PSAT Math Multiple-Choice Question 732: Answer and Explanation

Question: 732

A dry cleaner has a computer program to determine the price it will charge an individual customer to clean a bag full of shirts (S) and pants (P). The total cost in dollars (C) is given by the following expression:

C = 10S + 6P + 5

What does the constant 5 most likely represent in the above expression?

• A. A set fee the cleaner assesses to do any amount of cleaning
• B. The cost to clean a shirt
• C. The cost to clean a pair of pants
• D. The total minimum cost to clean either one shirt or one pair of pants

Correct Answer: A

Explanation:

(A) No matter how many shirts or pants are cleaned, the cleaner charges a $5 fee. The only logical explanation out of the given choices is that this is some kind of set fee. The cost to clean a shirt is $10 since the shirt variable is multiplied by 10. The cost to clean a pair of pants is $6 since the pants variable is multiplied by 6. The total minimum cost to clean either one shirt or one pair of pants is $11:

C = 10S + 6P + 5 → C = (10 × 0) + (6 × 1) + 5 = 11