为你解答.
5000 people lived in the town in the past. （对画线5000提问）
(How many) people lived in the town in the past?
过去有多少人住在这个小镇上?
解释：这是对数量提问.为什么不用How many people did live in the town in the past?助动词did的作用是帮助构成疑问语序，但这里疑问词就是主语，语序和陈述句相同。不必加did。