We are given statement " John read the first 114 pages of a novel, which was 3 pages less than 1/3 of the novel".
Let us assume total number of pages of a novel = p pages.
3 less than 1/3 of total pages = 114.
3 less then 1/3 of P is = 114.
[tex]\frac{1}{3}P- 3 = 114[/tex]