Carmen owns a computer store and had \(\$ 6,750\) in sales this May. The year before, she had \(\$ 8,437.50\) in sales in May. If Carmen had a profit of \(\$ 5,400\) this May, what percent of her sales were profits?
Explanation
The \(\$ 8,437.50\) for the year before is a red herring: It doesn’t have anything to do with this problem. The best way to do this problem is by working backwards. Start with (B). What is 60 per cent of \(\$ 6,750\)? It’s only \(\$ 4,050\), which is less than the \(\$ 5,400\) you’re looking for. Go ahead and eliminate (A) and (B). Choice (D) is the next easiest answer to check. What is 80 per cent of \(\$ 6,750\)? That’s right, it’s \(\$ 5,400\). The answer to this problem is (D)