Here’s the solution to each of the six word problems, with clear step-by-step explanations.
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Problem 1:
*The students in Ms. Stanley’s art class are painting. Ms. Stanley notices that ³⁄₅ of the class is painting objects and ¹⁄₅ of the class is painting animals. How much more of the class is painting objects than animals?*
✔ Solution:
We subtract the fraction painting animals from the fraction painting objects:
> ³⁄₅ – ¹⁄₅ = ²⁄₅
Answer: ²⁄₅ more of the class is painting objects than animals.
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Problem 2:
*Max is running errands. He drives ⁵⁄₈ of a mile to the post office. He then drives ²⁄₈ of a mile to the grocery store. How far does Max drive to get to the post office and grocery store?*
✔ Solution:
We add the two distances together:
> ⁵⁄₈ + ²⁄₈ = ⁷⁄₈
Answer: Max drives ⁷⁄₈ of a mile total.
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Problem 3:
*Ella has friends over for a movie night. To prepare, she spends ¹⁄₄ of an hour cleaning and ²⁄₄ of an hour cooking. How much time does Ella spend preparing for the movie night?*
✔ Solution:
Add the two fractions:
> ¹⁄₄ + ²⁄₄ = ³⁄₄
Answer: Ella spends ³⁄₄ of an hour preparing.
*(Note: You can also say “45 minutes” since ¾ hour = 45 min, but the question asks for a fraction.)*
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Problem 4:
*The Franklin Zoo has two giraffes. Raffle is a male giraffe that weighs ²⁄₆ of a ton. Lola is a female giraffe that weighs ¹⁄₆ of a ton. How much more does Raffle weigh than Lola?*
✔ Solution:
Subtract Lola’s weight from Raffle’s weight:
> ²⁄₆ – ¹⁄₆ = ¹⁄₆
Answer: Raffle weighs ¹⁄₆ of a ton more than Lola.
*(Optional simplification: ¹⁄₆ is already in simplest form.)*
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Problem 5:
*Whitney takes her dog for a walk every day. Yesterday, they walked ³⁄₇ of a mile. Today, they walked ²⁄₇ of a mile. How far did Whitney and her dog walk yesterday and today?*
✔ Solution:
Add the two distances:
> ³⁄₇ + ²⁄₇ = ⁵⁄₇
Answer: They walked ⁵⁄₇ of a mile total over the two days.
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Problem 6:
*Kennedy separates the shirts in his closet by color. He notices that ⁴⁄₉ of the shirts are green. What fraction of the shirts in his closet are not green?*
✔ Solution:
The whole closet is ¹ (or ⁹⁄₉). Subtract the green shirts to find the non-green shirts:
> ⁹⁄₉ – ⁴⁄₉ = ⁵⁄₉
Answer: ⁵⁄₉ of the shirts are not green.
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✔ Final Answers Summary:
1.
²⁄₅
2.
⁷⁄₈
3.
³⁄₄
4.
¹⁄₆
5.
⁵⁄₇
6.
⁵⁄₉
All problems involve adding or subtracting fractions with like denominators — simply add or subtract the numerators and keep the denominator the same. Always simplify if possible (though none needed here except maybe #4, which is already simplified).
Let me know if you’d like these written out in sentence form for the worksheet!
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of subtracting fractions word problems worksheet.
