The combined cost of the bananas, bread, and milk was 12 + 9 + 7 = $28. The difference between this and the total is the cost of the apples, which must have therefore cost Olivia 42 – 28 = $14.
The answer: 14
Reverse engineering the question: The total cost of Olivia’s groceries was $42. The bananas cost her $12, the bread cost her $9, and the milk cost her $7. The only other groceries she bought were apples. In dollars, how much money did the apples cost her?

The total cost of the green and red lettuce is $8 + $6 = $14. Julie bought $14 / $2 = 7 pounds of lettuce.
The answer: 7
Reverse engineering the question: Julie is making caesar salad for a family picnic. At the market, she spends $8 on green lettuce and $6 on red lettuce. If each type of lettuce costs $2 per pound, how many total pounds of lettuce did she buy?

Every week Carl needs to drive additional 6 hours, so in two weeks that would make 2 * 6 = 12 additional hours. Two weeks of driving 2 hours every day, means 14 * 2 = 28 hours of driving. So during two weeks, Carl will drive 28 + 12 = 40 hours.
The answer: 40
Reverse engineering the question: To make a living, Carl needs to drive a car for 2 hours every day. After he got promoted he needs to drive for 6 more hours every week. How many hours will Carl drive in two weeks?

He buys a plain croissant for $3.50 and an almond croissant for $5.50 for a total of $3.50 + $5.50 = $9.00 on pastries per weekend. In one year, which is 52 weeks, he spends 52 * $9 = $468.00 on pastries.
The answer: 468
Reverse engineering the question:
Harrison buys a regular croissant on Saturdays for $3.50 and an almond croissant for $5.50 on Sundays. How much does he spend on croissants in a year?