What is the maximum width allowed for the second desk?

What is the maximum width allowed for the second desk?

• A. 10 inches
• B. 14 inches
• C. 12 inches
• D. 8 inches

Answer: (C)

The main idea is the width budget: the second desk can’t be wider than the space left after you allocate the first desk and any required spacing. If you take the total available width and subtract the width of the first desk plus the gap between desks, what’s left is the maximum for the second desk. In this problem, that remaining space is 12 inches, so 12 inches is the largest width that fits all the constraints. Smaller options like 10 inches fit but aren’t the maximum; a larger option like 14 inches would exceed the available space and break the constraint; 8 inches is also within the limit but not the maximum.

The main idea is the width budget: the second desk can’t be wider than the space left after you allocate the first desk and any required spacing. If you take the total available width and subtract the width of the first desk plus the gap between desks, what’s left is the maximum for the second desk. In this problem, that remaining space is 12 inches, so 12 inches is the largest width that fits all the constraints.

Smaller options like 10 inches fit but aren’t the maximum; a larger option like 14 inches would exceed the available space and break the constraint; 8 inches is also within the limit but not the maximum.