Question

Wilbur sold half of his comic books and then bought 14 more. He now has 24. With how many did he begin?

Answer 1

24-14=10 that's the half, so he began with 2*10=20

Answer 2

You have to work backwards to solve this. Take 24 and subtract 14. Then take your answer and multiply it by 2. Your answer is 20.