Question

The total amount that Mary paid for a book was equal to the price of the book plus a sales tax that was 4 percent of the price of the book. Mary paid for the book with a 10 bill and received the correct change, which was less than 3.00. Which of the following statements must be true?

• A. The price of the book was less than 9.50.
• B. The price of the book was greater than 6.90.
• C. The sales tax was less than 0.45.
• D. 3600
• E.

Hint:

When working with sales tax problems, always remember to calculate the total payment and subtract to find the price of the book.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

The price of the book plus the tax is less than 10, with the tax being 4% of the price of the book. Let the price of the book be p. The total amount Mary paid is:
p + 0.04p = 1.04p.
The total payment is 10, so:
1.04p = 10 - change.
Since the change is less than 3, we can infer that:
1.04p < 10 - 3 = 7.
Thus:
p < 7 / 1.04 ≈ 6.73.
Therefore, the price of the book is less than 6.73. Hence, the correct answer is 3,600.

Final Answer:
The correct answer is 3,600.