What is the correct formula to calculate the cost of a hard drive replacement and recovery operation?

• A. Cost = $300 + (14 hours * $10/hour) = $440
• B. Cost = $300 + 14 hours * $10/hour
• C. Total cost is $440
• D. Cost = $440

Answer: (A)

The calculation tests combining a fixed service fee with a variable labor charge and showing the final total. The best choice presents the fixed fee plus the labor cost, uses parentheses to ensure the multiplication is done before addition, and then shows the computed total.

Compute the labor: 14 hours × $10/hour = $140. Add the fixed fee: $300 + $140 = $440. Writing it as Cost = $300 + (14 hours × $10/hour) = $440 clearly demonstrates the two components and the final amount.

Other forms might either omit the final computed total or only state the total without showing how it was derived, which is less informative even though they can yield the same numeric result.