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

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VJesus12: Legendary Member; Posts: 2276; Joined: Sat Oct 14, 2017 6:10 am; Followed by:3 members

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

by VJesus12 » Wed Nov 08, 2017 7:56 am

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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Source: Beat The GMAT — Problem Solving | Wed Nov 08, 2017 7:56 am

EconomistGMATTutor: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 555; Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2017 4:18 pm; Thanked: 180 times; Followed by:12 members

by EconomistGMATTutor » Wed Nov 08, 2017 10:13 am

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?

Hi VJesus12,
Let's take a look at your question.

Let's first find the total purchase price.
Kim purchased n items for $8 each, therefore, the total purchase price of n items is 8n.

Now, let's find the postage and handling charges of n items, which is $3 for the first item and $1 for each additional item.
Total postage and handling charges = 3 + 1*(n-1) = 3 + n - 1 = n + 2

Total dollar amount of Kim's purchase, including postage and handling = Purchase price + total postage and handling charges
= 8n + n + 2 = 9n + 2

Therefore, Option C is correct.

Hope it helps.
I am available if you'd like any follow up.

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Jeff@TargetTestPrep: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 1462; Joined: Thu Apr 09, 2015 9:34 am; Location: New York, NY; Thanked: 39 times; Followed by:22 members

by Jeff@TargetTestPrep » Wed Dec 13, 2017 7:35 am

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

Since Kim purchased n items from a catalog, we can create the following expression:

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

Answer: C

Jeffrey Miller
Head of GMAT Instruction
[email protected]