each payment is half as much as the previous month’s payment and the total of the
payments is $496, what is the amount of the first payment?You need to determine if that was the correct answer. The problem says that the total is supposed to be
$496, so add up the payments: 84 + 42 + 21 + 10.50 + 5.25 = 162.75, which is much smaller than 496.
So, cross off (C) and (D).
Now, all you need to do is try (B). If (B) works, then you’re done. And, if (B) doesn’t work, you’re still
done because the answer must be (A). That’s putting your POE to good use! If the first payment is $96,
then the payments are 96 + 48 + 24+ 12 + 6 = 186, which is still too small. That means the answer must
be (A), and you don’t really need to check it.
Here are the steps for solving a problem using the PITA approach:
To solve a problem by Plugging In The Answers:- Label the answer choices.
- Starting with one of the middle answer choices, work the steps of the problem. Be sure to
write down a label for each new step. - Look for something in the problem that tells you what must happen for the answer to be
correct. - When you find the correct answer, STOP.
6.
2 x + y = 67 x + 2y = 27