Correct Answer: D

Rationale: To solve the equation 8x − 6 = 3x + 24, start by adding 6 to both sides: 8x − 6 + 6 = 3x + 24 + 6, which simplifies to 8x = 3x + 30. Next, subtract 3x from both sides to get 5x = 30. Finally, divide both sides by 5 to solve for x: x = 6. Therefore, the correct solution is x = 6. Choices A, B, and C are incorrect because they do not result from the correct algebraic manipulation of the equation.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: To simplify the expression, apply the order of operations (PEMDAS). Begin by squaring -2 to get 4. Then perform the multiplication and subtraction within parentheses: 52(3) + 3(4)/4 + 9 - 2(5 - 8) = 156 + 12/4 + 9 - 2(3) = 156 + 3 + 9 - 6 = 168 + 3 - 6 = 171 - 6 = 165. Therefore, the correct simplified expression is 165, which is equivalent to 87/19. Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because they do not represent the accurate simplification of the given expression.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: To find the number of hosts in the restaurant, first, express the ratio algebraically as 9x + 2x + 1x = 36, where x represents the common factor. Combine like terms to get 12x = 36. Solve for x by dividing both sides by 12 to get x = 3. To find the number of hosts, multiply the coefficient of hosts (2) by x, which equals 6. Therefore, there are 6 hosts at the restaurant. Choice A, 3, is incorrect as it represents the number of servers. Choices B and D are incorrect as they do not correspond to the number of hosts based on the given ratio.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: To identify the negative value, simplify each expression. A) simplifies to 6 which is positive. B) simplifies to 0 which is neither positive nor negative. C) simplifies to -11 which is negative. D) simplifies to -30 which is negative. Therefore, only choice B results in a non-negative value, making it the correct answer.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: To solve the equation 3x + 4 = 19, first, subtract 4 from both sides to isolate the term with x, which gives 3x = 15. Then, divide both sides by 3 to solve for x, resulting in x = 5. Therefore, the correct answer is x = 5. Choice A, x = 3, is incorrect as it does not satisfy the equation. Choice B, x = 4, is also incorrect as it does not make the equation true. Choice D, x = 6, is incorrect as it does not align with the correct solution obtained through the proper algebraic steps.