Q: Jason drives past 3 convenience stores on his way to work. The distance between the first store and the second store is 6 miles. The distance between the second store and third store is 2/3rds longer than the distance between the first two stores. The distance from his house to the first store and the last store to work is the same, 4 miles. How long in miles is Jason's commute to work?
A: First find the additional distance between the second store and the third store: 6 miles * 2 / 3 = 4 miles. Then add that to the distance between the first two stores to find the total distance between the second and third stores: 4 miles + 6 miles = 10 miles. Then add the distance between the first two stores, the distance from Jason's house to the first store, and the distance from the last store to work: 10 miles + 6 miles + 4 miles + 4 miles = 24 miles. The answer is 24.

Q: John's pool is 5 feet deeper than 2 times Sarah’s pool. If John’s pool is 15 feet deep, how deep is Sarah’s pool?
A: Let x be the number of feet in John’s pool. 2 * x + 5 = 15. 2x = 10. x = 5. The answer is 5.

Q: Charley bought 30 pencils. She lost 6 pencils while moving to school, and of course, also lost 1/3 of the remaining pencils because she wasn't very good at keeping track of pencils. How many pencils does she currently have?
A:
If Charley bought 30 pencils and lost 6 while moving, she remained with 30 - 6 = 24 pencils. Because she isn't good at keeping track of her pencils, Charley lost 1 / 3 * 24 = 8 more pencils. She currently has 24 - 8 = 16 pencils. The answer is 16.