A plant used sixty 55-gallon drums of sodium hypochlorite during 1 year of operation. The average withdrawal from each drum was 50 gallons. What was the total amount used during the year?

• A. 3,000 gallons
• B. 3,300 gallons
• C. 4,000 gallons
• D. 4,300 gallons

Answer: (A)

The key idea is multiplying how many drums were used by how much was taken from each drum. With sixty drums and an average withdrawal of fifty gallons per drum, the total used is 60 × 50 = 3,000 gallons. The 55-gallon drum size is just the container capacity, not the amount actually consumed per drum, which is why using 55 gallons per drum would overestimate the total (3,300 gallons).