Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Negative Numbers True or False: Free Printable Quiz for Year 7
- ForYear 7
- StageKey Stage 3
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Negative Numbers True or False is a free printable quiz for Year 7 (ages 11 to 12), in Key Stage 3. Children rescue the crew by spotting wrong sums. They multiply, divide, add and subtract with negative numbers and decide whether each statement is correct. Where a statement is false, they write the right answer beside it.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. The quiz is two A4 pages. Give page 1 to the child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Children read a set of statements about negative numbers. Each one involves multiplying, dividing, adding or subtracting. The job is to decide whether the statement is true or false. When it is false, they write the correct answer next to it. Because the theme is rescuing the crew by spotting wrong sums, careful checking matters more than speed. Children can sketch a number line in the margin if it helps.
Worked example: testing one statement
Is this true or false? Negative 8 minus negative 3 equals negative 11.
This is our own example to show how to check a statement. It is a different question from the ones on the sheet.
Method 1: number line- Draw a line and mark negative 8.
- Subtracting a negative is the same as adding the matching positive, so subtracting negative 3 means moving 3 steps to the right.
- Count 3 steps right from negative 8: negative 7, negative 6, negative 5.
- Rewrite negative 8 minus negative 3 as negative 8 plus 3.
- Find the difference between 8 and 3. It is 5.
- The 8 is the bigger number and it is negative, so the answer is negative 5.
Four ways to check a statement
Check the sign first
Before working out the size of the answer, decide whether it should be positive or negative. If the sign looks wrong, the statement is probably false.
Use the sign rules
For multiplying and dividing, two numbers with the same sign give a positive answer. Two numbers with different signs give a negative answer.
Use a number line
For adding and subtracting, move right to get bigger and left to get smaller. Subtracting a negative number moves you right.
Test with the opposite
Work the sum backwards. If a division statement is true, multiplying the answer by the divisor should return the starting number.
Why negative numbers need care
Negative numbers are numbers less than zero. On a number line they sit to the left of zero, and the further left you go, the smaller the number is. Children meet them in everyday life, such as temperatures below freezing on a Celsius thermometer or an overdrawn bank balance. In Key Stage 3, pupils move from reading negative numbers to calculating with them confidently.
Many mistakes with negative numbers come from rules learned without meaning. Two signs side by side can look confusing, so children guess. A true or false format helps because the answer is already on the page. Children must test it rather than produce it. That builds the habit of asking whether a result makes sense, and it shows that a wrong answer often has one clear cause.
Negative numbers in real life
- Water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius, so a temperature below freezing is shown as a negative number on a Celsius thermometer.
- Some buildings have floors below ground level, and lifts may mark them with negative numbers or a letter.
- Some places on land, such as parts of the Netherlands, lie below sea level.
- A bank account that is overdrawn shows a negative balance. It means the account owes money.
- In golf, a score below par is written as a negative number.
Skills and curriculum link
- Negative numbers
- Multiplying and dividing
- Adding and subtracting
- Reasoning
- Checking answers
Ideas that help with negative numbers
- Sign rule for multiplyingMultiplying two numbers with the same sign gives a positive answer. Multiplying numbers with different signs gives a negative answer.
- Sign rule for dividingDividing follows the same sign rule as multiplying, because division undoes multiplication.
- Subtracting a negativeTaking away a negative number has the same effect as adding the matching positive number.
- Direction on a number lineAdding moves right and subtracting moves left. Zero is the centre, and numbers to its left are smaller.
Key words
- Negative numberA number less than zero. It has a minus sign in front of it.
- Positive numberA number greater than zero.
- IntegerA whole number. It can be positive, negative or zero.
- ProductThe answer when you multiply.
- QuotientThe answer when you divide.
- StatementA sentence that is either true or false. Here, each statement is a sum with an answer.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for the child. Keep page 2, which has the notes for the grown up.
