What does the left digit '1' in the numeral 14 represent?
AThe number one — the same as a standalone 1
BA group of ten
CA placeholder that adds no value
DThe position of 14 in the counting sequence
In 14, the '1' on the left is in the tens place and stands for one group of ten. This is the core place-value idea introduced by the teen numbers. A standalone '1' means one unit; the '1' in a two-digit number means ten units. Options A and C both reflect the misconception that all 1s are equal regardless of position.
Question 2 Multiple Choice
A child counts out 16 objects correctly, then writes '61' on their paper. What most likely caused this error?
AThey forgot how to write the digit 1
BThey wrote the digit they heard first — the 'six' in 'six-teen' — and put it before the 1
CThey confused 16 with 61 because both digits add up to 7
DThey have not yet learned any numbers above 10
Teen number names are said with the ones digit first ('six-teen'), but written with the tens digit (1) first. This mismatch is the most common source of reversal errors. The child knows what 16 means and can count correctly — the error is in translating the spoken name to the written symbol without remembering that every teen number starts with a 1.
Question 3 True / False
In the numeral 17, the digit '7' stands for seven tens.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: False
In 17, the left digit '1' stands for one ten (10), and the right digit '7' stands for seven ones (7). Together: 10 + 7 = 17. Only the left digit represents a group of ten; the right digit represents individual units. Seven tens would be 70 — a completely different number.
Question 4 True / False
Every number from 11 to 19 starts with the digit 1 on the left because each of those numbers contains exactly one group of ten.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: True
Each teen number from 11 to 19 is made of one complete group of ten plus some ones (1 to 9). Because there is always exactly one ten, the tens digit is always 1. This is why 'start with a 1' is a reliable rule for writing any teen number.
Question 5 Short Answer
Why do children often write '41' when they mean '14,' and what strategy helps prevent this mistake?
Think about your answer, then reveal below.
Model answer: Children write '41' instead of '14' because the word 'fourteen' sounds like 'four-teen' — the four sound comes before the teen sound. But teen numbers are written with the 1 first (tens place), then the ones digit. The strategy is to remember: every teen number starts with a 1, because every teen number contains a ten. Write the 1 first, then add the ones digit you hear.
The spoken name and the written form are in opposite orders for teen numbers, which is genuinely confusing and not the child's fault. Explicit teaching of the rule 'write the 1 first' gives children a reliable anchor to override the pull of the spoken sound. Eleven and twelve are special cases because their names don't transparently announce the ones digit.