...Another is to present a simpler problem with the same concept, such as posing 1/3 + 1/4 to a student who answers 7/12 + 4/5 = 11/17. Yet another is to consider an extreme case. It may not be obvious that a triangle cannot have lengths 17, 15, and 33, but it is when you consider 1, 3, and 10. (read more)