Translate Words to Equations: Real-Life Variable Problems

1. Sarah has some apples. If she buys 5 more apples, she will have a total of 12 apples. Define the variable for the number of apples Sarah originally had and write an equation to represent this situation.

• x - 5 = 12

• x + 5 = 10

• x + 5 = 15

• x + 5 = 12

2. Tom is saving money to buy a video game. If he saves $3 each week and wants to save a total of $30, define the variable for the number of weeks he needs to save and write an equation for this problem.

• w = 10

• w = 20

• w = 15

• w = 5

3. A box can hold a certain number of toys. If there are currently 8 toys in the box and you add 'x' more toys, the box will be full with 15 toys. Define the variable and write an equation to find 'x'.

• 10

• 12

• 5

• 7

4. Lisa read some books last month. If she reads 4 more books this month, she will have read a total of 10 books. Define the variable for the number of books she read last month and write an equation for this situation.

• x + 10 = 4

• x - 4 = 10

• x + 4 = 10

• x + 4 = 8

5. A farmer has 'y' chickens. If he buys 6 more chickens, he will have 20 chickens in total. Define the variable and write an equation to find 'y'.

• 18

• 14

• 22

• 12

6. A school is planning a field trip. If they have 12 students signed up and need a total of 'z' students to go, how many more students do they need? Define the variable and write an equation for this problem.

• 12 - z

• z + 12

• z - 12

• z / 12

7. Emma has 'm' marbles. If she gives away 3 marbles, she will have 15 marbles left. Define the variable and write an equation to find 'm'.

• 15

• 12

• 21

• 18

8. A recipe calls for 'p' cups of flour. If you use 2 cups of flour, you will have 5 cups left. Define the variable and write an equation to find 'p'.

• 7

• 6

• 9

• 8

9. A car can travel 'd' miles on a full tank. If it has already traveled 150 miles and can still travel 200 miles, define the variable and write an equation to find 'd'.

• 250

• 350

• 400

• 300

10. Jake is collecting stickers. If he has 's' stickers and buys 10 more, he will have a total of 25 stickers. Define the variable and write an equation to find 's'.

• 20

• 5

• 30

• 15