The Detective's Casebook
A free, printable Grade 6 multi-step word problem worksheet themed around murder mysteries. Each problem takes two or three steps to solve. Work them on screen or print the PDF — a teacher/parent answer key is included.
Show answer key (for grown-ups)
1.Detective Sterling is analyzing a blackmailer's coded ledger to find the suspect's real name. The ledger consists of 12 pages with 140 code characters each, and 3 pages containing 85 code characters each. How many characters in total must Sterling decode to reveal the killer's identity?1935
2.Dr. Aris is analyzing a poison dosage from a suspect's tea party. The victim drank 4 cups of tea, each laced with 45 milligrams of arsenic, and ate 3 poisoned biscuits, each containing 55 milligrams of arsenic. If the minimum lethal dose of arsenic is 300 milligrams, how many milligrams over the lethal dose did the victim ingest?45
3.Inspector Vance needs to purchase professional detective gear for his team of 8 investigators. Each fingerprinting kit costs $24, and each high-powered UV forensic flashlight costs $15. If Vance starts with a budget of $500, how many dollars will he have left after buying one kit and one flashlight for each of his 8 team members?188
4.Lord Blackwood claims he was away from the manor during the 9-hour window of the crime, from 3:00 PM until midnight. He claims he spent 4 hours dining at an inn and traveled 24 miles in his carriage at a constant speed of 8 miles per hour. How many hours remain completely unaccounted for in his alibi?2
5.A forensic investigator is analyzing a blackmail letter where the culprit cut out individual words from magazines. The culprit used 8 vintage detective magazines, each containing 120 pages. If the investigator excludes 15 advertising pages from each magazine, how many total pages are left to search for matching cutouts?840
6.A forensic chemist tests a suspicious teacup for a banned substance. The suspect added 6 drops of a concentrated poison containing 115 micrograms per drop, but the victim spilled some, reducing the poison amount by 130 micrograms. How many micrograms of poison remained in the teacup?560