Read the word problem until you understand exactly what it is asking you to do. For example: "Shelly is opening a lemonade stand. She will sell both lemonade and limeade and will allow customers to add one flavor to the juice for an extra 50 cents. The extra flavors she has for sale are raspberry, cherry and iced tea. How many drink options does a customer have to choose from?" The word problem is asking you for the total number of options Shelly's customer has.
Write the first two options at the start of the organized list. The primary options a customer has are lemonade or limeade. Write the word "lemonade" on the first line of the paper and the word "limeade" five lines below it.
Write the flavor options next to the words "lemonade" and "limeade" to help you determine the total number of options a customer has. Write "cherry," "raspberry" and "iced tea" on the three lines next to "lemonade." Since a customer can also order a plain lemonade with no flavor added, write the word "plain" on the fourth line. Write those same four options, "cherry," "raspberry," "iced tea" and "plain" next to limeade.
Draw a line connecting the words "lemonade" and "limeade" to the flavor options to help you better visualize the options.
Count the number of options. You should end up with eight because Shelly's customer has four lemonade options and four limeade options to choose from .
Check your solution for accuracy. There are two juice options and four flavor options, and 2 x 4 = 8, so you have solved the problem correctly.