The Golden Trophy Mystery
The stadium was buzzing with excitement and loud vuvuzelas when suddenly the golden World Cup Trophy vanished from the referee's locker room! The thief is one of the star tournament players who slipped away during halftime.
Possible suspects
Cross off a row as each clue rules it out. On screen, tap a row.
| Name | Soccer Skill | Signature Gear | Player Type | Dreadlock Style | Distraction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chloe | teleport dribble | sparkly headband | boy player | beaded dreadlocks | squeaky whistle |
| Ben | cannonball shot | glowing socks | boy player | neon dreadlocks | loud vuvuzela |
| Kai | teleport dribble | neon wristband | girl player | neon dreadlocks | squeaky whistle |
| Amelia | teleport dribble | neon wristband | boy player | short dreadlocks | loud vuvuzela |
| Sofia | cannonball shot | lucky whistle | boy player | short dreadlocks | loud vuvuzela |
| Lily | cannonball shot | lucky whistle | boy player | beaded dreadlocks | loud vuvuzela |
| Toby | super speed kickoff | lucky whistle | girl player | short dreadlocks | squeaky whistle |
| Max | magnetic glove save | glowing socks | girl player | neon dreadlocks | wet muddy patch |
| Jack | magnetic glove save | golden cleats | boy player | short dreadlocks | loud vuvuzela |
| Ava | backflip header | glowing socks | boy player | short dreadlocks | loud vuvuzela |
| Harper | cannonball shot | neon wristband | boy player | neon dreadlocks | loud vuvuzela |
| Nora | super speed kickoff | glowing socks | boy player | short dreadlocks | loud vuvuzela |
| Sam | super speed kickoff | neon wristband | girl player | neon dreadlocks | wet muddy patch |
| Ethan | super speed kickoff | sparkly headband | boy player | short dreadlocks | squeaky whistle |
| Ruby | backflip header | lucky whistle | boy player | short dreadlocks | loud vuvuzela |
| Lucas | backflip header | neon wristband | girl player | short dreadlocks | loud vuvuzela |
| Oliver | backflip header | lucky whistle | girl player | beaded dreadlocks | wet muddy patch |
| Zoe | cannonball shot | neon wristband | girl player | short dreadlocks | loud vuvuzela |
| Mason | super speed kickoff | sparkly headband | boy player | beaded dreadlocks | loud vuvuzela |
| Evelyn | super speed kickoff | lucky whistle | boy player | beaded dreadlocks | squeaky whistle |
| Ella | magnetic glove save | neon wristband | boy player | short dreadlocks | squeaky whistle |
Rounding
The stadium security guard checked the turnstile counter. The screen only displays numbers rounded to the nearest hundred. The guard estimated the crowd size to find the first clue.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Addition
To find the next clue, we helped the snack stand crew tally up all the juice boxes and sports drinks sold during halftime. Adding the totals together revealed a secret note left under the counter.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Subtraction
The team captain noticed some shiny keychains were missing from the gift shop. By subtracting the remaining keychains from the starting inventory, she figured out exactly how many the thief took.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Multiplication facts (1-12)
The referee looked at the rows of soccer ball racks lined up in the equipment room. By multiplying the number of rows by the balls in each row, we unlocked a safe containing a hidden message.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Division facts (1-12) — the last clue
A group of young fans wanted to share a bag of colorful vuvuzelas equally. When they divided the toys among themselves, the leftover vuvuzela had the final clue taped inside its horn.
First solve each problem. Then find each answer in the list below and cross that sentence out. One sentence will be left — that's exactly what the villain did!
Name the culprit
Choose the one suspect left standing.
