The very first step is for you to assign meaning to any variables.
In this case, the question asks, "How many tickets were sold in all", so that's a good place to start.
"Let x = the total number of tickets".
We know that they sold 10+14 tickets, and that was 32% of the total number of tickets
24 = x * 32/100
Now you have an equation you can solve. That equals sign is a mighty powerful thing. It lets us do just about anything we want, as long as we do it to both sides. Right now, x is tangled up with being multiplied by 32/100. To get rid of that, we divide by 32/100 to both sides. This is the same as multiplying by 100/32, to both sides.
24 * 100/32 = x * 32/100 * 100/32
The right-hand-side fractions cancel each other out.
2400/32 = x
simplify the left hand side a little
300/4 = x
then finish simplifying the left hand side.
75 = x = the total number of tickets
This is the answer they are looking for, I think. But the way you phrased it, the correct answer is just 24. You asked for the number of tickets sold, 10+14. We don't know if any more tickets were sold. It could be that the rest of the tickets were never sold, the seats remained empty, and the theatre program was sad.
