Solving Real-Life One-Step Equations with Variables

1. Sarah has some apples. If she adds 5 apples to her basket, she will have 12 apples. How many apples did she start with? (Let x be the number of apples Sarah started with.)

• 5

• 10

• 15

• 7

2. A book costs $15. If you have $x, how much more money do you need to buy the book? (Write an equation to represent this situation.)

• x / 15

• 15 + x

• 15 - x

• x - 15

3. Tom is 3 years older than his brother. If his brother is x years old, how old is Tom? (Write an equation to find Tom's age.)

• Tom's age is x + 5.

• Tom's age is 2x.

• Tom's age is x - 3.

• Tom's age is x + 3.

4. A box contains x candies. If you eat 4 candies, you will have 10 left. How many candies were in the box originally?

• 8

• 14

• 16

• 12

5. The temperature was x degrees in the morning. If it increased by 7 degrees during the day, the temperature is now 15 degrees. What was the morning temperature?

• 10 degrees

• 8 degrees

• 5 degrees

• 12 degrees

7. Lisa has x dollars. If she spends 20 dollars, she has 30 dollars left. How much money did Lisa have initially?

• 50

• 70

• 40

• 60

8. A rectangle has a length of 10 meters and a width of x meters. If the perimeter is 40 meters, what is the width of the rectangle?

• 15 meters

• 20 meters

• 10 meters

• 5 meters

9. If a train leaves the station at x o'clock and arrives at its destination at 3 o'clock, how long did the journey take? (Write an equation to express this.)

• x - 3 hours

• 3 + x hours

• 3 - x hours

• 2 - x hours

10. A gardener has x flowers. If he plants 5 more flowers, he will have 25 flowers in total. How many flowers did he have before planting?

• 15

• 30

• 10

• 20