Answer Key — The Golden Trophy Mystery
- Clue 1 (Rounding): "THE THIEF DOES NOT OWN A LUCKY WHISTLE"Round 69 to the nearest ten = 70 (T) · Round 281,387 to the nearest ten thousand = 280000 (W) · Round 3,344 to the nearest thousand = 3000 (K) · Round 4,673,895 to the nearest hundred thousand = 4700000 (A) · Round 451 to the nearest hundred = 500 (S) · Round 30,964 to the nearest thousand = 31000 (N) · Round 710 to the nearest hundred = 700 (D) · Round 312,946 to the nearest ten thousand = 310000 (F) · Round 1,415,325 to the nearest hundred thousand = 1400000 (E) · Round 13,614 to the nearest thousand = 14000 (U) · Round 203,424 to the nearest hundred thousand = 200000 (C) · Round 3,087,394 to the nearest hundred thousand = 3100000 (O) · Round 68,297 to the nearest ten thousand = 70000 (Y) · Round 681,485 to the nearest hundred thousand = 700000 (H) · Round 28,157 to the nearest thousand = 28000 (I) · Round 277 to the nearest ten = 280 (L)
- Clue 2 (Addition): "A BOY PLAYER RAN FROM THE LOCKER ROOM"2987 + 6035 = 9022 (A) · 1246 + 889 = 2135 (N) · 2768 + 3233 = 6001 (Y) · 3955 + 3703 = 7658 (F) · 1960 + 3035 = 4995 (H) · 2258 + 3043 = 5301 (M) · 4108 + 2009 = 6117 (P) · 2732 + 1480 = 4212 (C) · 1406 + 635 = 2041 (B) · 3642 + 4901 = 8543 (K) · 989 + 1763 = 2752 (L) · 4027 + 5382 = 9409 (O) · 3430 + 3168 = 6598 (T) · 5950 + 3366 = 9316 (R) · 2956 + 6525 = 9481 (E)
- Clue 3 (Subtraction): "THE LOUD VUVUZELA TOTALLY DISTRACTED THEM"6081 - 299 = 5782 (T) · 7879 - 741 = 7138 (I) · 4003 - 2094 = 1909 (U) · 11925 - 4882 = 7043 (D) · 5872 - 3806 = 2066 (C) · 1991 - 212 = 1779 (A) · 6970 - 656 = 6314 (M) · 3132 - 488 = 2644 (E) · 9019 - 1539 = 7480 (V) · 9114 - 4299 = 4815 (O) · 10751 - 2523 = 8228 (S) · 10720 - 2167 = 8553 (Y) · 8948 - 3733 = 5215 (L) · 10593 - 2699 = 7894 (Z) · 8009 - 1064 = 6945 (H) · 5857 - 3642 = 2215 (R)
- Clue 4 (Multiplication facts (1-12)): "THE THIEF HAD VERY SHORT DREADLOCKS"8 × 4 = 32 (T) · 9 × 12 = 108 (Y) · 3 × 3 = 9 (K) · 7 × 10 = 70 (H) · 7 × 11 = 77 (O) · 6 × 8 = 48 (S) · 7 × 7 = 49 (D) · 8 × 8 = 64 (A) · 10 × 4 = 40 (L) · 9 × 7 = 63 (R) · 12 × 7 = 84 (F) · 5 × 5 = 25 (E) · 10 × 10 = 100 (I) · 10 × 12 = 120 (C) · 11 × 2 = 22 (V)
- Clue 5 (Division facts (1-12)): surviving statement (box 12) → Ava8 ÷ 2 = 4 · 24 ÷ 3 = 8 · 7 ÷ 1 = 7 · 6 ÷ 2 = 3 · 3 ÷ 3 = 1 · 70 ÷ 7 = 10 · 90 ÷ 10 = 9 · 35 ÷ 7 = 5 · 8 ÷ 4 = 2 · 99 ÷ 9 = 11 · 60 ÷ 10 = 6
About this mystery
- Grade level
- Grade 4 math
- Math topics
- Rounding, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division
- Reading level
- grades 3-4
- Theme
- The Golden Trophy Mystery — set in The Great Stadium during the Junior Soccer World Cup
- Format
- Interactive online & printable worksheet with answer key
- Solution
- One unique, verified culprit among 21 suspects