Paul had an equal number of cream biscuits, vanila biscuits and butter biscuits. After he ate 31 cream biscuits, some vanila biscuits and butter biscuits, there were 56 biscuits left. The number of vanila biscuits he ate was twice the number of butter biscuits he ate. The number of vanila biscuits left was 19 more than the number of cream biscuits left. How many cream biscuits were there at first?

	Cream biscuits	Vanila biscuits	Butter biscuits	Total biscuits
Before	1 p + 31	1 p + 2 u + 19	1 p + 2 u + 19
Change	- 31	- 2 u	- 1 u
After	1 p	1 p + 19	1 p + 19 + 1 u	56

Number of vanila biscuits and cream biscuits was equal at first.

1 p + 2 u + 19 = 1 p + 31
2 u = 31 - 19
2 u = 12

1 u = 12 ÷ 2 = 6

Total number of biscuits in the end
= 1 p + 1 p + 19 + 1 p + 19 + 6
= 1 p + 1 p + 1 p + 19 + 19 + 6
= 3 p + 44

3 p + 44 = 56
3 p = 56 - 44
3 p = 12

1 p = 12 ÷ 3 = 4

Number of cream biscuits at first
= 1 p + 31
= 4 + 31
= 35

Answer(s): 35