9514 1404 393
Answer:
(a) 306 pounds
Step-by-step explanation:
The ratio of sugar to the total is ...
sugar : (sugar + butter) = (2 1/4) : (2 1/4 + 3/8)
= (18/8) : (18/8 +3/8) = 18 : 21 = 6 : 7
Then the amount of sugar in the baker's initial is ...
(6/7) × 357 = 306 . . . . pounds
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Additional comment
If you realize that 2 1/4 is much more than 3/8, then you realize most of the mix is sugar. Of the answer choices, the only one that is most of 357 pounds is the first one: 306 pounds. That is the correct choice. In other words, your sense of the quantities involved is sufficient to answer the question, without any math.
