Q: To get ready for the new school year, Mary brought her two kids shopping. She bought her son James, a coat for $40 and two pairs of jeans. She bought his sister Jamie, a pair of shoes for $30. The total cost of the items was $110. If the two pairs of jeans for James cost the same price, how much did one pair of jeans cost?
A: The total spent on both pairs of jeans was $110 - $40 - $30 = $40. One pair of jeans would cost $40 / 2 = $20. The answer is 20.

Q: Carla's brush is 12 inches long. If Carmen's brush is 50% longer than Carla's brush, how long is Carmen's brush in centimeters? (There are 2.5 centimeters per inch.)
A: First find the length of Carmen's brush in inches: 150% * 12 inches = 18 inches. Then convert the length from inches to centimeters: 18 inches * 2.5 centimeters / inch = 45 centimeters. The answer is 45.

Q: Mary used 15 gallons of fuel this week. Last week she used 20% less. How much fuel did she use in total for the two weeks?
A:
Last week, she used 15 gallons * 0.2 = 3 gallons less fuel than she used this week. This means that she used 15 gallons – 3 gallons = 12 gallons of fuel last week. In total, Mary used 15 gallons + 12 gallons = 27 gallons of fuel. The answer is 27.