Suppose the price of admission to the state fair is $9.50, and each ride costs an

To find the correct inequality for the total amount Karen can spend, we begin by breaking down her expenses.

The cost of admission to the state fair is $9.50, and each ride costs an additional $2.25.

If \( r \) represents the number of rides Karen goes on, her total cost can be expressed as:

\[
\text{Total Cost} = \text{Cost of Admission} + \text{Cost of Rides} = 9.50 + 2.25r
\]

Karen wants her total spending to be at most $50. Therefore, we need to set up the inequality:

\[
9.50 + 2.25r \leq 50
\]

This corresponds to option (a).

Thus, the correct answer is:

**a) \( 9.50 + 2.25r \leq 50 \)**