[Question]Alex has some new shirts. Joe has 3 more new shirts than Alex. Ben has eight more new shirts than Joe. If Ben has 15 new shirts, how many new shirts does Alex have?
[Answer]Joe has 15 - 8 = 7 new shirts. Alex has 7 - 3 = 4 new shirts. The answer is 4.

[Question]Akeno spent $2985 to furnish his apartment. Lev spent one-third of that amount on his apartment and Ambrocio spent $177 less than Lev. How many dollars more did Akeno spend than the other 2 people combined?
[Answer]Lev = (1 / 3) * 2985 = $995. Ambrocio = 995 - 177 = $818. 2985 - (995 + 818) = $1172. Akeno spent $1172 more than Lev and Ambrocio combined. The answer is 1172.

[Question]Bridget counted 14 shooting stars in the night sky. Reginald counted two fewer shooting stars than did Bridget, but Sam counted four more shooting stars than did Reginald. How many more shooting stars did Sam count in the night sky than was the average number of shooting stars observed for the three of them?
[Answer]Reginald counted two fewer shooting stars than did Bridget, or a total of 14 - 2 = 12 shooting stars. Sam counted 4 more shooting stars than did Reginald, or a total of 12 + 4 = 16 shooting stars. The average number of shooting stars observed for the three of them was (14 + 12 + 16) / 3 = 14 shooting stars. Thus, Sam counted 16 - 14 = 2 more shooting stars than was the average number of shooting stars observed for the three of them. The answer is 2.

[Question]Mandy started reading books with only 8 pages when she was 6 years old. By the time she was twice that age, she was reading books 5 times longer, and 8 years later, she was reading books 3 times longer than that. Presently, she reads books that are 4 times the previous length. How many pages do the books she reads now have?
[Answer]
Twice the age of 6 is 6 x 2 = 12 years old. At 12 years old, Mandy was reading books 5 x 8 = 40 pages long. 8 years later, Mandy was 12 + 8 = 20 years old. At 20 years old, Mandy was reading books 3 x 40 = 120 pages long. Presently, she reads books that are 120 x 4 = 480 pages long. The answer is 480.