Class 6 Maths Chapter 10 The Other Side of Zero – Extra Questions with Answers

Negative numbers enter the picture in Chapter 10 of Class 6 Maths, and these extra questions test that understanding with real-world scenarios such as a submarine’s depth below sea level.

Last Updated: September 23, 2026

Very Short Answer Questions (1 mark)

Q1. What is the additive inverse of –7?
Ans: +7.

Q2. Which is greater: –4 or –9?
Ans: –4 (it is closer to zero).

Q3. Simplify: 8 – (–5).
Ans: 8 + 5 = 13.

Q4. Is zero a positive or a negative integer?
Ans: Neither — zero is neutral.

Q5. What is (–6) + (+6)?
Ans: 0 (a number and its additive inverse always sum to zero).

Short Answer Questions (2–3 marks)

Q6. A submarine is at a depth of 250 m below sea level, then rises 90 m. Represent this using integers and find its new position.
Ans: Starting position = –250 m. Rising 90 m means adding +90: (–250) + (+90) = –160 m. The submarine is now 160 m below sea level.

Q7. Explain why –10 – 20 = –30 and not –10.
Ans: –10 – 20 means (–10) + (–20), since subtracting a positive number is the same as adding its negative. Combining these gives –30. A common mistake is to only consider the first number’s sign and ignore that subtracting a positive moves further in the negative direction.

Q8. A bank account has a balance of ₹150. After a debit of ₹300, what is the new balance? Explain what a negative balance means in real life.
Ans: (+150) + (–300) = –150. The new balance is –₹150, meaning the account holder owes the bank ₹150 — more was withdrawn than was available.

Q9. Using the token model, explain how to compute (–5) – (–7).
Ans: Start with 5 negative tokens. To subtract –7, we need to remove 7 negative tokens, but only 5 are available, so add 2 zero pairs (2 positive + 2 negative tokens), giving 7 negative and 2 positive tokens. Remove 7 negative tokens, leaving 2 positive tokens: the answer is +2.

Q10. Order the following integers from smallest to largest: –5, 3, 0, –8, 6, –1.
Ans: –8, –5, –1, 0, 3, 6.

Higher-Order Thinking / Application Questions

Q11. Leh recorded a temperature of –6°C at 6 a.m. and –12°C at midnight. Which reading is colder, and by how many degrees?
Ans: –12°C is colder, since it is further from zero on the negative side. The difference is (–6) – (–12) = (–6) + (+12) = 6, so midnight is 6°C colder than 6 a.m.

Q12. A student says, “There must be a smallest integer, because numbers can’t go on forever.” Do you agree? Explain using the Building of Fun model.
Ans: No. Just as the lift in the Building of Fun can keep going up floor after floor without end (no largest positive integer), it can also keep going down basement after basement without end — there is no smallest (most negative) integer. Integers extend infinitely in both directions.

Q13. Without directly computing, explain whether (–15) + (+20) will be positive or negative, and why.
Ans: Positive. Since +20 has a greater distance from zero than –15, adding them moves further into positive territory than the negative pulls back — the net movement ends above zero, at +5.

Frequently Asked Questions

If the temperature is 5 degrees below zero and it rises by 8 degrees, what is the new temperature?
Starting at negative 5 degrees and adding a rise of 8 degrees gives negative 5 plus 8, which equals positive 3 degrees, since adding a positive value moves it further right on the number line.

Why is negative 3 considered greater than negative 7 on a number line, even though 7 is a larger number than 3?
On a number line, values increase from left to right, and since negative 3 lies to the right of negative 7, it represents a greater value.

Written by Satish

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