A certain pet store sells only dogs and cats. In March, the store sold twice as many dogs as cats. In April, the store sold twice the number of dogs that it sold in March, and three times the number of cats that it sold in March. If the total number of pets the store sold in March and April combined was 500, how many dogs did the store sell in March?

To approach this problem using the “Plug In the Answers” strategy, let’s begin with the middle choice, (B).

If there were 100 dogs sold in March, then according to the given ratio, 50 cats were sold in March as well. In April, if 200 dogs were sold, then 150 cats were sold.

Adding up the totals:

Dogs sold in March: 100
Cats sold in March: 50
Dogs sold in April: 200
Cats sold in April: 150

The total number of dogs and cats sold during these two months is 100+50+200+150=500100+50+200+150=500.

Since the sum is 500, which matches the required total, (B) is indeed the correct answer.