Questions: Skip Counting by 2s

Question 1

What number comes next in the sequence: 2, 4, 6, 8, ___?

• A. 9
• B. 10
• C. 11
• D. 12

Answer: (B)

Each number in the sequence is 2 more than the one before it. 8 + 2 = 10. Adding 1 instead of 2 gives 9, which is a common error when students lose track of the skip-counting pattern.

Question 2

If you skip count by 2s starting from 0, you will eventually land on the number 7.

• T. True
• F. False

Answer: False

Skip counting by 2s from 0 produces 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 ... — only even numbers. The number 7 is odd, so it never appears in this sequence. You can only land on 7 if you start from an odd number.

Question 3

What do all the numbers in the skip-counting-by-2s sequence (2, 4, 6, 8, 10...) have in common?

Model answer: They are all even numbers — numbers that can be split into two equal groups.

Skip counting by 2s starting from 0 or 2 always produces even numbers. This is because adding 2 to an even number always gives another even number. Recognizing this connection between skip counting and even numbers is the key insight of this topic.