A football team gained 12 yards on one play, lost 40 yards on another, and gained 34 yards on the last play of the first half. They had already gained 345 already during the half. What was the total yardage gain for the first half?

345 + 12 - 40 + 34 = ?

351 To find the total yardage gain for the first half, you need to add up the yardage gained on each play.

First, let's calculate the cumulative yardage gained on the first three plays. The team gained 12 yards on the first play, lost 40 yards on the second play, and gained 34 yards on the third play.

To get the cumulative yardage gain, sum up these three values:
12 + (-40) + 34

Adding these values together, we get:
12 - 40 + 34 = 6

Therefore, the cumulative yardage gain after the first three plays is 6 yards.

Next, we need to consider the yardage gained before these three plays. The problem states that the team had already gained 345 yards at this point.

Adding the yardage gained before these three plays (345) to the cumulative yardage gain after the first three plays (6), we get:
345 + 6 = 351

Therefore, the total yardage gain for the first half is 351 yards.