Evaluate Expressions Involving Parentheses - Math Worksheets ... - Free Printable

Let’s solve each expression step by step.

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1. 168 – 79 + 10 → Letter R

We do subtraction and addition from left to right:

168 – 79 = 89
89 + 10 = 99

→ So, R = 99

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2. 6 × (51 + 47) → Letter S

First, solve inside the parentheses:

51 + 47 = 98
Then multiply: 6 × 98 = 588

→ So, S = 588

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3. 200 + 20 ÷ 2 → Letter T

Division comes before addition (order of operations):

20 ÷ 2 = 10
200 + 10 = 210

→ So, T = 210

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4. 8 × 25 ÷ 5 → Letter E

Multiplication and division from left to right:

8 × 25 = 200
200 ÷ 5 = 40

→ So, E = 40

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5. 16 + 37(12 + 44) → Letter E

Wait — this is also labeled “E”, but we already have E = 40 from above. Let’s calculate it anyway to check if it matches or if there’s a mistake.

First, parentheses: 12 + 44 = 56
Then multiply: 37 × 56

Let’s compute 37 × 56:

37 × 50 = 1850
37 × 6 = 222
1850 + 222 = 2072

Then add 16: 2072 + 16 = 2088

→ So, this expression equals 2088, and it’s labeled “E” — but earlier we got E = 40. That means two expressions are labeled E, which is fine — maybe the riddle uses letters multiple times? Or perhaps it’s a typo? But let’s go with the math.

Actually, looking back at the image: the fifth box says “E” again — so two different expressions map to letter E? That seems odd for a riddle. Wait — let me double-check the original image description.

In the user’s image description:

- Box 4: 8 × 25 ÷ 5 → E → we got 40
- Box 5: 16 + 37(12 + 44) → E → we got 2088

That can’t be right for a riddle unless the letter E appears twice in the answer. Maybe it’s intentional? Let’s proceed.

But wait — actually, looking again: in the image, the fifth box has “E” next to it, but the sixth box has “C”. So yes, two boxes are labeled E. That’s unusual, but let’s keep going.

So:

→ Expression 5: 16 + 37(12 + 44) = 2088 → labeled E

But earlier, expression 4: 8×25÷5 = 40 → also labeled E

This suggests that the letter E corresponds to TWO different numbers? That doesn’t make sense for matching to a table. Unless... perhaps I misread?

Wait — let me re-express the problem.

Looking at the table at the bottom:

The numbers are: 588, 2088, 507, 99, 40, 210

And we have six expressions, each with a letter: R, S, T, E, E, C

So two expressions are labeled E — meaning two different answers will correspond to the same letter? That would mean the word has repeated letters — like “SECRET” has two E’s? But here, the two E expressions give 40 and 2088 — very different numbers.

That can’t be. There must be an error in my reading.

Wait — let me look again at the original image description provided by the user:

> 16 + 37 (12 + 44) → E
> 532 - 1/4 × (77 + 23) → C

Ah! The fifth expression is written as: “16 + 37 (12 + 44)” — but in math, when you write “37(12+44)”, it means 37 multiplied by (12+44). We did that correctly: 37×56=2072, +16=2088.

But then why is it labeled E? And the fourth expression is also E? That would mean the letter E is assigned to two different values — which breaks the riddle logic.

Unless... perhaps the label “E” next to the fifth box is a typo? Or maybe I miscalculated?

Wait — let’s check the sixth expression first.

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6. 532 – 1/4 × (77 + 23) → Letter C

First, parentheses: 77 + 23 = 100

Then, 1/4 × 100 = 25

Then, 532 – 25 = 507

→ So, C = 507

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Now, let’s list all our results:

- R: 168 – 79 + 10 = 99
- S: 6 × (51 + 47) = 588
- T: 200 + 20 ÷ 2 = 210
- E (first): 8 × 25 ÷ 5 = 40
- E (second): 16 + 37(12 + 44) = 2088
- C: 532 – 1/4 × (77 + 23) = 507

Now, the table at the bottom has these numbers: 588, 2088, 507, 99, 40, 210

Which matches exactly what we have!

So even though two expressions are labeled “E”, they correspond to two different numbers: 40 and 2088. That means in the final answer, the letter E will appear twice — once for 40 and once for 2088.

Now, we need to match each number to its letter and then arrange them in the order of the table to form the answer to the riddle.

The table at the bottom is:

| 588 | 2088 | 507 | 99 | 40 | 210 |

We need to find which letter corresponds to each number:

- 588 → S (from expression 2)
- 2088 → E (from expression 5)
- 507 → C (from expression 6)
- 99 → R (from expression 1)
- 40 → E (from expression 4)
- 210 → T (from expression 3)

So the sequence of letters for the table is:

S, E, C, R, E, T

That spells: SECRET

Now, the riddle is: “If I have it, I don’t share it. If I share it, I don’t have it. What is it?”

The answer is “SECRET” — because if you have a secret, you don’t share it; if you share it, it’s no longer yours (you don’t have it anymore).

Perfect!

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Final verification:

All calculations:

1. 168 - 79 = 89; 89 + 10 = 99 → R ✓
2. 51 + 47 = 98; 6 × 98 = 588 → S ✓
3. 20 ÷ 2 = 10; 200 + 10 = 210 → T ✓
4. 8 × 25 = 200; 200 ÷ 5 = 40 → E ✓
5. 12 + 44 = 56; 37 × 56 = let's recalculate:
30×56 = 1680, 7×56=392, 1680+392=2072; 2072+16=2088 → E ✓
6. 77+23=100; 1/4×100=25; 532-25=507 → C ✓

Table order: 588(S), 2088(E), 507(C), 99(R), 40(E), 210(T) → SECRET

Riddle answer: SECRET

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Final Answer:
SECRET