Question: Tim buys a book of esoteric words. He learns 10 words from it a day. In 2 years the book has increased the number of words he knows by 50%. How many words did he know originally?
Answer: In 2 years there are 365 * 2 = 730 days. So he has learned 730 * 10 = 7300 words. He knew 1 / .5 = 2 times that number of words before the book. So he knew 7300 * 2 = 14600 words before. The answer is 14600.

Question: One set of barrettes costs $3 each, and one comb costs $1 each. Kristine buys one set of barrettes and one comb. Crystal buys three sets of barrettes and one comb. How much do the two girls spend altogether?
Answer: Kristine spends $3 + $1 = $4. Three sets of barrettes cost 3 x $3 = $9. Crystal spends $9 + $1 = $10. Therefore, the two girls spend $4 + $10 = $14. The answer is 14.

Question: Jeanne wants to ride the Ferris wheel, the roller coaster, and the bumper cars. The Ferris wheel costs 5 tickets, the roller coaster costs 4 tickets and the bumper cars cost 4 tickets. Jeanne has 5 tickets. How many more tickets should Jeanne buy?
Answer: The total number of tickets needed is 5 tickets + 4 tickets + 4 tickets = 13 tickets. Jeanne needs 13 tickets - 5 tickets = 8 tickets. The answer is 8.

Question: Gordon owns 3 restaurants, his first restaurant serves 20 meals, his second restaurant serves 40 meals, and his third restaurant serves 50 meals per day. How many meals do his 3 restaurants serve per week?
Answer:
Gordon serves 20 x 7 = 140 meals in his first restaurant per week. He serves 40 x 7 = 280 meals in his second restaurant per week. At the third restaurant, he serves 50 x 7 = 350 meals per week. Therefore, he serves 140 + 280 + 350 = 770 meals in total per week. The answer is 770.