Elephants, Tigers, and Leopards — Class 4 Mathematics (CBSE)

From the current NCERT Maths Mela Grade 4 book, Chapter 10. We count India's amazing animals — and practise adding and subtracting bigger numbers.

1. Why this chapter matters

Counting wildlife uses big numbers. Adding and subtracting three- and four-digit numbers, and reading data from a map or table, helps us understand the world and solve real problems with confidence.

2. Core ideas

Idea 1 — Add and subtract larger numbers

Line up thousands, hundreds, tens, ones and add or subtract column by column, regrouping when needed.

Method 2 — Read data from a map or table

Animal counts can be shown on a map of India by state. We read the number for each state to compare and calculate.

Skill 3 — Word problems: totals and differences

Total of two counts → add. How many more between two counts → subtract.

3. Worked examples

(Counts below are sample figures used in the chapter.)

Example 1: Karnataka has about 6049 elephants and Kerala about 3054. How many in all?

6049 + 3054 = 9103 elephants.

Example 2: How many more elephants does Karnataka have than Kerala?

6049 − 3054 = 2995 more.

Example 3: Assam has about 5719 elephants. How many fewer than Karnataka's 6049?

6049 − 5719 = 330 fewer.

4. Activity corner

Draw a simple table of three animals and a count for each (any numbers up to 9999). Then write one addition question and one subtraction question from your table, and answer them. Write:

• Your table of counts
• One total and one difference
• The maths idea (add for totals, subtract for differences)

5. Common mistakes

• Mistake: Not lining up the place values. Fix: Put thousands under thousands, hundreds under hundreds, and so on.
• Mistake: Forgetting to regroup (carry or borrow). Fix: Carry when a column makes ten or more; borrow when the top digit is smaller.
• Mistake: Reading the wrong number from the map. Fix: Match each count carefully to its state before calculating.

6. How to write better answers

1. Write the numbers, lined up by place.
2. Decide add or subtract from the words.
3. Regroup carefully and solve.
4. Check with an estimate and write the unit (animals).

7. Practice set

1. Add: 3245 + 1738.
2. Subtract: 5000 − 2764.
3. A forest has 1817 leopards and another 1131. How many in all?
4. How many more is 6049 than 3054?
5. Estimate 4980 + 2010 to the nearest thousand.
6. Round-check: is 5719 closer to 5000 or 6000?

8. Answer key

3. 1817 + 1131 = 2948.
4. 6049 − 3054 = 2995.
5. About 5000 + 2000 = 7000 (exact is 6990).
6. Closer to 6000.

9. Quick revision

• Add and subtract by lining up thousands, hundreds, tens, ones.
• Regroup (carry/borrow) when needed.
• Read animal counts from a map or table by state.
• Total → add; how many more → subtract.
• Estimate to check, and write the unit.