Start with the meaning
NCERT connection: Grade 6 Ganita Prakash, “The Other Side of Zero”. These are independent BananaLearn notes and original practice, not official NCERT material or a complete set of textbook exercise solutions. Match the chapter name to the book used by your school. Begin with counting forward and backward on a whole-number line. This page covers ordering and simple addition and subtraction, not multiplication of signed numbers.
Use zero as a reference point
Integers include zero, positive whole numbers and their negatives. On a horizontal number line, values increase to the right. A number farther right is greater, even when both numbers are negative.
The number −2 lies to the right of −6, so −2 > −6. Their distances from zero are two and six units. Distance is nonnegative; position can be negative.
Separate position from change
If the starting temperature is −3°C and it rises by five degrees, start at −3 and move five units right. You pass through zero and finish at 2°C. The change is +5°C and the final temperature is 2°C.
Use one word for the starting value and another for the movement. A fall of four degrees from 2°C is a change of −4°C and ends at −2°C. Do not confuse the size of the fall with the final reading.
Make subtraction a movement or a difference
For 2 − 5, begin at 2 and move five units left to reach −3. For the distance between −4 and 3, count seven intervals across zero. The distance is seven units, not −7.
When comparing temperatures, name the warmer and colder reading first. The increase from −4°C to 3°C is 3 − (−4) = 7°C. For early practice, counting intervals is a valid way to establish the result.
Use a consistent real-world reference
Floor zero can represent ground level; positive floors are above it and negative floors below it. Going from floor −2 up five floors lands on floor 3. The labels depend on the reference you chose.
In a game with gains and losses, distinguish the current score from the points gained on a turn. A negative score is a position below zero; it does not automatically tell you what happened on the latest turn.
Worked examples, step by step
Example 1: Order −5, 2, −1 and 0
- Locate the four values on a number line.
- Read from left to right for increasing order.
- The order is −5 < −1 < 0 < 2.
Example 2: A score of −7 increases by ten
- Start at −7. Seven points bring the score to zero.
- Three points remain from the increase of ten.
- The final score is 3; check −7 + 10 = 3.
Example 3: Find the distance from −3 to 5
- From −3 to zero is three intervals.
- From zero to five is five more intervals.
- The distance is 3 + 5 = 8 units. It is not a negative distance.
Common mistakes and useful repairs
Saying −8 is warmer than −3 because eight is larger
Locate both readings. −3 is farther right and therefore the higher temperature. Compare the signed readings, not the digits alone.
Counting points instead of gaps
From −1 to 1 you see three labelled points but travel two unit intervals. Count the spaces you cross.
Try before revealing
Quick understanding check
Read the check answers
−7. −7 is farthest left of these three values.
2. Four units reach zero and two more reach 2.
Grade 6 The Other Side of Zero: integers and number-line practice — practice sheet
Work on paper before opening an answer. Print this question sheet with or without a separate worked key; no account is needed.
Name: ____________________ Date: __________
Which is greater: −4 or −9?
Show answer and reasoning
−4. It lies to the right of −9.
Calculate −6 + 8 using a number line.
Show answer and reasoning
2. Six steps reach zero; two more reach 2.
Calculate 3 − 7.
Show answer and reasoning
−4. Move seven intervals left from 3.
A temperature of −2°C falls by 5°C. What is the new reading?
Show answer and reasoning
−7°C. A fall moves left: −2 − 5 = −7.
A lift starts at floor −3 and goes up six floors. Where does it finish?
Show answer and reasoning
Floor 3. −3 + 6 = 3.
What is the distance between −5 and 2?
Show answer and reasoning
7 units. Five units to zero and two beyond zero make seven.
What is the opposite of −12?
Show answer and reasoning
12. The opposite is the same distance from zero on the other side.
Write an integer strictly between −4 and −2.
Show answer and reasoning
−3. It is greater than −4 and smaller than −2.
Grade 6 The Other Side of Zero: integers and number-line practice — worked answer key
−4. It lies to the right of −9.
2. Six steps reach zero; two more reach 2.
−4. Move seven intervals left from 3.
−7°C. A fall moves left: −2 − 5 = −7.
Floor 3. −3 + 6 = 3.
7 units. Five units to zero and two beyond zero make seven.
12. The opposite is the same distance from zero on the other side.
−3. It is greater than −4 and smaller than −2.
Choose the next practice step
Use the questions in this guide to practise this specific skill. If you need another explanation, return to Negative numbers on a number line before trying a fresh problem.
Help at home: Make a floor-number line
Draw floors −4 to 4 with zero clearly labelled. Take turns giving a start and a movement, such as “floor −2, up three”. Ask your child to point to the start before moving.
If they answer with the movement instead of the final floor, use two counters: one marks the start and another moves. Keep distance questions separate from position questions.
Keep one example of your child’s own working. If the same confusion returns across fresh questions, share that attempt with their teacher and ask which next step fits their current learning.
Questions students and parents ask
Are these NCERT exercise solutions?
No. These are original questions with worked answers that support the named topic. Use the official textbook link for the book itself. Exercise numbers and school sequences can differ between editions.
How should a parent use the practice?
Ask for one independent attempt before revealing an answer. Notice whether the difficulty is reading the question, representing the idea or calculating. Revisit the matching example, then try a fresh question rather than copying the worked answer.
About this resource
BananaLearn created these explanations, diagrams and practice questions. They are not reproduced textbook or past-exam questions. School sequences differ; use the prerequisites to choose a starting point. Read how we prepare learning guides.
Curriculum and teaching references used to check scope:
Bring the sticking point to a teacher
For 1-on-1 support, bring one question your child found difficult to a free 50-minute session. Tell us their grade, curriculum and time zone so we can discuss a suitable next step.
Request a free session