Answer the following question.
Jerry bought 48 firecrackers for the 4th of July. A police officer discovered and confiscated 12 of them. 1/6 of the remaining ones were defective. If Jerry set off half the good firecrackers, how many firecrackers did he set off?
Step-by-step reasoning process: First subtract the 12 confiscated firecrackers from the original number: 48 firecrackers - 12 firecrackers = 36 firecrackers. Then multiply this number by 1 / 6 to find how many were defective: 36 firecrackers * 1 / 6 = 6 firecrackers. Then subtract the defective firecrackers to find how many were good: 36 firecrackers - 6 firecrackers = 30 firecrackers. Then divide this number in half to find how many firecrackers Jerry set off: 30 firecrackers / 2 = 15 firecrackers.
The answer is 15.

Answer the following question.
You can buy 4 apples or 1 watermelon for the same price. You bought 36 fruits evenly split between oranges, apples and watermelons, and the price of 1 orange is $0.50. How much does 1 apple cost if your total bill was $66?
Step-by-step reasoning process: If 36 fruits were evenly split between 3 types of fruits, then I bought 36 / 3 = 12 units of each fruit. If 1 orange costs $0.50 then 12 oranges will cost $0.50 * 12 = $6. If my total bill was $66 and I spent $6 on oranges then I spent $66 - $6 = $60 on the other 2 fruit types. Assuming the price of watermelon is W, and knowing that you can buy 4 apples for the same price and that the price of one apple is A, then 1W = 4A. If we know we bought 12 watermelons and 12 apples for $60, then we know that $60 = 12W + 12A. Knowing that 1W = 4A, then we can convert the above to $60 = 12(4A) + 12A. $60 = 48A + 12A. $60 = 60A. Then we know the price of one apple (A) is $60 / 60 = $1.
The answer is 1.

Answer the following question.
James has to refuel his plane. It used to cost $200 to refill the tank. He got an extra tank to double fuel capacity. Fuel prices also went up by 20%. How much does he pay now for fuel?
Step-by-step reasoning process: The cost to fill a tank went up 200 * .2 = $40. So it cost 200 + 40 = $240 to fill the tank. That means he now pays 240 * 2 = $480.
The answer is 480.

Answer the following question.
Tanya went to the grocery store to buy some fruit. She bought 6 pears, 4 Granny Smith apples, 2 pineapples, and a small basket of plums, which were all placed in a single paper bag. Unfortunately, the bag that the fruit had been placed in had developed a hole. Therefore, as Tanya walked home, half of the fruit fell out of the bag. When she later counted the fruit left in the bag, there were only 9 pieces remaining. How many plums did she buy?
Step-by-step reasoning process: If half of the fruit equals 9 pieces, then Tanya bought 2 * 9 = 18 pieces of fruit. Thus, Tanya bought 18 - 6 - 4 - 2 = 6 plums.
The answer is 6.