

  4. Noah fills in a balance puzzle: 6 - ? = (-5). What is the missing number?

  5. Pia fills in a balance puzzle: (-4) - ? = (-10). What is the missing number?

  6. Ari bikes from -10 to 4 on Monday and from -3 to 6 on Tuesday (in blocks, east is positive). How many more blocks was Monday's ride?

  7. Bo's boat sails from 2 to 18 on a number line river, then from -11 to -4 on the way back. How many more spaces is the first trip?

  8. Esme's turtle swims from -15 to 8 before lunch and from 5 to 21 after lunch (in meters, up is positive). How many more meters was the first swim?

  9. Jun's kite was 14 m up at 2 p.m. and 6 m up at 3 p.m. Later minus earlier gives 6 - 14 = -8. What does the -8 tell us?

    • The kite went down 8 m.
    • The kite is 8 m below the ground.
    • The kite went up 8 m.
    • The kite did not move.
  10. Luz's quiz team had 9 points, then 2 points after a hard round. Later minus earlier gives 2 - 9 = -7. What does the -7 tell us?

    • The team gained 7 points.
    • The team lost 7 points.
    • The team's score did not change.
    • The team has -7 points.
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7th grade Subtract positive and negative whole numbers worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Subtract positive and negative whole numbers. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can rewrite a subtraction as adding the opposite, and use it to work out answers like 6 - (-3).
  • I can find the distance between two numbers on the number line, and say why it is never negative.
  • I can say what a negative or positive difference means in a story.

Standard: 7.NS.A.1c

Words to know

opposite: The number the same distance from 0 on the other side, like 3 and -3.

additive inverse: The school name for an opposite: a number that adds with it to 0.

difference: The answer to subtracting: how far the first number is from the second.

distance: How far apart two numbers are on the number line. Never negative.

change: Later value minus earlier value. Negative means it went down.

Common mistakes

Your child changed the minus to a plus but kept the second number as it was. Try: 5 - (-3) is the same as 5 + 3. Ask why the sign of the second number flips.

Your child got the right size but the wrong sign.

Your child flipped the first number instead of the one after the minus sign.

What to say

Ask: after the last move on the number line, are you left or right of 0?

Ask: which number comes right after the minus sign?

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with subtract positive and negative whole numbers?

Your child changed the minus to a plus but kept the second number as it was. Try: 5 - (-3) is the same as 5 + 3. Ask why the sign of the second number flips.

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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