Measuring Length: practice solutions, Grade 1 – download the PDF

1 Longer or shorter? ★★★

Compare the numbers: \(5 \gt 3\).

1. The red ribbon is longer, because 5 cubes is more than 3 cubes.
2. The yellow ribbon is shorter.

2 Tallest plant ★★★

Look at the three numbers: 9, 6, and 4.

1. 9 is the greatest number, so the sunflower is the tallest.
2. 4 is the smallest number, so the mint plant is the shortest.

3 Choose the word ★★★

1. A bus is longer than a bike.
2. A crayon stub is shorter than a new crayon.
3. A tree is taller than a flower.

4 True or false? ★★★

It is false. The pink strip is 3 cubes, the green strip is 4 cubes, and the blue strip is 6 cubes. Since \(6 \gt 4 \gt 3\), the blue strip is the longest.

5 Count the cubes ★★★

The cubes touch each other and there are no gaps. Count them: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

The crayon is 7 cubes long.

6 Find the shortest ★★★

The numbers are 8, 3, and 5. The smallest is 3 and the greatest is 8.

The worm is the shortest and the snake is the longest.

7 Jump ropes ★★★

1. \(11 \gt 8\), so Maya’s rope is longer.
2. \(11 - 8 = 3\). Maya’s rope is 3 paper clips longer.

8 Order from shortest to longest ★★★

The numbers are 7, 4, and 9. In order from least to greatest: 4, 7, 9.

The order is: hat band, scarf, belt.

9 Four sticks ★★★

1. From least to greatest: 2, 5, 6, 8. The sticks go in this order: 2 cubes, 5 cubes, 6 cubes, 8 cubes.
2. The longest stick is 8 cubes long.

10 Table and book ★★★

The yarn is as long as the table. The book is longer than the yarn.

So the book is longer than the table. The yarn helped us compare them.

11 Rope, bench, scooter ★★★

The rope and the bench have the same length. The scooter is shorter than the rope, so it is also shorter than the bench.

The scooter is shorter.

12 Measure the pencil ★★★

Count the cubes: there are 8. The pencil is 8 cubes long.

Yes, Nina did it right. The first cube starts at the end of the pencil, the cubes are end to end, and there are no gaps.

13 Find the mistake ★★★

Ben left gaps between the cubes. Because of the gaps, he used fewer cubes than he needed.

He should push the cubes together, end to end, from one end of the crayon to the other. Then he will count 6 cubes, so the crayon is 6 cubes long.

14 Big blocks, small blocks ★★★

The blocks are not the same size. Eli’s blocks are smaller, so he needs more of them to cover the shelf.

To compare, both kids must use the same unit.

15 Order four things ★★★

1. The pen is longer than the key, the key is longer than the eraser, and the eraser is longer than the comb. The pen is the longest.
2. From shortest to longest: comb, eraser, key, pen.

16 Scarf and glove ★★★

1. 12 is the greatest number, so the scarf is the longest.
2. \(12 - 3 = 9\). The scarf is 9 cubes longer than the glove.

17 The paper strip ★★★

The shelf is 4 cubes longer than the strip: \(9 + 4 = 13\). The shelf is 13 cubes long.

The desk matches the strip, so it is 9 cubes long. Since \(13 \gt 9\), the shelf is longer than the desk.

18 Zoe’s mistake ★★★

Zoe is wrong. The ribbons do not start at the same place. The red ribbon starts at the line and is 5 cubes long. The blue ribbon starts 2 cubes later and is only 4 cubes long.

\(5 \gt 4\), so the red ribbon is longer.

19 Measure your desk ★★★

Possible answer.

1. Put one shoe at the start of the desk, with the heel at the edge.
2. Put the next shoe right after it, toe to heel, with no gaps and no overlap.
3. Keep going to the other edge, then count the shoes. Say, “The desk is __ shoes long.”

20 Long jump ★★★

1. 10 is the greatest number, so Lia jumped the farthest.
2. 7, 8, 10: Kai, Omar, Lia.
3. \(10 - 7 = 3\). Lia’s jump was 3 cubes longer.

21 Same length? ★★★

Neither is longer. \(6 = 6\), so they have the same length.

Yes, objects can look different, for example one thick and one thin, and still have the same length.