Question

An online bookseller averages net sales of $12 million per month. The table shows monthly
variances for five months.
Feb.
-2.5
Sales Above/Below Avg. (Millions)
Mar.
Apr.
2.5
May
-1.6
June
「2
Which symbol correctly completes each comparison?
April sales
May sales
February sales
• March sales
June sales
April sales

Answer 1

To compare the monthly sales figures to the average monthly sales of $12 million, we can translate the variances into actual sales figures.

- **February Sales:** $12 million - $2.5 million = $9.5 million
- **March Sales:** $12 million + $0 million = $12 million (assuming no variance is provided for March)
- **April Sales:** $12 million + $2.5 million = $14.5 million
- **May Sales:** $12 million - $1.6 million = $10.4 million
- **June Sales:** $12 million - $2 million = $10 million

Now, we have the following sales figures:

- **February:** $9.5 million
- **March:** $12 million
- **April:** $14.5 million
- **May:** $10.4 million
- **June:** $10 million

Now we can compare:

1. **April sales** ($14.5 million) vs. **May sales** ($10.4 million):
- April > May

2. **February sales** ($9.5 million) vs. **March sales** ($12 million):
- February < March

3. **June sales** ($10 million) vs. **April sales** ($14.5 million):
- June < April

4. **April sales** ($14.5 million) vs. **May sales** ($10.4 million):
- April > May

To summarize the comparisons:
- April sales > May sales
- February sales < March sales
- June sales < April sales

So the correct symbols are:
- For **April vs. May:** >
- For **February vs. March:** <
- For **June vs. April:** <

Hope that helps!