Exploring Variables and Expressions in Word Problems

1. Sarah has x apples. If she buys 5 more apples, how many apples does she have now? Write the equation and identify the variable.

• 5x

• x + 10

• x + 5

• x - 5

2. A book costs $y. If you buy 3 books, how much do you spend? Write the expression and evaluate it for y = 10.

• 25

• 30

• 15

• 20

3. Tom is x years old. In 5 years, he will be twice as old as he is now. Write the equation and identify the variable.

• x + 5 = x

• x + 5 = x + 10

• x + 5 = 2x

• x + 5 = 3x

4. A rectangle has a length of 4 meters and a width of w meters. Write an expression for the perimeter and evaluate it for w = 3.

• 14 meters

• 12 meters

• 16 meters

• 10 meters

5. If the total cost of 4 notebooks is $n, how much does each notebook cost? Write the equation and identify the variable.

• Each notebook costs n + 4.

• Each notebook costs n - 4.

• Each notebook costs n / 4.

• Each notebook costs 4n.

6. Lisa has y dollars. She spends $15 on a toy. Write an expression for how much money she has left and evaluate it for y = 50.

• 25

• 45

• 35

• 60

7. A car travels x miles in 1 hour. How far will it travel in 3 hours? Write the equation and identify the variable.

• 2x miles

• 4x miles

• 3x miles

• x miles

8. The sum of a number z and 12 is 30. Write the equation and solve for z.

• 25

• 16

• 18

• 22

9. A pizza has x slices. If you eat 2 slices, how many slices are left? Write the equation and identify the variable.

• x - 2

• 2 - x

• x + 2

• x - 1

10. The total number of students in a class is y. If 5 students leave, how many are left? Write the expression and evaluate it for y = 20.

• 15

• 25

• 20

• 10