[Question]Jeremy loves to play Scrabble. He once played a three-letter word on a triple word score to earn thirty points. If before the word score was tripled, the first and third letters were each valued at one point apiece, how much was the middle letter valued at before the word score was tripled?
[Answer]Since the word score after being tripled was 30 points, then the word score before tripling was 30 / 3 = 10 points. If before the word score was tripled, the first and third letters were each valued at one point apiece, then the value of the middle letter was 10 - 1 - 1 = 8 points. The answer is 8.
Q: On Monday a group of 7 children and 5 adults went to the zoo. On Tuesday a group of 4 children and 2 adults went as well. Child tickets cost $3, and adult tickets cost $4. How much money did the zoo make in total for both days?
A: The total amount of children that went on both days is 7 + 4 = 11. The cost of the children's tickets is 11 × $3 = $33. The total amount of adults that went on both days is 5 + 2 = 7. The cost of the adults' tickets is 7 × $4 = $28. The zoo made $33 + $28 = $61 in total. The answer is 61.
Question: For the summer, the clothing store has a 50% discount for all items. On Wednesdays, there is an additional $10.00 off on all jeans after the summer discount is applied. Before the sales tax applies, the cost of a pair of jeans is $14.50. How much was the original cost for the jeans before all the discounts?
Answer: Before the Wednesday discount, the cost of the jean is $14.50 + $10.00 = $24.50. Since the original price was reduced by 50%, the original cost for the jeans is $24.50 * 2 = $49.00. The answer is 49.
[Question]Estevan has 24 blankets. One-third of the blankets have polka-dots. For his birthday, his mother gives him 2 more polka-dot print blankets. How many polka-dot blankets does Estevan have in total?
[Answer]Before his birthday, Estevan has 24 / 3 = 8 polka - dot blankets. After his birthday, Estevan has 8 + 2 = 10 polka - dot blankets. The answer is 10.
Q: Mancino is tending 3 gardens that each measure 16 feet by 5 feet. His sister, Marquita, is tilling the soil for two gardens that each measure 8 feet by 4 feet. How many square feet combined are in all their gardens?
A: 3 * (16 * 5) = 240 square feet. 2 * (8 * 4) = 64 square feet. 240 + 64 = 304 square feet. The gardens have a total of 304 square feet. The answer is 304.
Question: Before he lost one, Policeman O'Brien had 5 more than twice as many hats as fire chief Simpson. If fire chief Simpson has 15 hats, how many hats does Policeman O'Brien now have?
Answer:

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.
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Twice as many hats as fire chief Simpson has is 2 * 15 = 30 hats. 5 more than 30 hats is 30 + 5 = 35 hats. One less than 35 hats is 35 - 1 = 34 hats. The answer is 34.