The Equation Is a Step, Not the Ask

You'll learnto hand back the exact quantity asked, not a correct intermediate value.

The algebra is usually the easy part; the points leak at the very end, when a correct intermediate value gets reported instead of the exact quantity the item named. The fix is one habit: underline what is asked before you solve.

8 STEPS · 6 QUICK CHECKS · underline the ask · finish the last step · v2

solve → then read the ask

Before you start

What you're looking at

A worked solve of 3x + 5 = 26 down to x = 7, with the ask 2x = 14 flagged, beside a discipline card.

The question

Once you have solved for x, is x actually the quantity the item asked for?

Watch for

Watch a correct x = 7 fall one step short when the item asks for 2x.

What the symbols mean

The left panel is the solve, x = 7 highlighted as a step; 2x = 14 is the actual ask.

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