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Think of a number – practice for Years 4–6

Sample questions on Think of a number with the right answer and a worked solution, from easy to hard. In the Pickles Academy app a child gets new questions of the same kind every time, so they can't just learn the answers by heart.

Subject
Maths
Year
Years 4–6
Curriculum area
Problem solving and non-routine tasks

Question types: Think of a number

Rule: Think of a number

Work backwards from the result and undo each step: + ↔ −, × ↔ ÷.

Check: put the number you found through the steps forwards.

Example: Times 5, then plus 13, gives 68: 68 − 13 = 55, 55 ÷ 5 = 11

Watch out: Reverse the order of the steps too: start with the one done last.

Sample questions

  1. Question 1 Easy

    I think of a number. First I multiply it by 3, then I add 2 to the result. I get 41. What number did I think of?

    Show the solution
    Answer: 13

    How it works: Work backwards: 41 − 2 = 39; 39 ÷ 3 = 13

  2. Question 2 Normal

    I think of a number. First I divide it by 4, then I add 12 to the result and finally I multiply the result by 4. I get 68. What number did I think of?

    Show the solution
    Answer: 20

    How it works: Work backwards: 68 ÷ 4 = 17; 17 − 12 = 5; 5 × 4 = 20

  3. Question 3 Hard

    I think of a number. First I divide it by 3, then I add 12 to the result, next I multiply the result by 3 and finally I subtract 21 from the result. I get 54. What number did I think of?

    Show the solution
    Answer: 39

    How it works: Work backwards: 54 + 21 = 75; 75 ÷ 3 = 25; 25 − 12 = 13; 13 × 3 = 39

Related topics

All Maths topics

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