Short Story

Short Story – Level 1 – Medium

Belt Tags at the Dojo

At the martial arts class, Alice lined everyone up and handed out coloured belt tags for a cheerful attendance challenge. Grayson and Jacob held the box while Florence read out the names.

Alice smiled. “We’ve got 72 tags altogether. Every student gets the same number of tags today.”

Florence counted heads. “There are 18 students in class.”

Grayson frowned at the label. “It says there are x tags in each student’s set.”

Jacob nodded. “That makes sense. If each student gets x tags, then 18 sets use up all 72 tags.”

Alice clapped once. “Perfect! Once we know x, we can pack the next class’s box properly. Keep your tags safe and place them neatly by your training spot.”

The class bowed politely, and Florence tucked the clipboard under her arm, ready to write the number in big clear letters for next week.

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Additional instructions for Short Story (Level 1, Medium)

Short Story – Medium

Spot the structure: many Medium short stories hide a “comparison” (A equals B + C, or two of one equals one of another).

Practical approach:

  • Write the relationship as an equation (e.g. 2m = c + k).
  • If there’s a second clue, write a second equation.
  • Solve using whichever is easiest: substitution, balancing, or trial with logic.

Tip: if you’re trialling values, pick small sensible numbers first and adjust.

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