Q: As soon as you enter the taxi, you pay a ride fee of $2. Michelle rode a taxi from her office to her home, which constitutes 4 miles. If the taxi charge per mile is $2.5, how much did pay Michelle pay in total for her ride?
A: The taxi charge for a distance of 4 miles is 4 x $2.5 = $10. The total amount that Michelle paid for the ride was $2 + $10 = $12. The answer is 12.

Q: Jordan's dog, Max, was born on the same day that Luka turned 4 years old. Luka is exactly 2 years older than is Aubrey. On Aubrey's 8th birthday, how many years old was Jordan's dog, Max?
A: If Luka is exactly 2 years older than is Aubrey, then on Aubrey's 8th birthday, Luka was 8 + 2 = 10 years old. If Jordan's dog, Max, was born on the same day that Luka turned 4 years old, then when Luka was 10 years old, Max was 10 - 4 = 6 years old. The answer is 6.

Q: If Brooke adds eight balloons to his current 12, and Tracy adds 24 to her current 6, how many balloons will they have in total if Tracy pops half of her balloons?
A:
When Brooke gets twelve more balloons, his total becomes 12 + 8 = 20. When Tracy adds 24 more balloons to her 6, her total number of balloons becomes 24 + 6 = 30. When half of Tracy's balloons pop, she remains with 1 / 2 * 30 = 15. The combined total balloons for the two is 15 + 20 = 35 balloons. The answer is 35.