A dress is currently on sale for \( \$ 53.49 \). If the markdown percent is \( 42 \% \), what was the original price to the nearest cent? Select one: a. \( \$ 68.97 \) b. \( \$ 70.08 \) c. \( \$ 89.38 \) d. \( \$ 92.22 \)

To find the original price of the dress before the 42% markdown, you can use the formula for the sale price: \[ \text{Sale Price} = \text{Original Price} \times (1 - \text{Markdown Percentage}) \] Given that the sale price is \( \$ 53.49 \) and the markdown percentage is 42% (or 0.42), we can rearrange the formula to find the original price: \[ \text{Original Price} = \frac{\text{Sale Price}}{(1 - 0.42)} \] \[ \text{Original Price} = \frac{53.49}{0.58} \approx 92.22 \] So the original price of the dress was approximately \( \$ 92.22 \), making the correct answer d! --- Did you know that markdown pricing has been used for centuries? In medieval markets, merchants would mark down items to clear inventory. Today, retailers strategically apply markdowns during sales to attract customers, which can lead to a frenzy of shopping—Black Friday, anyone? Also, a common mistake when calculating markdowns is forgetting to convert percentages into decimals! Remember, always divide the percent by 100 before using it in calculations. This will save you from the headache of incorrect pricing and budgeting mishaps!