2012-03-08 09:00:32

Seven friends agreed to split the price of a lane at a bowling alley for two hours at a cost of $18 each. When they got to the bowling alley, though, one of them decided he no longer wanted to go bowling. If the remaining friends rent the lane for two hours, how much more will each person pay for the lane than he would’ve paid before one of them backed out?

(A) $1
(B) $3
(C) $4
(D) $6
(E) $18

The correct answer is B

Explanation: Start by finding the total cost of renting the lane for two hours. This can be calculated by multiplying the cost per person (18) times the number of people (7) as originally conceived: 18 x 7 = $126. If one person backs out, then that means only six of them are going to go bowling. Divide the cost of the lane ($126) by the number of remaining bowlers: 126/6 = $21. The question asks for the difference in per bowler costs, which is 21 - 18. This equals $3, making choice B correct.