Question: Three cats sat on a fence, meowing at the moon. The first cat meowed 3 times per minute. The second cat meowed twice as frequently as the first cat. And the third cat meowed at one-third the frequency of the second cat. What is the combined total number of meows the three cats make in 5 minutes?
Answer with step-by-step thinking: The second cat meowed twice as frequently as the three meows per minute from the first cat, for a total of 2 * 3 = 6 meows per minute. The third cat meowed at one - third the frequency of the second cat, for a total of 6 / 3 = 2 meows per minute. Thus, combined, the three cats meow 3 + 6 + 2 = 11 times per minute. In five minutes, the three cats meow 5 * 11 = 55 times.
So the answer is 55.

Question: John writes 3 stories every week. Each short story is 50 pages. He also writes a novel that is 1200 pages each year. Each sheet of paper can hold 2 pages. Over 12 weeks, how many reams of paper does he need to buy if a ream contains 500 sheets?
Answer with step-by-step thinking: He writes 3 * 50 = 150 pages a week. That means he writes 150 * 52 = 7800 pages of short stories a year. So he writes 7800 + 1200 = 9000 pages a year. So he needs 9000 / 2 = 4500 sheets of paper. That means he needs 4500 / 500 = 9 reams of paper.
So the answer is 3.

Question: Tom's fruit bowl contains 3 oranges and 6 lemons. After Tom eats 3 of the fruits, how many fruits remain in Tom's fruit bowl?
Answer with step-by-step thinking:
Tom's fruit bowl contains 3 + 6 = 9 fruits. After Tom eats 3 fruits, 9 - 3 = 6 fruits remain in the bowl.
So the answer is 6.