Question

Richard has $652 in his account and is planning a road trip. He looks at how expensive hotels and sightseeing costs are in certain cities, planning accordingly:

City
Cost ($)
Detroit
196.87
Pittsburgh
180.32
St. Paul
102.87
Cincinnati
155.81
Richmond
211.86

When Richard makes the calculations, he finds he does not have enough money to visit each city. What is the cheapest city that Richard can drop to avoid overdrawing his account?
a.
Richmond
b.
Detroit
c.
Pittsburgh
d.
Cincinnati

Answer 1

First find the total cost: 196.87 + 180.32 + 102.87 + 155.81 + 211.86 = 847.73, which is $195.73 over $652.

Remove each city and see if the remaining total ≤ 652:
- Drop Richmond: 847.73 − 211.86 = 635.87 (works)
- Drop Detroit: 847.73 − 196.87 = 650.86 (works)
- Drop Pittsburgh: 847.73 − 180.32 = 667.41 (too high)
- Drop Cincinnati: 847.73 − 155.81 = 691.92 (too high)
- Drop St. Paul: 847.73 − 102.87 = 744.86 (too high)

The cheapest city he can drop that avoids overdrawing is Detroit (196.87). Answer: b.