4. How much less, in dollars, was the total cost of Andrew's order compared to the sum of the total costs for Matthew's 2 orders?
Answer: E
Andrew's total cost was $60 less than Matthew's total costs.
Andrew's total cost for his order of 400 items was $60 less than the combined total cost of Matthew's two orders, one for 100 items and another for 300 items.
A) $20
This option is incorrect because the difference in total costs between Andrew's and Matthew's orders is greater than $20. A calculation based on the provided extract shows that the actual difference is higher than this amount.
B) $35
This option is also incorrect. The total cost difference calculated from both Andrew's and Matthew's orders exceeds $35. The breakdown of the costs demonstrates that this figure does not accurately reflect the disparity.
C) $45
Although this option is closer to the actual difference, it remains incorrect. The calculations indicate that the total cost difference is beyond $45, as evidenced by the specific amounts derived from the order sizes.
D) $55
This option is incorrect as well. While $55 is a significant figure, it fails to capture the complete difference in total costs between Andrew's and Matthew's orders, which the calculations show to be more substantial.
E) $60
This option is correct. The calculations confirm that Andrew's total cost for his order of 400 items was indeed $60 less than the total costs of Matthew's two orders, which were made for 100 and 300 items.
Conclusion
The correct answer, $60, reflects the accurate difference in total costs when comparing Andrew's single order to the combined costs of Matthew's two separate orders. All other options fall short of this figure, demonstrating that they do not accurately represent the financial disparity based on the given extract.