  Solving algebraic word problems requires executing a series of arithmetic
operations---a program---to obtain a final answer. However, since programs can
be arbitrarily complicated, inducing them directly from question-answer pairs
is a formidable challenge. To make this task more feasible, we solve these
problems by generating answer rationales, sequences of natural language and
human-readable mathematical expressions that derive the final answer through a
series of small steps. Although rationales do not explicitly specify programs,
they provide a scaffolding for their structure via intermediate milestones. To
evaluate our approach, we have created a new 100,000-sample dataset of
questions, answers and rationales. Experimental results show that indirect
supervision of program learning via answer rationales is a promising strategy
for inducing arithmetic programs.
