A painting 2 inches wide is placed around a rectangular board with dimensions 8 inches by 12 inches. What is the area of the painting, in square inches?  Choices.
A) 144  B) 196  C) 96  D) 144  E) 128
This question is an example of a 'punch out' question - we have to find the area of EVERYTHING, then 'punch out' the part that we don't want.   We're told that a painting 2 inches wide is placed around a rectangular board with dimensions 8 inches by 12 inches. We're asked for the area of the painting , in square inches.   Area of a rectangle = (length)(width)   So the area of the board is... (8)(12) = 96   The painting 'adds' 2 inches to the top, bottom, left and right 'sides' of the picture, so the area of EVERYTHING is...   (8+2+2)(12+2+2) = (12)(16) = 196   When we 'punch out' the area of the rectangular board , we'll be left with the area of the FRAME:   192 - 96= 
<gadget id="calculator">192 - 96</gadget>
<output>96</output>
96   Final Answer:   96
<result>C</result>
A painting 2 inches wide is placed around a rectangular board with dimensions 8 inches by 12 inches. What is the area of the painting, in square inches?