- Read the first statement together. Ask the child to say whether the answer should be positive or negative before they calculate.
- Work through each statement. Write the correct answer next to every false one.
- Check against page 2. Talk about any wrong choices and ask, "What made you think that?"
- Come back another day. Repeating a familiar sheet builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Start by deciding the sign of the answer. Remind them that two negatives multiplied make a positive. For adding and subtracting, draw a short number line and mark zero. Do a few statements at a time and talk through each choice aloud.
To stretch confident children
Ask the child to draw a number line for the adding and subtracting statements and show each move with arrows. Then ask them to explain, in their own words, why subtracting a negative number moves them in the same direction as adding a positive.
Make it a game
Each player writes five statements about negative numbers. Some should be true and some false. Swap papers and spot the mistakes. For every false one, the checker writes the correct answer. Compare results and discuss any disagreements.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child multiplies two negative numbers and writes a negative answer.
Try thisRemind them of the sign rule. Then write a pattern such as 3 times negative 2, 2 times negative 2, 1 times negative 2, 0 times negative 2. Watch the answers climb by 2 and carry on past zero.
Watch forA child thinks subtracting a negative makes the number smaller.
Try thisShow it on a number line. Taking away a negative moves right, so the result is bigger than the start.
Watch forA child marks a statement true because the digits are right, but the sign is wrong.
Try thisCheck the sign first, then the size. Ask, "Should this answer be above or below zero?" before they decide.
Talk about it
- How can you tell if an answer will be negative before you work it out?
- Why do two negatives multiplied make a positive?
- What does subtracting a negative number do on a number line?
- Which statement was easiest to check, and why?
- Where have you seen negative numbers outside maths?
- How would you explain a false statement to a friend so they can fix it?
Take it off the page
Number line on the floor
Use chalk outside or paper strips indoors to make a number line from negative 10 to 10. Take turns to read a sum aloud and walk the moves.
Temperature chart
Draw a thermometer on paper. Mark some temperatures above and below zero. Write sums such as a rise of 5 degrees or a fall of 3 degrees and find the new temperature.
Sign card sort
Write a set of multiplying and dividing sums on cards, without answers. Sort them into piles that will give a positive answer and a negative answer, then check by calculating.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit with your child for the first statement, then let them lead. Ask them to explain each choice. If they get stuck, draw a number line together. Cover page 2 until they have finished.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task or homework. Pupils who find the sheet easy can explain each false statement in writing. Page 2 gives support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.
Home educators
Print it as part of a wider maths plan. Pair it with a number line on the wall or a thermometer. The sheet can be printed again for brothers and sisters or for revision a few weeks later.
Where this fits in maths
Before this, children count backwards through zero and use negative numbers in everyday contexts such as temperature. They learn to read a number line and to compare numbers that fall either side of zero.
After this, children use the same rules in algebra, when substituting values into expressions and solving equations. Negative numbers also appear when plotting coordinates in all four quadrants. Secure sign rules make that work far easier.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Negative Numbers True or False for?
It is written for Year 7 (ages 11 to 12), in Key Stage 3. It also works for confident Year 6 children, or for Year 8 and 9 pupils who want to revise the sign rules.
- What will children practise?
Children multiply, divide, add and subtract with negative numbers. They decide whether each statement is correct and write the right answer next to every false one. This builds reasoning and checking habits.
- How do I use it?
Print both pages and give page 1 to the child. They work through each statement and correct the false ones. Then check against page 2 and talk about any wrong choices together.
- What if it feels too hard?
Start with the sign rule. Two negatives multiplied make a positive. Then use a number line for adding and subtracting. Do a few statements at a time and come back to the rest another day.
- Is it free?
Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers, sisters or revision, and you need only paper and a pencil.
- Can teachers use it in class?
Yes. It works as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing, and page 2 has support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.
- Do I need to print in colour?
No. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper. Print both pages, and keep page 2 for the grown up until the child has finished.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.