Kim purchased n items from a catalog for $8 each.

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Kim purchased n items from a catalog for $8 each. Postage and handling charges consisted of $3 for the first item and $1 for each additional item. Which of the following gives the total dollar amount for Kim's purchase, including postage and handling, in terms of n ?

(A) 8n + 2
(B) 8n + 4
(C) 9n + 2
(D) 9n + 3
(E) 9n + 4

The OA is C.

I am confused. I thought the correct answer should be A. Why is C?

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Answer

by EconomistGMATTutor » Wed Nov 08, 2017 1:50 pm
Hello Vjesus12, I hope you're well.

First, as Kim purchased "n" items, we have to notice that the total cost for these "n" items is $ 8n , because each item cost $8.

Now, let's calculate the postage and handling charges.

For the first item $3.

For the rest "n-1" items $1. It implies a total of 1*(n-1)=n-1.

So, the total of postage and handling charges is: $ 3+(n-1) = $ 2+n.

So, the total dollar amount for Kim's purchase is: $ 8n + 2 + n = $ 9n +2.

So, the correct answer is option C.

I hope it can help you.

I'm available if you'd like any follow up.
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by GMATGuruNY » Wed Nov 08, 2017 2:42 pm
VJesus12 wrote:Kim purchased n items from a catalog for $8 each. Postage and handling charges consisted of $3 for the first item and $1 for each additional item. Which of the following gives the total dollar amount for Kim's purchase, including postage and handling, in terms of n ?

(A) 8n + 2
(B) 8n + 4
(C) 9n + 2
(D) 9n + 3
(E) 9n + 4
Let n =1, implying that one item is purchased for a price of $8 plus $3 shipping -- a total cost of $11.
Since the question stem asks for the total cost of Kim's purchase, the target value is $11.
Now plug n=1 into the answers to see which yields the target value of 11.
Only C works:
9n + 2 = (9*1) + 2 = 11.

The correct answer is C.
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by Matt@VeritasPrep » Thu Nov 09, 2017 7:10 pm
We've got ONE item that costs $8 + $3 and (n - 1) items that each cost $8 + $1, so our total is

$11 + (n - 1)*$9, or

$11 + $9n - $9, or

$9n + $2

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by Scott@TargetTestPrep » Mon Nov 11, 2019 1:19 pm
VJesus12 wrote:Kim purchased n items from a catalog for $8 each. Postage and handling charges consisted of $3 for the first item and $1 for each additional item. Which of the following gives the total dollar amount for Kim's purchase, including postage and handling, in terms of n ?

(A) 8n + 2
(B) 8n + 4
(C) 9n + 2
(D) 9n + 3
(E) 9n + 4

The OA is C.

I am confused. I thought the correct answer should be A. Why is C?
Since Kim purchased n items from a catalog, she paid $8n for the items, $3 for the shipping and handling for the first item, and $1*(n - 1) for the shipping and handling of the remaining items. We can create the following expression:

8n + 3 + 1(n - 1) = 8n + 3 + n - 1 = 9n + 2

Answer: C

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