Question: John and James decided to have a dance-off. John danced for 3 hours and then another 5 hours after taking a 1-hour break. James danced the whole time John was dancing and resting, and then another 1/3 times more hours. How long was their combined dancing time without including John's break time?
Answer with step-by-step thinking: John dances 3 + 5 = 8 hours. John's total time is 3 + 5 + 1 = 9 hours. James dances 9 / 3 = 3 hours longer than that. So James dances 9 + 3 = 12 hours. So the total dancing time is 8 + 12 = 20 hours.
So the answer is 20.


Question: To let Ruth know how long her fish will live, her father tells her that well-cared fish can live 2 years longer than dogs live. On average, dogs live 4 times as long as hamsters live. And hamsters live an average of 2.5 years. How long can a fish live?
Answer with step-by-step thinking: Knowing that dogs live 4 times the age of hamsters, dogs live 4 * 2.5 = 10 years. If Ruth takes care of the fish, it can live 10 + 2 = 12 years.
So the answer is 12.


Question: John volunteers at a shelter twice a month for 3 hours at a time. How many hours does he volunteer per year?
Answer with step-by-step thinking:

Show your work and conclude with the exact phrasing "Therefore, the final answer is [answer]." where [answer] is just the final number or expression that solves the problem.
user
He volunteers 2 * 12 = 24 times a year. So he volunteers for 24 * 3 = 72 hours.
So the answer is 72.