Michael paid $10.11 for a pair of jeans. This amount included a tax of 2%. What was the cost before tax?

Answer: $9.91

Step-by-step explanation: The correct answer is $9.91 for the jeans. This is calculated by divided the total paid ($10.11) by 1.02, which represents the cost of the jeans + the 2% interest. 10.11 / 1.02 = $9.91.

You can then double check you work by calculating the 2% interest rate of the jeans. $9.91 x 2% = $.20. The total is $9.91 for the jeans plus $.20 for the tax, for a total of $10.11, which is the amount in the original problem.