An elevator starts at the lobby and makes 4 stops. the positive numbers stand for going up, and the negative numbers stand for going down. which expression gives the total number of floors traveled during the 4 stops? a |9+−12+5+−8| b |9|+|−12|+|5|+|−8| c 9−12+5−8 d |(+9)+(−12)+(+5)+(−8)|

Short answer B
The insert just confuses the issue. The total number of floors traveled is 34. Let's see which answer gives that.

A
| 9 - 12 + 5 - 8|
| - 3 - 3 |
| - 6 |
6 That's not 34, so it's not the answer.

C
9 - 12 + 5 - 8
-3 - 3
- 6
That's not 34 so C is not the answer.

D
Same answer as A and done the same way. Just remove the brackets.
|9 - 12 + 5 - 8 |
| - 3 - 3 | 
6

Must be B. <<<<<  answer
9 + 12 + 5 + 8
34