Estimation Multiple Choice Worksheet - Free Printable

Problem Solving and Explanation for Each Question

The task involves estimating the answers to various story problems. Let's solve each problem step by step.

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#### Question 1:
Betty bought 36 apples for her class. She cut each apple into fourths. About how many apple pieces were there?

- Calculation:
Each apple is cut into 4 pieces.
Total pieces = \( 36 \times 4 = 144 \).

- Estimation:
The closest option to 144 is 140.

- Answer:
b. 140

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#### Question 2:
Shannon’s mom filled 27 boxes with a dozen donuts each. About how many donuts were there?

- Calculation:
A dozen donuts = 12 donuts.
Total donuts = \( 27 \times 12 \).
Using estimation: \( 27 \approx 30 \), so \( 30 \times 12 = 360 \).
Since 27 is slightly less than 30, the total is slightly less than 360.

- Estimation:
The closest option to 324 (exact calculation) is 320.

- Answer:
c. 320

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#### Question 3:
Doug collected caterpillars. He found 13 on Monday, 23 on Tuesday, 15 on Wednesday, and 31 on Thursday. About how many caterpillars did Doug find?

- Calculation:
Total caterpillars = \( 13 + 23 + 15 + 31 \).
Adding these:
\( 13 + 23 = 36 \),
\( 36 + 15 = 51 \),
\( 51 + 31 = 82 \).

- Estimation:
The closest option to 82 is 80.

- Answer:
c. 80

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#### Question 4:
Nana planted 41 strawberry plants. Each plant grew 15 strawberries. About how many strawberries did Nana grow?

- Calculation:
Total strawberries = \( 41 \times 15 \).
Using estimation: \( 41 \approx 40 \), so \( 40 \times 15 = 600 \).
Since 41 is slightly more than 40, the total is slightly more than 600.

- Estimation:
The closest option to 615 (exact calculation) is 600.

- Answer:
a. 600

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#### Question 5:
The United States flag has 50 stars. If there were 45 flags flying, about how many stars would there be?

- Calculation:
Total stars = \( 45 \times 50 \).
Using estimation: \( 45 \times 50 = 2250 \).

- Estimation:
The closest option to 2250 is 2,200.

- Answer:
c. 2,200

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#### Question 6:
José ordered 54 pizzas. Each pizza had 8 slices. About how many slices of pizza were there?

- Calculation:
Total slices = \( 54 \times 8 \).
Using estimation: \( 54 \approx 50 \), so \( 50 \times 8 = 400 \).
Since 54 is slightly more than 50, the total is slightly more than 400.

- Estimation:
The closest option to 432 (exact calculation) is 400.

- Answer:
b. 400

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#### Question 7:
Our Saturday art class bought 73 packs of markers. Each pack had 12 markers. About how many new markers does the art class have?

- Calculation:
Total markers = \( 73 \times 12 \).
Using estimation: \( 73 \approx 70 \), so \( 70 \times 12 = 840 \).
Since 73 is slightly more than 70, the total is slightly more than 840.

- Estimation:
The closest option to 876 (exact calculation) is 840.

- Answer:
a. 840

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#### Question 8:
In December, I had $783.50 in my bank account. Now, I only have $420.90. About how much did I spend?

- Calculation:
Amount spent = \( 783.50 - 420.90 = 362.60 \).

- Estimation:
The closest option to 362.60 is $360.

- Answer:
c. $360

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#### Question 9:
The new campers have 6 tires each. AL’s RV Store just received 39 new campers. About how many tires are there?

- Calculation:
Total tires = \( 39 \times 6 \).
Using estimation: \( 39 \approx 40 \), so \( 40 \times 6 = 240 \).
Since 39 is slightly less than 40, the total is slightly less than 240.

- Estimation:
The closest option to 234 (exact calculation) is 240.

- Answer:
b. 240

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#### Question 10:
We hung 90 strings of twinkle lights this year. Each string had 48 lights. About how many twinkle lights did we hang?

- Calculation:
Total lights = \( 90 \times 48 \).
Using estimation: \( 48 \approx 50 \), so \( 90 \times 50 = 4500 \).
Since 48 is slightly less than 50, the total is slightly less than 4500.

- Estimation:
The closest option to 4320 (exact calculation) is 4000.

- Answer:
a. 4000

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Final Answers:

1. b. 140
2. c. 320
3. c. 80
4. a. 600
5. c. 2,200
6. b. 400
7. a. 840
8. c. $360
9. b. 240
10. a. 4000

Boxed Final Answer:
\[
\boxed{b, c, c, a, c, b, a, c, b, a}
\]